A Dog Named Chicken… Singing A Capella… VNSNY Volunteers Making a Difference!

This is National Volunteer Week—a perfect time to recognize VNSNY’s amazing corps of volunteers. “Last year, 520 volunteers contributed 40,000 hours of service across the organization, supporting VNSNY’s charitable efforts and brightening the days of the patients we serve,” says Michael Ambrosini, VNSNY’s Director of Corporate Community Relations and Volunteer Services. Following are five shining examples of how our dedicated volunteers are serving VNSNY’s mission and making a difference in our patients’ lives.

If, as you’re reading these profiles, you find yourself inspired to become a volunteer yourself, or if you know someone you think might be interested in volunteering at VNSNY—including helping out with one of the volunteer activities listed below—please email VNSNY Volunteer Manager Naomi Bibbins at [email protected].

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a VNSNY Hospice and Palliative Care patient care volunteer, please contact VNSNY Hospice Training and Service Manager Mike Providence at [email protected].

Bringing Hospice Patients the Gift of Song

Volunteers from the Threshold Choir sing regularly to VNSNY Hospice patients. Above: A past photo of choir members.

Winnie Lee, Managing Director of the New York Chapter of the Threshold Choir, remembers the first time she heard about the Threshold Choir—a nationwide organization whose members sing at the bedsides of hospice patients across the country. “The idea of bringing service and creativity together really spoke to my soul,” she says.

Winnie was at the very first rehearsal of the New York branch of the Threshold Choir in 2007. Today the all-female chapter has 40 singers, 18 of whom serve as VNSNY volunteers. The choir’s semi-monthly rehearsals are held at VNSNY’s East 70th Street headquarters, and the volunteers in the group sing regularly to VNSNY Hospice patients around the city. Typically, two to four members will sing a capella for individual patients who are often at the final stages of life, choosing simple, calming melodies. Winnie recalls how one patient asked for songs with no English-language lyrics, so that he could be moved by the music itself. “As we hummed a melody, we could see him smile.”

“Our hope is to give patients a moment of peace and harmony,” says Winnie, “so what they experience is the music—not pain or other concerns.”

 Pampering Patients to Brighten Their Day

Volunteer Frances Green (left) with Gail Sirota, VNSNY Volunteer Manager.

“Pampering with Distinction is my baby!” says Frances Green. “It’s a way to make vulnerable patients feel special.” A VNSNY volunteer who has served with both Hospice Vigil and the Bereavement group beginning in 2014, Frances was inspired last fall to volunteer in a new way—applying her skills as a licensed cosmetologist to offer beauty treatments to hospice patients in their homes or group residences.

With that in mind, Frances teamed with Volunteer Manager Gail Sirota to launch a pilot version of the Pampering with Distinction program. The personalized treatments, given by Frances herself, focus mostly on nail care and polishing and gentle-touch massage. A main goal of the sessions is to help patients feel like themselves again, says Frances, and to know that somebody cares about them. For example, Frances tries to find out in advance what colors the patient would like for nail polish. “I also leave behind a goody bag with that same color polish, emery boards, and other accessories,” she adds.

Frances is looking to train additional volunteers to work with patients. She also hopes to expand services to include basic hair care and other treatments. “I believe that life is precious, and we should cherish it until the last breath—for ourselves and for other people,” she says. “If I can bring happiness by doing someone’s nails or just holding their hand, that gives me so much joy. I consider it an honor to be there.”

A Student Volunteer Who Supports Our Other Volunteers

Think of Rubi Ventura as a “volunteer’s volunteer.” On four days out of every week, five hours per day, she can be found at the office of VNSNY Volunteer Services at the organization’s East 70th Street headquarters. There, the John Jay College junior assists Michael Ambrosini and Volunteer Manager Naomi Bibbins, doing everything from learning how to build Excel spreadsheets and using the VNSNY database software to input new volunteer applications and record service hours to conducting inventories of incoming yarn shipments (which are then distributed to VNSNY’s teams of volunteer knitters) and researching and editing VNSNY’s Pediatric Palliative Care Guide—a catalog of resources for VNSNY clinicians and social workers.

“Michael and Naomi give me a lot of different responsibilities,” says Rubi. “Recently, for example, I’ve been packing boxes of donated socks that Community Mental Health Services will give out to their clients, and I’ve been updating the contact information for our volunteer corps in advance of a volunteer gathering we’ll be holding.”

A criminal justice major at John Jay, Rubi hopes one day to become a law enforcement officer. When she isn’t volunteering, at school or doing homework, she’s taking a course to become an auxiliary police officer, working out at the gym, or spending time with her family in Washington Heights. “Volunteering at VNSNY has been a great opportunity for me to help our other VNSNY volunteers, learn about the organization and develop new skills,” she says. “I’m really enjoying it!”

Meet Chicken, the Therapy Dog Who Opens Doors to Hospice Patients’ Hearts

“My dog, Chicken, is really the star of our team,” says Ellen Landress-Bowkett, the first-ever VNSNY Hospice volunteer to bring a therapy dog along on her patient visits. A rescue dog, Chicken has a way of bonding with humans—even those she encounters on the street. “She shows instant affection, making sustained eye contact and wagging her tail,” says Ellen. “When I first learned what volunteering with VNSNY Hospice involved, I knew this would be the right place for both of us. It’s a privilege to share this time—and my pet—with those in need.”

Chicken, who is therapy-certified by The Good Dog Foundation, is known among the hospice staff at the Goodman-Brown Residence as a “door opener.” “Her specialty is connecting with and comforting people who don’t want human visitors,” notes Ellen. “Those patients tell us, ‘if Chicken is here, even if my door is closed, please knock.’ I’ll sit at their bedside and Chicken will just curl up with them.”

When Chicken visited one patient suffering from advanced Parkinson’s disease who was unable to speak or move anything but his fingers, Ellen recalls, she placed Chicken beneath his hand and the pet stayed there, allowing the patient to gently stroke her. “I think everyone deeply desires connection,” she adds. “There can be fears and obstacles that make it hard to relate to people, but when there’s an animal, the relationship is unconditional.”

Helping Patients and Launching a Career

For Norden Ukyab, volunteering as an intern in VNSNY’s Corporate Administrative Services department has been a positive experience all the way around. For 18 hours each week, Norden works at 220 East 42nd Street processing MD Orders—the treatment request forms that physicians must sign and return to VNSNY before a patient’s home health care services can start. “These orders have to be signed as soon as possible, so I’ve been assisting the staff in getting the right contact information, sending the documentation forms to the doctors’ offices, following up to make sure they send the signed forms back to us, and then updating the system to show that we received them,” says Norden. “I’ve enjoyed being a part of this important process!”

In addition to ensuring that VNSNY patients get the home care they need, Norden’s volunteer work, which started in January and ends next month, is paving the way for her own career. A resident of Astoria, Queens, she’s currently a senior at Lehman College in the Bronx, which is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system. “I’ll be graduating at the end of May with a degree in health services administration, and internship credits are a required part of our curriculum,” she notes. “I wanted to do my internship at VNSNY because of their mission, and the fact that this is the field I hope to work in after I graduate.”

Based on her volunteer experience, Norden plans to apply to VNSNY for a full-time position when she launches her job search this summer. “I admire the way VNSNY supports the community, and I really like the people in my department,” she says. “I especially want to thank my supervisor, Tiffany McNeal, and my colleague, Summie Chiu, who mentored me in how to use our software system. Volunteering here has been a great learning opportunity!”