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First Edition 2010
Volunteer Information Publication
Volunteers spread the roots of kindness
By Kathryn Berry Carter, Volunteer Services director
“A single act of kindness throws our roots in all directions, and the roots spring up to make
new trees. “ Lawrence G. Lovasik, American minister and writer
As you will see when reading
this issue, the fall generated a flurry
of activity. The Auxiliary held their
annual bazaar and raised more than
$23,000. Once again, we thank the
Decorative Artist Club for adding
their special items to the sale, as
well as the hard-working and consistent bazaar volunteers who make
this event possible. We are also
pleased to relay that the Auxiliary
has recently committed $21,244.19
in tangible items that will positively
impact St. Jude patients and their
families.
Women’s Club members beautifully decorated the hospital with
themed Christmas trees and sponsored the annual Holiday Pictures
with the Elves event. They also
hosted a festive birthday party celebration in early January in memory
of St. Jude founder, Danny Thomas.
We thank you all for your gifts of
time and creativity. Many patient
families and employees benefit from
your holiday spirit.
The Ladies of St. Jude presented the hospital and ALSAC with
a generous donation of $171,384
at their annual holiday luncheon.
These funds are earmarked for many
items related to patient care. A tour
highlighting these items will be
scheduled later this year.
December was time for celebrating milestone anniversaries
within our volunteer corps at the annual Joy of Giving Holiday Celebration and Service Awards banquet.
We were also delighted to induct
four new members into the Lifetime
Membership program. For more
information and photos, see page 8.
January marked the 6th anniversary of the Memphis Grizzlies
House opening. Volunteers played
an integral role in planning a party,
complete with dinner and cake.
Volunteer Services Director Kathryn Berry Carter
Families and staff joined in the cel(L), Senior VP of Patient Services Pam Dotson
(second from L) and volunteer coordinators Randa
ebration and the reminiscing about
Spears and Tricia Spence (R) congratulate the
the past six years.
new Lifetime Members Silvia Merediz, Janet
We now shift our attention to
Stewart and Don Santoro.
April and National Volunteer Approjects as well as integrating thempreciation month. Volunteers will
selves into our staff. This semester
be recognized for hours of service
Miaya and Claire are joined by two
in calendar year 2009 at our annual
new interns, Laura Deinas and
luncheon scheduled for Thursday,
Katy Johnston, both from Rhodes
April 22. It’s also time to begin the
nomination process for the Sheryl K. College. Please help me welcome
them to our team!
Nienhuis Memorial Award. NomiWe thank each of you for doing
nations are due March 15.
your part to spread the roots of kindWe’re thrilled to have our fall
ness. Your collective efforts have
interns, Miaya Gannam and Claire
certainly created a forest of fruitful
Cullen continue in their positions
trees!
this spring. Both Miaya and Claire
have done a terrific job with many
Quarterly news for volunteers of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ®
Welcome New
Volunteers
Target House volunteer Chuck Smith fist bumps a patient after they watch Olympian Shawn White win a
gold medal. Smith planned the Olympics watching night in February.
To see a list of all volunteers who have joined the
team between November 3,
2009 and February 1, 2010,
go to the St. Jude Web site
at www.stjude.org/hospitalvolunteers.
Click on “Volunteer
Recognition” then choose
“Welcome New Volunteers.” When you see any
of these new volunteers,
welcome them to St. Jude.
Target House update: Volunteer brings life to teens
By Sarah Wilson Miles, Target House Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator
The holiday season is always a
wonderful blur of celebratory cheer
at Target House, and the latter part
of 2009 was no exception. Now
that we have moved into 2010, the
upcoming months are shaping up to
be surprisingly busy, with many fun
and meaningful activities for Target
House families. Thanks to our individual and small-group volunteers
offering activities such as crafts,
games nights, pool tournaments and
movie nights just to name a few,
we are able to provide a year-round
sense of community to Target House
families.
