GIVING HEARTS

Over 200 people at Cambridge Medical Center volunteer to make the lives of patients a little easier. And while they're doing that, they're making their own lives better.

Retired recently and now find yourself lonely and bored?
Such was Bob Johnson. But that was two years ago, before he began volunteering at the Cambridge Medical Center.
Now the jigsaw puzzles are back on the shelves, and he's spending three days a week shuffling magazines and serving as general all-around assistant.
"We have a good time," said Johnson.

Georgia Baribeau could be deemed the poster child for the Cambridge Medical Center volunteer program, according to Cambridge Medical Center Volunteer Services Coordinator Linda Lamb. Several years ago she could hardly move around because of her terrible arthritis. She was confined to a scooter, and her spirits were low.
Today, she practically skips down the hospital halls.
"I weeble-wobble, but I don't fall down," she tells folks.

At 24, Nicole Browning is one of the youngest regular volunteers at CMC. She was looking for something to do when she learned she was pregnant. Unemployed at the time, she decided to begin volunteering at the hospital where she planned to give birth.
Three years later, she's still coming in every other week, despite being a mother and a student.
Volunteering steered her to her career: nursing. "I like helping people," said Browning. "It's a really grand thing."

Johnson, Georgia and Browning are three of 207 volunteers with similar stories. By volunteering, they not only give back to the community, but they feel better about themselves.
Research backs this up. Many studies have been done that prove volunteers experience greater life satisfaction, lower levels of depression, less incidence of heart disease, a sense of control over life, and greater longevity, pointed out Lamb.
Studies have shown that volunteering is particularly beneficial to the health of older adults and those serving at least 100 hours annually.
In fact, evidence suggests that the best way to avoid poor health in the future, which could be a barrier to volunteering, is to volunteer, said Lamb.
Lamb has seen how helping others has eased the sharp grief felt by those who have lost spouses or children. It becomes a way for them "to get back into life."
The CMC volunteer program facilitates this by matching people up with jobs that use their talents.
Today's volunteers want to do more than busywork. Thus while some still stuff envelopes, they do it while doing something else, like staffing the greeter desk at one of the entrances.
Other tasks include rolling the Comfort Cart down the patients wings, passing out coffee and newspapers with a smile. Or, others staff the hospital gift shop. Those with an interest in chemical dependency are welcomed into that department; those who love children are encouraged to assist in the daycare attached to the hospital. Some volunteer from the comfort of their own home, fashioning baby hats, burp cloths and blankets for newborns.
Volunteering places people back out in the community who might otherwise be shuttered at home. It gives them the opportunity to meet new people, a perk Bob's wife, Paulette Johnson, enjoys. She considers her fellow volunteers to be family.
There are other benefits, as well.Volunteers receive a complimentary meal in the cafeteria, 20% discount in the gift shop, 25% discount in the eye center, and discount entertainment tickets (movie theater, Valley Fair, Renaissance Festival, State Fair). Various recognition events that include entertainment and a meal occur periodically throughout the year.
The volunteer program works under the umbrella of the hospital auxiliary. The auxiliary has a long history of helping where needed at Cambridge Medical Center. When the facility opened in 1956, members actually sewed the linens for hospital beds. The volunteer department, headed by Lamb, also works closely with the CMC Foundation.
As for Lamb, she loves her job. "I work with positive people," she noted. "I get energy from that. She can arrive feeling tired or grumpy, but those emotions quickly change to joy. "I like what I do. That's probably why I look like I'm having fun."
And for her, it's all about having an impact on the lives of others. "I need to feel like I'm making a difference," said Lamb.
To learn more about volunteering at the Cambridge Medical Center, contact Linda Lamb at 763-689-8408 or email linda.lamb@allina.com.


Benefits of volunteering:
• Better health
• Greater life satisfaction
• Lower levels of depression
• Less incidence of heart disease
• Sense of control over life
• Greater longevity
• Enhancement of one's social network

* Information from studies available at www.nationalservice.gov and www.americorps.gov


Opportunities at CMC:
• Comfort Cart
• Hospital and clinic greeters
• Surgery Family Waiting room attendant
• Crafter's Club
• Riverwood Retirement Village (bingo callers, crafts, play piano)
• Reach Out and Read
• Gift shop clerk
• Rehab therapy
• Someplace Special Child Care
• Chemical dependency
• Magazine distribution
• Special events (Festival of Lights, etc.)
•Adopt-A-Family

Meet the volunteers:
• Paulette Johnson: Mondays and Wednesday she can be found a the clinic entrance greeting patients and answering questions. On Fridays, she staffs the family surgery waiting room. "I thought it would be nice to help people," said P. Johnson. "I was retired and had a lot of time on my hands." She enjoys getting to know her fellow volunteers. "The volunteers are like family," she noted.

• Bob Johnson: After he retired, B. Johnson "was doing jigsaw puzzles and I was sitting at home." When he heard about volunteer opportunities at the medical center, he jumped at the chance to get involved. Now he and his wife are there three times a week. "It's very enjoyable. There's a lot of nice people," said B. Johnson.

• Diane Stahnke: When she retired in 2007, Stahnke admits she panicked a bit. She couldn't envision a future where she was out of the public eye and in the house all the time. "I wanted to meet new people," she explained. Now she greets visitors and helps keep magazine racks stacked. She regularly answers questions such as, "Where do I go to get my blood drawn?" and "Where is radiology?" Working in a hospital is a dream come true for the woman who always wanted to work in the medical field.

• Diane Swenson: She wanted to get out of the house and do something for other people. "I get to talk to so many outstanding people," said 53-year-old Swenson. "I love it." She lost a daughter to lupus four years ago. As she pushes the Comfort Cart through the maternity ward, she encourages the moms to always love their children like this is the last day they're going to see them. "Do it, you'll love it," she exhorts anyone considering becoming a volunteer.

• Nicole Browning: Newly pregnant and unemployed, Browning found herself drawn to Cambridge Medical Center as a volunteer. She volunteered right up to the day before she gave birth in the CMC maternity ward. Then she came back to work, before deciding she was going to return to school and pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. Now she returns to volunteer one day every other week. "I've gotten a lot out of it," said the 24-year-old. "I've really enjoyed it. It's a nice way to get to know people around here." Plus, she feels better by helping others.