Photo By Jerome Mapp | (Far right) COL Christopher Jarvis, WAMC commander, poses with Red Cross volunteers...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- Eight Red Cross volunteers at Womack Army Medical Center have been honored for their selfless volunteer efforts on behalf of the military members, veterans, and their families who rely on these volunteers for a multitude of services that underscore their dedication.
The National Headquarters of the Red Cross recently announced that WAMC Red Cross volunteers were among the hundreds of volunteers worldwide who have or will receive recognition for the work they do on a consistent basis. Locally, the eight recipients at WAMC were each nominated by the Eastern North Carolina Service to the Armed Forces and International Services Department (SAF/IS) Leadership Team.
COL Christopher Jarvis, WAMC commander, and the Executive Committee honored four of the volunteers during an awards presentation. The remaining four recipients, who were unable to be present at the ceremony, will be honored at WAMC on a future date.
Wanda Smith, the lead volunteer coordinator at WAMC, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for dedicating more than 4,000 hours to WAMC and elsewhere. She has been a Red Cross volunteer since September 2012 and arrived at WAMC in July 2021.
“The biggest gratification I get from volunteering is helping the volunteers [daily] navigate the process of being a volunteer,” Smith said.
Her work includes supervising the volunteers, bringing in new volunteers, approving the number of volunteer hours, and assisting in education and outreach throughout Fort Bragg five days a week.
“It’s challenging, but we manage to get through it,” Smith added. The second Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Brian Sawyer, a volunteer in the Medical Center’s Physical Therapy Clinic, was unable to attend the ceremony.
Retired Sgt,. Maj. Acie Gardner, retired Staff Sgt. Dale Harris, Dora Woods, and Mary GoPaul, were each presented Gold Presidential Volunteer Awards during the WAMC ceremony for donating more than 500 volunteer hours at WAMC. Priscilla Willis and Carolyn Hart, also recipients of the Gold Presidential Volunteer Award, were not able to attend the ceremony because of prior commitments.
Gardner, who pushes the comfort cart full of hospitality items and reading material throughout the hospital, arrives at WAMC each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7 a.m. Woods, a volunteer with the Exceptional Family Member Program at Joel Pediatric Clinic, files paperwork and does clerical tasks for the clinic twice per week. Each Tuesday, Harris can be seen on the 2nd floor waiting room, providing a comforting voice and a helping hand to family members struggling to deal with the stress of having a hospitalized loved one. GoPaul works in the ministry office as a chaplain three days per week; Willis participates in the Fort Bragg dental program through the Red Cross; and Hart works in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit as a registered nurse three days a week.
According to Terry Gentry, Regional Program Officer, (SAF/IS), Red Cross volunteers provide an indispensable service to WAMC’s patients and their families.
“The Red Cross is a volunteer organization. Without our volunteers, the many programs we deliver in our service lines would be unmet," Gentry said. "Volunteers move the mission."
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2022 15:55 |
| Story ID: | 414684 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 209 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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