Nursing students who received scholarships from the Miami County Medical Auxiliary at its annual luncheon on July 16 are (from left) Sheresa Law, Teigh Jones, Janet Poore, Erica Allen and Jeff Williams. A number of past scholarship recipients have gone on to work at the medical center. (Photo by Terrie Cole / tcole@miconews.com)
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Luncheon Honors Hospital Volunteers
By Terrie Cole, tcole@miconews.com
At the 12th-Annual Miami County Medical Center Auxiliary and Volunteer Luncheon on July 16 at Evergreen Events, 50 auxiliary members and volunteers were recognized for a total of 5,393 hours of service in 2007, and one volunteer received the Volunteer of the Year Award. In addition, the auxiliary presented five $1,000 nursing scholarship awards for 2008. Providing scholarships for nursing education has been one of the priority functions of the auxiliary.
The luncheon is sponsored by the medical center each year to show appreciation to auxiliary volunteers.
Receiving excellence awards for 100 hours or more of volunteer service in 2007 were: Lakemary students, 100 hours; Ann Asher, 112 hours; Marjorie Gaeddert, 115 hours; Cheryl Mueller, 126 hours; Pamela Carter, 133 hours; Ellen Brownback, 137 hours; Kathy Berger, 139 hours; Mary Lou Bricker, 151 hours; Gloria Folsom, 153 hours; Jackie Kierl, 156 hours; Irene Hodge, 165 hours; M. Kathryn Nicholson, 166 hours; Cathy Heilman, 181 hours; Jackie Platt, 183 hours; Betty Moser, 185 hours; JoAnn Curran, 188 hours; Linda Hess, 203 hours; Darrell Peckman, 166 hours; Helen Blakeman, 282 hours; Gerri Diviney, 359 hours; Dorothy Chancellor, 368 hours; Elizabeth Smith, 398 hours; Sylvia Kehoe, 409 hours; and Glenn Chitwood, 719 hours.
Receiving merit awards, a cumulative award for every 100 hours of additional service for the years 1998 to 2007, were Alice Piezuch, 108 hours; Cheryl Mueller, 126 hours; Kathy Berger, 139 hours; Gloria Folsom, 153 hours; Cathy Heilman, 181 hours; JoAnn Curran, 188 hours; Helen Blakeman, 282 hours; Marlene Smith, 311 hours; Linda Hess, 356 hours; Gerri Diviney, 359 hours; Sylvia Kehoe, 409 hours; Pamela Carter, 546 hours; Mary Lou Bricker, 581 hours; Ann Asher, 552 hours; Jackie Kierl, 603 hours; Ellen Brownback, 629 hours; Susan Endicott, 722 hours; M. Kathryn Nicholson, 723 hours; Lakemary students, 821 hours; Betty Moser, 990 hours; Irene Hodge, 995 hours; Marjorie Gaeddert, 1,194 hours; Jackie Platt, 1,210 hours; Glenn Chitwood, 1,438 hours; Darrell Peckman, 1,602 hours; Elizabeth Smith, 2,072 hours; and Dorothy Chancellor, 3,181 hours.
The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Sylvia Kehoe, who received the award in recognition for her work in the hospital’s gift shop.
Guest speaker for the luncheon was Dick Kuhn with Olathe Health Services. He read several humorous sports quotes he had saved and enjoyed over the years. He discussed the Franklin Covey program that medical center employees would be attending in four-hour sessions for a total of 24 hours. He shared a short video from the program. As he finished, he expressed appreciation to the volunteers for all that they do.
Jerry Wiesner, medical center vice president and chief operating officer, talked about some of the staffing changes taking place at the medical center. He stated that Dr. Ken Peterson has joined Dr. Everett Wilkinson in the orthopedic department to handle the Louisburg area. Additionally, Dr. Anthony Justesen has taken over the Linn County office, and Dr. Kerri Fellows started July 15 in the Associates in Family Care Paola office. More recruiting is still being done for the future.