Target House offers individual volunteers the chance to host
vi­p
St. Jude
Volunteer Information Publication
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
901-595-2277
Editing and Production by Volunteer
Services. Photos and printing by
Biomedical Communications.
St. Jude is an Equal Opportunity
Employer.
monthly events. The hours, creativity and thought dedicated to the
activities and our St. Jude families
are heartwarming and invigorating
to witness. One of our long-term
volunteers, Chuck Smith, has become a fixture on the monthly activity calendar. Although Chuck leads
a busy life – working at FedEx,
traveling, playing tennis and keeping up with his nieces and nephew
– he makes time twice each month
to plan and host activities at Target
House. Chuck has been volunteering at Target House since 2004 and
quickly found his niche in the Teen
Room.
During the past six years, he has
organized a variety of activities for
teen Target House residents, including pool tournaments, movie nights,
kickball games, scavenger hunts,
and model car building sessions.
It’s truly amazing to watch him
unite a group of teenagers and help
them bond and find laughter during
a difficult time. Chuck is especially
adept at coming up with new and
inventive ways to encourage teens to
get out of their comfort zone and get
involved. Most recently, he implemented a Pool Tournament Wall of
Fame, which lists monthly tourna-
ment winners, and he planned an
Olympic watch party.
Chuck has had great success
through the years in drawing out
the teen population and has helped
foster friendships that last long after
patients leave Target House. These
friendships extend beyond state
lines and international waters; the
bond of battles fought transcends
the barriers that might have existed.
Chuck has recognized the need to
help teens find their own support
group of peers, while away from
the comfort of friends and family at
home. His activities allow them the
opportunity to connect with others
who understand what they are going
through. Being a teenager is hard,
but trying to find out who you are
while in a totally new environment
is even harder. With the diversity of
the events Chuck offers, everyone
has a chance to be themselves, try
new things and make some friends
along the way. When asked to sum
up his experience at Target House
in one word, Chuck’s answer is
“friendship.”
“Friendship is born at that moment
when one person says to another,
‘What! You too? I thought I was the
only one.’” C. S. Lewis
The Ladies of St. Jude
By Sarah D. Pratt, member
October, November and early
December were busy months for the
Ladies of St. Jude, They spent more
than 1,600 hours working on their
Christmas card project.
Though the work was taken
seriously, some fun was scattered
throughout each day, especially at
lunchtime, when they had a few moments to chat. They took great pride
in this project. Some members of
longstanding have watched it grow
through many years, dating back to
when Martha Frank and her friends
initiated the project.
So, it was with pride in their
accomplishments but with lumps in
their throats, that they learned that
ALSAC deemed next year a good
time to place the project in the hands
of a marketing firm who could make
it grow even more.
Co-chairs Debby Gage and Betty Christy deserve unending praise
for their leadership and inspiration.
They would be the first to point out
how much cooperation they received
from hard-working LSJ members.
But fear not. New projects are
on the horizon.
The much-awaited Christmas
luncheon was a big success, thanks
to event chair Rene Leach. Twentyeight members plus six guests met
at The Racquet Club of Memphis
December 10. At that
time, the club presented a
check to the hospital for
$171,384, representing
proceeds from their effort
and dedication. In the spirit
of the holiday, members
brought nail polish in
an array of colors to the
event, to be given to teen
patients.
On December 15, several of our members were honored
at The Joy of Giving celebration
hosted by Volunteer Services. Receiving a five-year pin was Michèle
Crump. Ten-year pins were awarded
to Pat Reid, Ann Tucker and Agnes
Wagner. And, a twenty-five year pin
went to María Chandler. Congratulations, ladies, for all you do.
Special wishes go out to:
• Ginny Carter, in sympathy for the
death of her daughter;
• Becky Laner, with good wishes
for the recovery of her grandchild
with heart problems, and for the
child’s mother, who also has
health problems;
• Sheila Ihle, for recovery from injuries sustained in a fall, as well as
for problems with an embolism;
• Janey Outlan, in sympathy for the
loss of a family member; and
• Bea Remmert, Velma Gill and
During the Ladies of St. Jude Christmas Luncheon
December 10, members Virginia Daniel and Joan
Rodrigue present a check for $171,384 to ALSAC
Chief Operating Officer Dave McKee.
