By Staff
To the editor:
Thank you to Doris Higgins, Executive Director of the Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan, and her staff for organizing the National Volunteer Week Luncheon highlighting the achievements of so many volunteers throughout Southwest Michigan.
We are truly blessed at the Cancer Service with the valuable time and talent of many people from our community. During 2007, we had over 170 volunteers give in excess of 1,500 hours of volunteer service. That represents the equivalency of one person working an average of 30 hours a week – all year! What a tremendous gift to Berrien County residents with a cancer diagnosis and their families. It is an honor to work with these individuals who so generously give of their time, year after year, on our many various projects and tasks throughout the year. We could not accomplish everything we do, were it not for our volunteers.
With the assistance and dedication of our staff and many volunteers, the Berrien County Cancer Service has been fulfilling our mission: To provide free skilled home nursing services, equipment, information and supplies at cost for cancer patients and their families in Berrien County for the past 60 years. BCCS was started in 1948 with only one nurse visiting just a few patients, while in 2007, 613 persons were served with support services including over 3,300 skilled-nurse visits.
On a personal note, I was humbled to receive the Kathryn S. Rossow Professionalism in Volunteer Management Award. Kathy became a friend and mentor in my beginning days as Executive Director and Volunteer Coordinator of the Berrien County Cancer Service. Kathy taught me long ago that VOLUNTEERS ARE THE ANSWER.
Executive Director