Special music was provided by Deb Weatherbie and her sons, Aaron and Alex, who sang show tunes. Joining them were Deb’s sister Dianne Hughes from Albuquerque, N.M. One highlight was the song “Sisters” from the movie “White Christmas” sung by Deb and Dianne, with a second verse, “Brothers,” sung by Aaron and Alex. Other songs were from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Secret Garden,” “Gigi” and “Spamalot.” Aaron also sang a version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Joyce Wassmer, auxiliary scholarship chairperson, introduced the nursing scholarship recipients and presented them with scholarship certificates. Those receiving scholarships were Erica Allen of Paola, Teigh Jones of Osawatomie, Sheresa Law of Osawatomie, Janet Poore of Paola and Jeffrey Williams of Louisburg.
Allen will complete her associate’s degree in December. She is employed at MCMC in the emergency department. Her mother has been employed at MCMC for 12 years as a medical records transcriptionist. Allen gave birth to a baby boy, Chase, on July 2.
Jones has completed her prerequisite courses at Kansas City Community College. She is employed at MCMC as a lab assistant. She will begin nursing classes this fall. She is the mother of four children from ages 2 to 15.
Law started classes in January and will complete her licensed practical nurse program in December. She has been employed at MCMC in the orthopedic offices and cardiology services as a patient representative. She has a 4-year-old child.
Poore has an associate of science degree. She has been employed at KC Dermatology as a medical transcriptionist but she says she’s always wanted to be a nurse. She started her nursing education in September 2007 at the Ottawa campus of Neosho County Community College Nursing School.
Williams had completed paramedic school in 2005 and has had a desire to get into the field of nursing. He will graduate from nursing school in December 2009.
All five recipients received excellent recommendations. All are highly motivated and have received academic honors and are involved in community volunteerism. Wassmer said they are especially pleased that many of the past scholarship winners now work at MCMC, and three of the current recipients are already employed there.
At the end of the program, door prizes were awarded to one person at each table. The centerpieces, floral plants in decorative pots, were provided by Vintage Park Assisted Living of Louisburg, Osawatomie and Paola, with Denise German, RN, LTCA, Vice President of Operations.
Those volunteers who have died in the last year are George Chambers, Glenna Curtain, Lorene Debrick, Mary DeGrande, Carl Gump, Helen Rhea, Virginia Sullivan and Nadine Vest.
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The luncheon is sponsored by the medical center each year to show appreciation to auxiliary volunteers.
Receiving excellence awards for 100 hours or more of volunteer service in 2007 were: Lakemary students, 100 hours; Ann Asher, 112 hours; Marjorie Gaeddert, 115 hours; Cheryl Mueller, 126 hours; Pamela Carter, 133 hours; Ellen Brownback, 137 hours; Kathy Berger, 139 hours; Mary Lou Bricker, 151 hours; Gloria Folsom, 153 hours; Jackie Kierl, 156 hours; Irene Hodge, 165 hours; M. Kathryn Nicholson, 166 hours; Cathy Heilman, 181 hours; Jackie Platt, 183 hours; Betty Moser, 185 hours; JoAnn Curran, 188 hours; Linda Hess, 203 hours; Darrell Peckman, 166 hours; Helen Blakeman, 282 hours; Gerri Diviney, 359 hours; Dorothy Chancellor, 368 hours; Elizabeth Smith, 398 hours; Sylvia Kehoe, 409 hours; and Glenn Chitwood, 719 hours.