Betty Blackburn for recovery
from illnesses.
We have the sad duty to report
the death of long time member, Kit
Minkin. There are not enough words
of praise in the dictionary to cover
our feelings about Kit. She was a
pillar in our club, having been a
member for more than 22 years. She
represented all that we stand for, and
she was an active member as long as
her health allowed. Few of us knew
until recently that Kit had been a
U.S. Army nurse during World War
II. So her compassion was honed
early in her life. Her generosity and
kindness will serve as a model for
the rest of us. Our sympathy goes to
her two sons. We will miss her.
St. Jude mourns the loss of Sandy Lewis
Longtime St. Jude employee
Sandy Lewis died February 13 at
the age of 75. She joined St. Jude in
1968, and her career spanned nearly
30 years of dedicated service.
During her first five years at the
hospital, she served in many positions including administrative assistant in Administration; secretary
to the Biochemistry chair; director
of Volunteer Services; and secretary
to the first St. Jude medical director,
Donald Pinkel, MD.
In 1975, Sandy became the first
National Executive Secretary to the
ALSAC-St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors. She worked
alongside first generation pioneers
of the Board, including Danny
Thomas, Dick Shadyac, Ed Barry,
George Sabbag, Albert Joseph, Fred
Gattas, Sr., Edward Soma, George
Elias, Ed Eissey, Peter Decker and
Camille Sarrouf.
After she retired in 1996, Sandy
became a St. Jude volunteer, and she
was a dedicated Ladies of St. Jude
member for 14 years.
Volunteers Kit Minkin (L) and Sandy Lewis enjoy a
Ladies of St. Jude event several years ago. Both
members passed away recently.
Bringing couples together
By Lois M. Young, editor
V
olunteering at St. Jude is a wonderful way to meet new people.
Some people become close
friends; some might even say best
friends. In the case of two St. Jude
couples, volunteering led to much
more than friendship. They found
love and lifelong commitments.
Jason and Katie
Jason Witt began volunteering
at St. Jude in January 2007, but he
was no stranger to the hospital. He
had been an active patient from August 1996 through January 1999.
“From the time I was diagnosed, I always said that God chose
me to go through this for a reason
and that something good would
come of it,” Jason recalls. “I felt that
volunteering would be a way for me
to not only give back to the people
who once did so much for me, but it
would also give me an opportunity
to maybe share my experiences with
families and patients.” When Jason
was fighting leukemia, he said meeting someone who had been through
a similar battle was “very motivating
and uplifting.”
Only a month after Jason started
volunteering, he found another reason to love St. Jude. One Thursday
night in February, he was making
his usual rounds. Jason walked into
a patient room where a nurse was
trying to get her patient to take some
medicine. He stepped out to make
sure she had the patient’s attention.
When the nurse was finished, he
went back into the room and talked
with the family. In the back of his
mind, Jason kept thinking he would
have to talk to that nurse again before he left for the night.
The nurse was Kathryn “Katie”
Hodges. Normally an ICU nurse,
Katie had been assigned to the
second floor just for that night. Jason
did talk to Katie again about the
only thing he could think of—
college football. When he left his
shift that evening, the first phone
call he made was to his good friend,
St. Jude nurse practitioner Martha
May. All he knew was that the
nurse’s first name was
Kathryn, because he had read it
on her stethoscope. Martha helped
Jason find Katie’s phone number,
and they started dating March 17,
2007. They married 18 months later
on September 20, 2008.
“Within six months of dating,
I could not see my life without this
absolutely beautiful person in it. Not
Volunteer Rich
VanMeter proposes
marriage to
volunteer Nicole
Tice at the Memphis
Grizzlies House
February 3, 2009
only is she gorgeous and stunning on
the outside, but she is equally beautiful on the inside,” Jason says. “I can
honestly say I have married my best
friend.”
