MEDINA COUNTY – Hospice of the Western Reserve is seeking volunteers.

“The greatest reason people volunteer is because they want to make a difference,” said Nikki Matala, a volunteer recruitment manager for the Hospice of the Western Reserve.

Volunteer positions range from direct care, specifically skilled (such as attorneys, hair stylists, etc.), veterans serving veterans, support (such as office-setting tasks i.e. warehouse sales, and community outreach) and teen volunteers.

Volunteers are easily accommodated; according to Matala, the Hospice of the Western Reserve is “the most flexible environment anyone can work in.” In addition, volunteers come from all kinds of backgrounds and professions, whether working or retired.

Tom Sanford, a member of Therapy Dogs International, makes to visits nursing homes, hospitals, schools and hospices a weekly ritual with his dog. From taking the Hospice of the Western Reserve’ classes, he learned about dealing with patients that have varying degrees of Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

“I plan on doing this for a long time, it really depends on the dog, she loves the attention,” said Sanford. “If I can get a smile from a patient who’s near the end of their life, it’s worth it.”

Recently, the Hospice of the Western Reserve held volunteer education classes at the Hospice of Medina County. With 24 classes a year, training is almost always available to volunteer hopefuls. After volunteers complete their training, they go through a post-interview, narrow down their field of interest and are assigned to a seasoned volunteer to help with real-life application.

Greg Weiss, who has been helping in the veterans serving veterans volunteering program for almost six years, found his start after being a caregiver for his mother.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, I had thought about it a lot,” stated Weiss. “But as long as I’m healthy I’ll keep doing it, I got just as much, even more, than I thought would get out of it.”

Having previously served in the Navy himself, he helps with veteran recognition ceremonies. The ceremony entails a reading, music, a certificate and a special pin for the veteran. From assisting almost 250 to 300 of these ceremonies, he said if a veteran ever wonders if he truly cares, “I hope I can relate to them that I do.”

“They see the work that volunteers do as vital to the organization,” said volunteer nurse Annie Marie King. “I know this in turn, makes volunteers more committed and more passionate about the work they do.”

King is a registered nurse at MetroHealth and found her way to the Hospice of the Western Reserve because of her experiences involving end-of-life decisions and care.

“Many times in an ICU setting, a patient comes to you with very recurrent issues that sometimes can’t be ‘fixed,’” stated King. “And I love when patients, family members and medical team members speak honestly and transition a patient from often painful and grueling procedures to complete comfort for the patient.”

“They’re angels,” said Carole McCreary, who works with the Hospice’s warehouse sales, fundraisers and volunteer education classes. Wanting to give back from having family members in hospice, nowadays she talks about the work to whoever asks.

“Our volunteers are very active in recruiting other volunteers,” said Matala. From male nurses to veterans she expressed the diversity that is seen in their pool of volunteers, “Everyone is welcome here.”

To learn more about volunteer opportunities through the Hospice of the Western Reserve go to www.hospicewr.org or call the volunteer team at 216-255-9090.