Volunteer Week 2008
This year, the Office of Community Outreach once again participated in National Volunteer Week, a celebration of volunteerism. Each day, staff had the opportunity to donate items to local charities and participate in volunteer activities. In 2008, 150 staff members volunteered during Volunteer Week.
Volunteer Week Activities
Monday, April 28: Assembling First-Aid Kits for RAM
For the week's first activity, volunteers assembled 250 first-aid kits. These kits will be distributed to patients at the RAM Clinic in July in Wise, Virginia. This event also kicked-off volunteer recruitment for RAM. Staff members interested in volunteering may download the application from http://www.web.virginia.edu/ramp.
Tuesday, April 29: Assembling First-Aid Kits for Camp Holiday Trails
Staff members created 100 "camp kits" for counselors at Camp Holiday Trails. Counselors use several first-aid kits throughout the summer; a donation of kits from UVA Health System will help defray this cost for them. Additionally, MERCI donated 150 ice packs to the Camp Holiday Trails team.Wednesday, April 30: University Hospital 5th Floor Patio, 11am - 3pm
Wednesday, April 30: Plants for Patients
During our "Pot a Plant for a Patient" event, staff members stopped by the hospital's 5th floor patio to decorate a flower pot. Volunteers decorated the pots with uplifting messages, drawings, and stickers. Employees brought these plants to their units and gave them out to patients. Additionally, the hospital auxiliary helped deliver plants and brighten the days of patients. In total, 100 plants were potted and delivered. A special thanks to Kingsland Greenhouse in Scottsville for donating all the materials for this event.
Thursday, May 1: Food Drive for the Hospitality House
On Thursday, volunteers donated items to help the UVA Medical Center Hospitality House stock its pantry. Employees donated enough food to contribute to some 300 meals for Hospitality House residents!
Friday, May 2: Off-Site Event at the Hospitality House
The final event of National Volunteer Week took place at the Hospitality House. Volunteers prepared about 30 bagged lunches for the current residents of the Hospitality House. Additionally, volunteers wrote welcome cards which will be given to new residents upon their arrival. Lastly, volunteers helped sort through toiletry donations, assembling 100 hygiene packs for incoming residents.
Photo Contest
Fifteen UVA Health System employees shared their commitment to volunteerism, community service and outreach through submitting a photo of themselves volunteering. Over 200 employees voted for the picture and the story that inspired them the most. We are proud to announce that Leslie Baruch, an Occupational Therapist who founded the Central Virginia Burn Camp, is the winner of this year's photo contest.
Leslie Baruch founded the Central Virginia Burn Camp for children ages 7-17 who have sustained burn injuries. The children attend this week-long, residential camp free of charge. The camp strives to provide a safe and fun environment where children who have suffered painful, disfiguring, and often life-threatening injury can come and just be kids.
The camp's positive and supportive environment helps foster a sense of self-confidence, increases self-esteem, and allows the children to realize that they are not alone with their burn scars. This year the Central Virginia Burn Camp will be celebrating its 15th anniversary with almost 40 campers and a volunteer staff of over 30 for an entire week.