Rich and Nicole
Nicole Tice had been working at
St. Jude in Guest Services, when she
took a job at ALSAC (the St. Jude
fundraising organization) in January
2005. She did not want to lose her
connection with St. Jude families, so
she signed up as a hospital volunteer.
Since Nicole was working full-time,
she became a special event volunteer
and her main assignment was the first
Tuesday evening of each month at the
Memphis Grizzlies House.
Richard “Rich” VanMeter had
been volunteering every Tuesday
night at the Memphis Grizzlies House
since February 2004. He was an
operations research analyst for Navy
Recruiting Command in Millington
and regularly trained for triathlons in
his spare time. Nicole and Rich met
on her first night as a volunteer, but
they did not begin dating until February 2007.
“Obviously, the first thing that
drew us together was our love for
St. Jude,” Nicole remembers. “You
know that if someone cares enough to
dedicate a part of his free time to these
families who need our support, that
person has to be of great moral and
spiritual value.”
On February 3, 2009, Rich made
a surprise marriage proposal to Nicole
at the Memphis Grizzlies House. “I
knew that we wanted to spend the rest
of our lives together and create a new
family for my then 7-year-old son,
William, but I wasn’t sure when Rich
would pop the question,” Nicole says.
“I had no clue that he and the
other volunteers and volunteer leaders
were planning [the proposal],” she
Interpreters offer free knitting lessons
This 2008 engagement photo was taken of
volunteer and former patient Jason Witt and
Intensive Care Unit nurse Katie Hodges in front
of one of their favorite places.
recalls. “Rich is a pretty shy guy;
I never thought he would propose
in such a grandiose style in front
of that many people. I was totally
surprised!”
Rich and Nicole were married May 23, 2009 with fellow
volunteers and volunteer staff
attending. Rich is still working
with the Navy and training for
triathlons. Nicole is enjoying a
part-time position at a veterinarian’s office near their home. They
are expecting a baby in August.
Nicole is glad she decided
to maintain her connection with
St. Jude through volunteering. “I
never imagined that volunteering would lead me to someone I
would love so deeply,” she says.
“It was a very pleasant surprise.”
Did you know that knitting can
be both fun and relaxing? In fact,
research studies have shown that
knitting can help some people better
manage stress and pain. Members of
the St. Jude Volunteer Interpreters
Club began offering free knitting
lessons for St. Jude families in September. Angelica Acchiardo is the
primary teacher and María Chandler
is her assistant. Mona Awdeh also
teaches some of the sessions. All
three women have been volunteer
interpreters at St. Jude for many
years.
The first five months of knitting
lessons have been a success, with
several patients and family members
attending each session. During one
lesson, a patient told her mom, “I
want a cozy little blanket.” A mom
told the interpreters, “I have to do
something while I spend many hours
and days in the inpatient room after
my daughter’s transplant.”
As an added benefit, the volunteer interpreters can offer knitting
instruction in Spanish, Portuguese,
French and Arabic, if needed.
If you know a patient or patient
family member who might benefit
from this activity, please tell them
to look for the lesson schedule in
the St. Jude Parents newsletter.
The knitting group meets outside
the Kay Kafe twice a month from
10 a.m.–noon and from 1–2 p.m.
Knitting supplies are provided. To
learn more, call Volunteer Services
at 595-3327.
Mona Awdeh (L)
and María Chandler
(R) teach patient
Anna Pike and her
mother, Ann Marie
Pike, how to knit.
Thinking
of you...
We send our
wishes for a
quick recovery
to Beverly Spruill
and Ben Levie.
Our condolences go out to three
volunteers and their families
whose loved ones have died in
the past few months, including:
Jenifer Prather for her mother;
Alysia Puckett for her
grandmother; and
Beth Gray for her mother.
We also extend our sympathies
to the familes and friends of
long time St. Jude volunteers
Katherine “Kit” Minkin and
Sandy Lewis. Both were truly
exceptional individuals. They
will be missed by all.
