Flexibility is Key for Honored Volunteer Duo
Help Where Need is Greatest – and With a Smile

Visit the Galtney Trauma and Emergency Center at Memorial Hermann Hospital and you’re likely to see Sue Fournier and John Mossbarger helping make things happen.

It might be calling a housekeeper to quickly turn around a patient room or bringing a member of a stressed Emergency Center crew some cookies, telling them to sit down, take a sugar break and cool off. However, visitors may miss seeing the hours Fournier and Mossbarger spend updating and organizing files, drafting office documents and supporting the work of Volunteer Services.

For their wide-ranging support, Fournier and Mossbarger are being honored as Memorial Hermann Hospital’s Volunteers of the Year.

Dedicated volunteers who have done everything from cleaning and transporting patients to revamping computer databases, Fournier and Mossbarger can always be counted on to assist wherever needed.

"I change hats with every patient I meet," Fournier says. "I enjoy getting things done. If I see something that needs attention, I don’t like to wait for someone else to do it."

A retired banker with 40 years of work experience, including 20 years of human resource experience, Fournier has logged in more than 2,000 volunteer hours doing everything from developing reference and welcome materials to counseling patients and staff. A Volunteer Organization board member since 1998, Fournier has chaired the special projects committee for the past two years and currently works the reception desk in the Galtney Trauma and Emergency Center, where Mossbarger also volunteers.

A board member since 1992, Mossbarger has held every board office including president, and currently chairs the bylaws and development committees. A mentor and friend to new volunteers, he established the Volunteer Works program and was a founding member of the hospital’s Partners in Waiting program. Mossbarger also is associate Web site editor for Defense of Houston, an ad-hoc committee advocating disaster preparedness.

As director of Volunteer Services, Marsha Weiss knows the value of people with such willing hands and hearts.

"I know when John and Sue are coming to volunteer, I can put them wherever I need them in the hospital and that is such a gift," she says. "They’re comfortable with the idea of never having an exact schedule and going to help where the need is greatest."

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