Listen Up: New Safety Codes Let It Snow, Let It

VOLUNTEER
news
February
2011
A Newsletter for the Shepherd Auxiliary & Volunteers
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
Several days of snow and ice in early January challenged all of us in metro Atlanta.
Many businesses came to a grinding halt, but Shepherd Center never missed a beat
maintaining its standards of excellence.
The Center is prepared for a host of emergency conditions, and on Sunday, January 9,
the Executive Team implemented an Emergency Staffing Plan. Hundreds of phone calls
were made to arrange for essential employees to come in before their work day/shift.
Some staff took the initiative to come in well before the snow started to fall, and those
employees unable to drive their own vehicles on the slippery roads were brought to the
campus by a team of staff volunteers. Once here, employees were provided “camp” pay,
meals and housing, and bunked in vacant outpatient rooms, offices, and the Woodruff
Family Residence Center.
Tammy King, Chief Nursing Executive, was delighted with the exemplary attitude of employees the entire
five days and four nights that many of them were here. Cele Locke, Durable Medical Equipment Supervisor,
observed and appreciated the TLC given to staff by management, including the freshly baked cookies delivered to each employee by Mike Jones, VP Research, who served as Administrator on Call. Sarah Morrison,
Director of SCI, said that although there were meetings every day with key staff to make sure all issues were
being addressed effectively, lots of humor came into play. Although local media dubbed the cold weather
event “Snowpocalypse”, CEO Gary Ulicny suggested we call it “One Big Pajama Party!” A sense of adventure
and comradery reigned as the challenges brought by the weather were met, and the staff’s “can do” attitude
resulted in continued excellent care for patients.
Listen Up: New Safety Codes
We have made changes to our safety codes. New
code sheets for your volunteer
badges are now hanging at the
bottom of the badge wall, so help
yourself and replace your old
one. Please take a moment to
familiarize yourself with the code
changes listed below.
NEW - Code Silver: Weapon or Hostage Situation
Call Security (6000) and report your location. Wait
for hospital team to respond; don’t try to intervene.
REVISION - Code Walker (formerly Code Orange):
Patient Elopement
Call Security (6000) and report the location of the
patient. Escort the patient back to his/her unit if necessary.
from the
AUXILIARY
PRESIDENT
please contact Carol Olsen, Nominating Committee Chair, and let her know your area of interest.
I hope to see you around the Center!
Sincerely,
Marla Bennett
Greetings fellow Auxiliary members,
I hope this finds you all doing well and off to a great bennettmarlatom@mac.com
start in 2011 (snow storm and all).
The Auxiliary is off to a wonderful start. Final numbers are still being tallied but we are happy to report
that Pecans on Peachtree was very successful raising somewhere in the $80,000 range!!! You are an
AMAZING group of volunteers. I thank you all again
for supporting this effort with your time, energy and
resources. I inadvertently left one person off my
thank you list last month. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mitzi Richardson for working several shifts during our sales season. She was willing
to take last minute shifts in addition to ones she was
already scheduled to work. Thanks again, Mitzi!
Coming this month: Valentine Pecans. We have a
limited quantity so be sure to purchase early. We will
have a sales location in the Marcus Building across
from Security beginning on February 2. Gloria Stone
is securing volunteers so you may hear from her
soon!
Our Sunshine Committee gathered in early January
to make birthday posters for our patients. This small
gesture cheers those who spend their birthdays with
us as patients. Thanks to Bart Marks, Kathy Buell,
Ellie Bernhardt, Barbara McArdle, Mitzi Richardson,
Sandy Unruh, Pat Ahlers, Diann Gillenson, and Wanda Reese for their time and creativity spent on this
project.
I hope you plan to attend our Annual Business
Meeting and Luncheon on Thursday, April 28. It will
be held at Shepherd Center. Think about inviting
your friends who might want to become part of the
Auxiliary.
Plans are underway for our spring collection handbag sale to be held on Thursday, May 5. We will feature new styles and colors, just in time for Mother’s
Day. More information will be forthcoming.
The Nominating Committee is beginning the process of seeking nominees for upcoming Executive
Committee positions. I hope that you will say YES if
you are called to take a leadership role in the Auxiliary. If you are interested in becoming more involved,
Volunteer Spotlight: Pam Glustrom
From a young age, Pam Glustrom felt drawn to helping those with disabilities. As a middle school student, she joined other preteens every Saturday morning as her school service organization traveled to an isolated
residential facility to play with children mental disabilities who had been
abandoned by their families. Her calling was confirmed in that experience, and it launched a lifetime
of commitment to individuals with special needs. Pam went on to get
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Special Education and applied her
Pam Glustrom with former patient education, gifts and talents for years as a professional, providing educaThomas Greene.
tion for children who were in psychiatric hospitals.