St. Jude Auxiliary
By Patty Stephens, president
It’s a brand new year and
decade; 2010 has already begun as
an active, full year for the St Jude
Auxiliary. We have so many people
to thank for all their hard work
in 2009. Our bazaar chair, Jenny
Bledsoe, led our group to another
successful sale in December. This
year’s profit was $23,000.41. None
of this would be possible without the
help and support of our volunteers
as well as donations to the Auxiliary. We especially owe our appreciation to ALSAC Production and
Donor Services for so many wonderful items for our sale. We offer a
special thanks to all the volunteers
who spent many hours pricing, sorting, setting up and running the 2009
bazaar. Without their dedication,
energy and time the Auxiliary sale
would not be such a success. We appreciate everyone who shopped with
us as well.
The Auxiliary has plans for another sale in 2010. It is the Masquerade Jewelry Sale scheduled for May
3 and 4, just in time for Mother’s
Day. Be looking for more details
about this from Volunteer Services
as the time gets closer.
At our first quarterly meeting of
2010, our guest speakers were Ambulatory Care Unit Director Janice
English, RN,
who
Auxiliary Bazaar Chair Jenny Bledsoe helps a customer during the December sale.
updated us on the many clinic and
department moves, and Family-Centered Care Coordinator Alicia Huettel, RN, MSN, who told us all about
family-centered care at St. Jude. One
of the many advantages to being an
Auxiliary member is learning about
our ever-growing and changing hospital. We thank our guest speakers
for their interesting and informative
talks.
Also during the January meeting, Auxiliary members reviewed
a wish list of requested items to
fund with money earned from the
2009 bazaar. Some discussion and
a vote occurred for each selected
item. The first vote for funding was
for Volunteer Services. A TV cart,
DVD player, stand, Nintendo Wii,
accessories, Karaoke machine plus
Auxiliary member Doris
Burton helps sell items
at the Auxiliary Bazaar in
early December.
additional supplies for the Memphis
Grizzlies House were approved
totaling $4,465. The Auxiliary approved $4,000 to replace bean bags
in outpatient waiting areas, as well
as $5,000 for a 30-degree scope for
surgical services. Next, we approved
funding for Child Life requests for
a Sony camcorder, portable DVD
players and Space projector, totaling $1,379.19. The Auxiliary voted
to fund $3,900 for furniture for an
inpatient hospice suite, as well as
$2,500 to Rehabilitation Services
for a walking surface treadmill to
accompany the Lite-Gait device purchased by the Auxiliary in 2008.
All of the hard work, time and
effort by the members becomes
tangible as the Auxiliary chooses
how to spend the money it earns. It
is truly a wonderful sense of fulfillment, which we hope to continue
after our Masquerade Sale in May.
Please bring your energy and
support to ours and join the
St. Jude Auxiliary. Our next meeting
is scheduled for Tuesday, May 11.
Increasing membership is a major
goal in 2010.
We’d like to send special
thoughts and prayers to Auxiliary
members Larry and Anne Campagna
and Jane Koelz, who have had
recent health challenges.
St. Jude Women’s Club
by Roletta Ammons, member
December is such a busy month for the Women’s Club. Our annual Elf
Event was a success again this year. Co-Chairs Jenny Farrenkopf and Jenifer
Prather organized a fun event with carolers, photos with the elves (Women’s
Club volunteers), and gifts of necklaces, elf hats, and coloring books with
crayons.
The hospital became very festive in early December with visions of
many decorated trees. Women’s Club members helped co-chairs Dena
Bangma and Jenny Reddick decorate more than 25 themed trees throughout the campus to brighten the faces of patients, families, faculty, and staff
members alike.
During the holidays 11 Women’s Club members participated in a Secret
Santa Exchange. Jenifer Prather coordinated the Secret Santa effort that offered members a fun way to get to know one another. The members enjoyed
the thoughtfulness and the added element of surprise as they randomly
received gifts from their Secret Santas.
