We are happy to announce that the Amberwell Atchison Volunteers organization is a recipient of the 2021 Hospital Volunteers of Kansas Gold Award for Excellence. The Hospital Volunteers of Kansas is an organization of the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA). The honor recognizes extraordinary contributions of participating hospital volunteer groups throughout Kansas. Volunteering at Amberwell Atchison has been a community tradition since 1957. Our volunteers are an amazing group of individuals who devote thousands of hours each year to Amberwell by volunteering in the Sunflower Gift Shop, the Twice Is Nice Thrift Shop, mail delivery, information desk, surgery hospitality, arts and crafts, and fundraising activities.
Amberwell Atchison currently has fifty-five active volunteers. This talented group has hosted an annual golf tournament for over twenty-five years and uses the proceeds to purchase medical equipment for Amberwell and provide scholarships for area students interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. Our volunteers also host a community blood drive each year.
Prior to COVID-19, our volunteers greeted patients and guests of Amberwell Atchison at the information desk with ready smiles and an eagerness to help people get to where they need to go throughout the facility. They also did pickups, deliveries, and other errands and helped provide hospitality to families of surgery patients. Even though the responsibilities of our volunteers have been altered with regards to patient care due to COVID-19 precautions, they continue to work hard maintaining their Sunflower Gift Shop located within Amberwell Atchison and the Twice Is Nice Thrift Store in downtown Atchison.
“Working with our Amberwell Atchison Volunteers is a blessing and a pleasure each and every day,” said Karen Falk, volunteer coordinator at Amberwell Atchison. “They are very dedicated to Amberwell and the Atchison community. We see that through all the volunteer hours they give and the projects they organize to raise funds for donation back to Amberwell. I am proud to call the volunteers my friends, and it brightens my day to interact with them. We can’t thank them enough for all they do!”
The presentation of this award will take place at the KHA District Meetings in the spring of 2022. Congratulations to the Amberwell Atchison Volunteers for its outstanding contributions to our organization. The members of this group are true superstars. They have been the backbone of our organization for many years and deserve to be honored for their service, dedication, and commitment to our patients, our staff, and the Atchison community.