Pam eventually became a full-time mom, teaching her three boys to also give of themselves while
she volunteered in a myriad of ways through their schools and the Georgia Council on Child Abuse. It was Pam’s middle son, David, who led her to take a new direction in sharing her compassionate
heart. He had a friend who sustained a spinal cord injury from a diving accident, and when David came
home after visiting him at Shepherd, he encouraged Pam to consider volunteering here.
When Pam signed on to feed patients two years ago, she expected Shepherd Center to be full of
loss and sadness that she could not emotionally handle. Instead, she found it brimming with hope and
encouragement. She worried that she would not have the right words to share during her time with patients each week, but experienced only warm appreciation for her help. She thought she might need to
hide the fact that she plays tennis and runs marathons from the patients she feeds, but discovered that
some of them push her to share that part of her life, and then delight in the stories.
Although Pam came to Shepherd to give of herself, she tells us that she always leaves the Center
feeling she has received something. The intimate time spent feeding patients has exposed her to the
positive attitude, strength of will, and hard-earned progress of those patients, which is a continual inspiration in her own life. Many organizations have benefitted from Pam’s time and generous heart, and we are so glad to
be included on that list! Her consistent dedication, initiative, and passion for service make a difference to our patients every week.
Volunteer In-Service Forms Due
March 18
If you are an “in-hospital” volunteer, please check your mail
box or email inbox for your annual volunteer in-service forms.
It is mandatory that you carefully
read, complete, and return the
forms to Volunteer Services by Friday, March 18.
Your responses help us to better serve our volunteer force and tell us where we can improve, so
your feedback is important! If you received this
newsletter via email, you will receive an email
message with the necessary attachments. Those
who are mailed a hard copy of the newsletter will
receive the forms via US mail. If you have any
questions or concerns regarding these requirements, please contact Alex Seblatnigg, Volunteer
Services Manager, at 404-350-7316 or alex_seblatnigg@shepherd.org.
Bring Us Your Books!
You’ve probably noticed the book cart that is located next to Security on the first floor of the Marcus
Building. This cart is operated by the Shepherd
Center Auxiliary, and books are sold for a minimal
donation to patients, family members, and staff.
All funds raised from the sale of the books benefit the Auxiliary’s Patient Aid Fund which assists
patients and families in financial need by purchasing meals, phone cards, and other necessities
for them while at the hospital. The ever-changing
selection of books offers a welcome distraction
for patients and family members. If you’re trying
to make room for your newest book purchases,
donate your used books to Shepherd Center!
We welcome donations of gently
used current and recent books
to stock the cart. Donations may
be dropped off at the front desk or
in Volunteer Services.
spotlight
Right: Atlanta Braves players (left to right) Jonny Venters, Nate McGlouth, Eddie
Perez, and David Ross visited Shepherd Center with
team mascot Homer and
other Braves staff.
Top: Tammi Whitehead, Julie Huff, and
Shawndra Washington from Doubletree
and Hampton Inn provided a break from
the cold weather with a “Goodies and
Games” afternoon event for patient families.
Right: Atlanta Brave Brian McCann greets
a patient during the Braves Caravan visit.
Far Right: Denise Kerr, Director of Sales
for Holiday Inn Express (Buckhead), welcomes patient family member Dorothy
Malone to a family brunch.
VOLUNTEER
news
Scott Sikes, Executive Director, Shepherd Center Foundation
Midge Tracy, Director, Volunteer Services
Alex Seblatnigg, Volunteer Manager & Newsletter Co-editor
Gale Eckstein Volunteer Services Assistant & Newsletter Co-editor
Membership in the Shepherd Center Auxiliary, Peach Corps, SCS,
and Junior Committee is open to all volunteers. Members provide
ongoing fundraising and volunteer support to Shepherd Center.
For more information on becoming a member of one of these
groups, contact Midge Tracy at (404) 350-7315 or visit www.
shepherd.org.
Shepherd Center’s mission is to help people with a temporary or
permanent disability caused by injury or disease rebuild their lives
with hope, independence, and dignity, advocating for their full
inclusion in all aspects of community life while promoting safety
and injury prevention.