In January, co-chairs Kim Dancy and Rebecca Bush organized a
birthday bash in the cafeteria rotunda in memory of St. Jude founder Danny
Thomas on what would have been his 98th birthday. Danny Thomas Trivia
During their annual Holiday Pictures with the
Elves event, Women’s Club Members Carmen
Sandoval (L), Mandy Little (top, R) and Jenny
Farrenkoph (bottom, R) entertain patients during
the photo shoots.
If you are interested in joining
the St. Jude Women’s Club, please
call or e-mail Donna R. Williams,
membership chair (phone 595-2616,
[email protected]. We
encourage new membership!
Women’s Club members host a birthday party in memory of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas in January.
Members involved include (from L to R): Robin Thomas, Lisa Webb, Rebecca Bush, Kimberly Dancy,
Cindy Madison, Laurie Webby and Amber Yates.
questions were displayed throughout the cafeteria tables so all could take
part in this annual event. Members served cake to patients, families, faculty
and staff members while everyone watched episodes of Danny Thomases’
TV show, “Make Room for Daddy.”
The Women’s Club Annual Book Sale took place February 24 and 25.
This event helps us raise money for the purchase of books, DVDs, video
games, projectors and medical equipment and to help fund patient events for
St. Jude.
Our webmaster Laurie Webby continues to update the St. Jude
Women’s Club intranet page. Please be sure to visit the site frequently for
up-to-date information and news.
Sherie Howell is one of many St. Jude Women’s
Club members who helped decorate the hospital
for the holidays.
Joy of Giving honors service milestones
In 2009, St. Jude volunteers collectively contributed 31,128 hours of
service. That is equivalent to 3,891
eight-hour workdays. It would take
almost 15 full-time employees to
work this many days in one year.
The staff of St. Jude is extremely
grateful for your dedicated service.
Below are the names of all volunteers who were honored for service
milestones at the Joy of Giving
Holiday Celebration and Service
Awards banquet December 15.
One group also received a special honor for their dedicated service
to the Memphis Grizzlies House.
The Wilson Management Group employees have given countless hours
for the past five years providing a
monthly meal and holiday activities
for patient families. This is the first
five-year award given to a group, but
Donna Mulhern, Angelica Acchiardo, Jane Koelz and María Chandler
were honored for 25 years of dedicated volunteer service.
5 Years
Beverly Bendixson
Pat Canale
Francisco Cervantes
Michèle Crump
Jenny Farrenkopf
Ramapriya Ganti
Lorraine Hall
Gale Mueller
Molly Opferman
Kenneth Phillips
Karen Sanford
Nicole VanMeter
Donna Williams
we hope there will be many more to
come.
This year marked another first:
St. Jude Family Advisory Council
members have become part of our
volunteer family and were recognized at the Joy of Giving celebration. We thank these patient parents
and family members for their
service.
10 Years
Pam Dotson
Pat Reid
Ann Tucker
Agnes Wagner
15 Years
Sheryl A. Baker
Cuple Bright
Dorothy Hiller
25 Years
Angelica Acchiardo
María Chandler
Jane Koelz
Donna Mulhern
Lifetime Members
Chosen for 2009
Dorothy Hiller
Silvia Merediz
Don Santoro
Janet Stewart
Memorials
These dedicated
volunteers died in
2009:
Betty Cloyd
Jim Holt
Ernestine Jackson
Barbara Kimbrough
Venera Maxwell
Volunteer Coordinator Randa Spears places a pin on Cuple
Bright celebrating her 15 years of volunteer service.
Pam Dotson, Pat Reid and Agnes “Aggie” Wagner were
honored for 10 years of volunteer service.
Jenny Farrenkopf,
Gale Mueller, Ken
Phillips, Pat Canale,
BJ Bendixson and
Francisco Cervantes
were honored for 5
years of volunteer
service.
St. Jude Family Advisory Council Members
Patricia Aiken and Benita Lewis were
recognized at the Joy of Giving event.