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Volunteering at Fort Hamilton

Butler County volunteers, nearly 400 of them, spent 38,537 hours of their time at Fort Hamilton Hospital last year…raising money for hospital improvements, running errands and assisting patients. The volunteers ease the workload of hospital employees, allowing them to devote more time to patients and day-to-day responsibilities. “We couldn’t do it without them,” said Lynn Oswald, senior vice president. “They’re invaluable.”

The volunteers don’t seem to see it as work, though. “Many of (the volunteers) will tell you they feel as though they receive as much or more than they give,” said Peggy Turner, director of volunteer services at The Fort Hamilton Hospital. “Like Winston Churchill said, ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.’ That’s their philosophy.”

Many volunteers start volunteering for another reason, then end up staying because of the fulfillment they get from it.

Ursula Pridemore began volunteering after her husband passed away. “Volunteering saved my life,” she said. “I was very upset after my husband died, but through volunteering, I realized how many others I could help. I’ve also gained a lot of self-confidence. Before volunteering, I wouldn’t have picked up the phone. Now I work at the information desk at the hospital. It’s so satisfying knowing you’re helping someone else.” Pridemore has volunteered more than 31,000 hours over the past 16 years at Fort Hamilton Hospital; that’s almost 40 hours a week.

Rachel Felts, a student at the Hamilton Freshman Building, began volunteering in 2005 in order to familiarize herself with a hospital, as she some day plans to become a pediatrician. Rachel helps transport discharged patients, runs errands for staff and assists with various other needs throughout the hospital. She has volunteered almost 170 hours. “My volunteer experience has been great and I really enjoy working with the patients,” said Felts. “It’s the highlight of my week.”

Volunteer Groups

Fort Hamilton has five distinct volunteer groups, including:

• Colleagues — Colleagues work many hours at the Bargain Bungalow, a resale shop in Hamilton, and work on large fund raising events to raise monies that are then donated to the hospital. One such event is Autumn Splendor, an annual community dinner dance and auction. An ongoing fundraiser is the sale of gift certificates from a variety of restaurants, stores and many other retailers. The gift certificates are a convenience for employees and community members as well as a benefit for the group as a portion of the proceeds of each sale is donated back to the Colleagues’ fund raising effort. The Colleagues recently donated $225,000 toward the new intensive care unit expansion. Total Colleague donations since their inception exceed more than 1.2 million. Total Colleague donations since their inception exceed more than $1 million.

• Comfort And Individual Response (CAIR) — CAIR volunteers are individuals who provide employee and patient support when they are dispatched from the errand room or are sometimes assigned directly to a department for errands, clerical support, information desk staffing, etc.

• Auxiliary — The Auxiliary manages the Wishing Well Gift Shop and organizes jewelry and book sales. They recently pledged a generous $250,000 over five years for the family waiting room in the new ICU unit. Auxiliary donations have provided support to Fort Hamilton Hospital for more than 50 years.

• Junior Volunteers — Junior volunteers, ages 14 – 18, do many of the same errands as the CAIR volunteers. Applications are accepted based on the number currently enrolled and active compared to the need.

• Pastoral Care — The pastoral care services has Eucharistic Ministers that come from parishes to serve our Catholic patients during their hospital stay. A small group of Chaplain Volunteers has received additional training to visit patients, offering support and encouragement.