This week is Volunteer Appreciation Week.  Our local newspaper published a picture of a volunteer who plays the piano in our hospital lobby every Friday.  I am not able to post that image because it is not downloadable from the publication’s web page.  So I have used a stock image for this post.

Volunteers make a huge difference in every area of the hospital.  Even though people generally feel chaplains are in place for patients and visitors, we are also in place to provide spiritual care for employees and volunteers.  In addition we have volunteers at our hospital that provide spiritual care for patients in these roles:

• Volunteer On-Call Chaplains
• Volunteer Prayer Partners
• Volunteers who call churches to notify them of members who are in the hospital.
• Eucharistic Ministers who provide the Sacrament to Roman Catholic patients.
• Volunteers who help with various pastoral care mailings.

As a chaplain I am thankful for the times that volunteers help me and I am also glad for the times when I can provide direct spiritual care to volunteers when it is requested.  The next time you encounter a hospital volunteer take a moment to thank them for sharing their time.  It is guaranteed to put a smile on their face!