FROM THE PRESIDENT

Each April, Texas Medical Center News publishes a special issue saluting the thousands of volunteers who contribute their time and talent to the more than 40 Texas Medical Center institutions.

The individual volunteers and groups highlighted in this issue are just a small sampling of the extremely large TMC volunteer force. The more than 12,000 volunteers are comprised of veterans, bank executives, retired business professionals, fraternal organization members, students, cancer survivors, and transplant recipients, among others. Many of these individuals work full time, and some travel great lengths to fulfill the commitments they’ve made. These people donate approximately 4 million service hours annually – worth an estimated $50 million. However diverse this group may be, they all have one thing in common – a deep commitment to health care. Their caring and compassion shows on the faces of those whose lives they touch. As these folks “connect” with patients, families and hospital staff members, they are often able to ease what can be extremely stressful situations.

Volunteers perform a wide variety of duties. One of these tasks is staffing hospital gift shops, which in turn raises money for medical equipment, games and videos for hospitalized children, and education and patient information publications and programs.

The Texas Medical Center’s Volunteer Service Council challenges the community to try volunteering. By selecting volunteer assignments that utilize their professional skills or a community service that taps their creativity, volunteers are able to give back by doing what they do best.

This year’s National Volunteer Week, April 27 through May 3, celebrates volunteers – the spirit of America. Please join me in congratulating these thousands of special people who contribute so much to patient care, public education, fund raising, and volunteer department programs and services. We thank each and every one of them for the wonderful gift they give – themselves.

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/04_01_03/page_31.html