Winona Health Volunteers celebrated for caring, serving and giving

Heartfelt appreciation and plenty of laughter were among the highlights of the Winona Health Volunteers annual Recognition and Appreciation Celebration on Tuesday, April 18 at Visions Event Center. During her welcoming remarks, Kris Walters, volunteer manager, emphasized the importance of the Winona Health Volunteers and what the blue vest they wear symbolizes, “That blue vest is a magnet to all who enter Winona Health…it’s a sign of comfort and reassurance to our patients and visitors that they will be well taken care of when they walk through our doors. It reflects dedication and caring.” Walters also noted that wearing the blue vest has created new and lasting life-long friendships. This year, 41 volunteers received pins for achieving lifetime service milestones, from first-year volunteers who already contributed 100 hours to one volunteer, Mary Breza, who, in just 11 years as a Winona Health volunteer, has contributed 6,500 service hours. Walters commented on the generous gifts of time and talent contributed not only by those being recognized for service milestones, but by all volunteers. By the numbers, in 2022, the Winona Health Volunteers welcomed 69 more community members to its ranks; volunteers contributed a total of 12,548 service hours; and presented a check for $31,300 from fundraising events, which will be used to benefit patients and residents at Winona Health. Robin Hoeg, chief operating officer at Winona Health, shared a story about the importance of the Winona Health Volunteers in her life. She remembered how a long-ago call from Winona Health Volunteer (then Auxiliary), Lynn Theurer, telling her she had received a nursing scholarship, was the reason she applied at Winona Health right out of nursing school. “I figured that if a little kid from Ridgeway receives a phone call and a scholarship from a volunteer, Winona Health must be a pretty good place to be!” Theurer, who was attending the event, had received her 2,000-hour appreciation pin earlier in the evening. In closing, on behalf of Winona Heath’s leadership team, Hoeg emphasized how much the volunteers were appreciated saying “every moment you spend at Winona Health matters.” For more information about the Winona Health Volunteers, call 507.457.4342 or learn more at winonahealth.org/volunteer. Event highlights here: Volunteer Appreciation & Awards.

Volunteers who received awards for milestones achieved in 2022

100 Hour Service Award Susan Benke Barb Fabian Pam Hentges Carla Holland Kathy Hovell Joanne Kleinschmidt Joan Lisowski Patti Mueller Judy Piel Kathleen Ulbrich Barb Walker 300 Hour Service Award Janice Brone Roberta Bumann Pam Degnan Rose Kulas Sue Schaffner Sara Theisen Mark Wagner 500 Hour Service Award Nancy Bachler Janice Brone Sharon Flatten Marie Voegele 750 Hour Service Award Don Klagge Al Mulyck Nancy Prodzinski Irene Smieja Rebecca Valentine Coleen Wanek Barb Wynn 1000 Hour Service Award Betty Maliszewski Pat Nolan Coleen Wanek 2000 Hour Service Award Pat Quinn Lynn Theurer 2500 Hour Service Award Jane Palmer Barb Pozanc Roland Woodford 3000 Hour Service Award Marilyn Schwab Bonnie Woodford 5000 Hour Service Award Bev Keiper 6000 Hour Service Award Mary Breza 6500 Hour Service Award Mary Breza