PCH Names Two Volunteers of the Year

Lois DiMarzio and Mary Lawton were co-recipients of the 2015 Volunteer of the Year award at Paris Community Hospital during an April 11 reception at the hospital. The reception took place during National Volunteer Week. This year’s national theme is “Giving Time, Touching Hearts.”

DiMarzio has been a PCH Volunteer since 2003, providing more than 2,154 hours of service to date. Nominees called her “spirited, dependable, and true volunteer of the year material.”

Lawton has been a PCH Volunteer since 2008, providing more than 1,640 hours of service to date. Nominees called her “a genuine good person who never puts herself before others.”

In 2015, 51 PCH Volunteers donated 5,436 hours – the equivalent of nearly three full-time staff members. They also recruited two new members. The volunteers’ work included distributing mail, assisting with patient transport, operating the gift shop, decorating the hospital, and participating in disaster drills.

PCH Volunteers also achieved the following in 2015:

• Conducted book fairs and chocolate sales.
• Awarded one $1,000 healthcare scholarship to an area high school student and two $500 scholarships to PCH/FMC employees.
• Purchased flat screen TVs for all patient rooms in the medical/surgical and critical care areas.
• Purchased a rocker/recliner chair for the medical/surgical area.
• Supported the hospital’s annual fundraising event for respiratory therapy equipment.

The April 11 reception also honored other individuals who provide volunteer service to PCH/FMC. In addition to the PCH Volunteers, these include the hospital’s board of directors, chaplains, swing bed helpers, and Meals On Wheels volunteers, who delivered 11,864 meals in 2015 to individuals enrolled in the program. All meals are prepared in the PCH/FMC kitchen seven days a week.