Receiving merit awards, a cumulative award for every 100 hours of additional service for the years 1998 to 2007, were Alice Piezuch, 108 hours; Cheryl Mueller, 126 hours; Kathy Berger, 139 hours; Gloria Folsom, 153 hours; Cathy Heilman, 181 hours; JoAnn Curran, 188 hours; Helen Blakeman, 282 hours; Marlene Smith, 311 hours; Linda Hess, 356 hours; Gerri Diviney, 359 hours; Sylvia Kehoe, 409 hours; Pamela Carter, 546 hours; Mary Lou Bricker, 581 hours; Ann Asher, 552 hours; Jackie Kierl, 603 hours; Ellen Brownback, 629 hours; Susan Endicott, 722 hours; M. Kathryn Nicholson, 723 hours; Lakemary students, 821 hours; Betty Moser, 990 hours; Irene Hodge, 995 hours; Marjorie Gaeddert, 1,194 hours; Jackie Platt, 1,210 hours; Glenn Chitwood, 1,438 hours; Darrell Peckman, 1,602 hours; Elizabeth Smith, 2,072 hours; and Dorothy Chancellor, 3,181 hours.
The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Sylvia Kehoe, who received the award in recognition for her work in the hospital’s gift shop.
Guest speaker for the luncheon was Dick Kuhn with Olathe Health Services. He read several humorous sports quotes he had saved and enjoyed over the years. He discussed the Franklin Covey program that medical center employees would be attending in four-hour sessions for a total of 24 hours. He shared a short video from the program. As he finished, he expressed appreciation to the volunteers for all that they do.
Jerry Wiesner, medical center vice president and chief operating officer, talked about some of the staffing changes taking place at the medical center. He stated that Dr. Ken Peterson has joined Dr. Everett Wilkinson in the orthopedic department to handle the Louisburg area. Additionally, Dr. Anthony Justesen has taken over the Linn County office, and Dr. Kerri Fellows started July 15 in the Associates in Family Care Paola office. More recruiting is still being done for the future.
Special music was provided by Deb Weatherbie and her sons, Aaron and Alex, who sang show tunes. Joining them were Deb’s sister Dianne Hughes from Albuquerque, N.M. One highlight was the song “Sisters” from the movie “White Christmas” sung by Deb and Dianne, with a second verse, “Brothers,” sung by Aaron and Alex. Other songs were from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Secret Garden,” “Gigi” and “Spamalot.” Aaron also sang a version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Joyce Wassmer, auxiliary scholarship chairperson, introduced the nursing scholarship recipients and presented them with scholarship certificates. Those receiving scholarships were Erica Allen of Paola, Teigh Jones of Osawatomie, Sheresa Law of Osawatomie, Janet Poore of Paola and Jeffrey Williams of Louisburg.
Allen will complete her associate’s degree in December. She is employed at MCMC in the emergency department. Her mother has been employed at MCMC for 12 years as a medical records transcriptionist. Allen gave birth to a baby boy, Chase, on July 2.
Jones has completed her prerequisite courses at Kansas City Community College. She is employed at MCMC as a lab assistant. She will begin nursing classes this fall. She is the mother of four children from ages 2 to 15.
Law started classes in January and will complete her licensed practical nurse program in December. She has been employed at MCMC in the orthopedic offices and cardiology services as a patient representative. She has a 4-year-old child.
Poore has an associate of science degree. She has been employed at KC Dermatology as a medical transcriptionist but she says she’s always wanted to be a nurse. She started her nursing education in September 2007 at the Ottawa campus of Neosho County Community College Nursing School.
Williams had completed paramedic school in 2005 and has had a desire to get into the field of nursing. He will graduate from nursing school in December 2009.
All five recipients received excellent recommendations. All are highly motivated and have received academic honors and are involved in community volunteerism. Wassmer said they are especially pleased that many of the past scholarship winners now work at MCMC, and three of the current recipients are already employed there.
At the end of the program, door prizes were awarded to one person at each table. The centerpieces, floral plants in decorative pots, were provided by Vintage Park Assisted Living of Louisburg, Osawatomie and Paola, with Denise German, RN, LTCA, Vice President of Operations.
Those volunteers who have died in the last year are George Chambers, Glenna Curtain, Lorene Debrick, Mary DeGrande, Carl Gump, Helen Rhea, Virginia Sullivan and Nadine Vest.