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2005 Winners--Wisconsin Awards for Volunteer Excellence (WAVE)
Category: Community Service Programs
Winning Program: "House of Mercy Homeless Center," Mercy Health System, Janesville
The House of Mercy is a 25-bed homeless center that provides homeless families throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois with short-term emergency shelter and access to housing, job placement and child care resources. Mercy Health System Association of Volunteers are a vital part of the success of the House of Mercy. Approximately 80 volunteers donate more than 8,000 hours of volunteer time each year. From fundraising to manning phones to overnight shifts, the volunteers assist with a variety of activities to keep the center running efficiently and effectively, on an operating budget of only about $150,000 and keeping its paid staff to 2.5 total people. The spirit of volunteerism seen at the center brings many former residents back to volunteer and shows residents that the community does care.
Category: In-service Hospital Volunteer Programs
Winning Program: "NICU Quilt Project," West Allis Memorial Hospital Auxiliary
The auxiliary members answered the call from the nursing staff in the new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the new Aurora Women’s Pavilion on the West Allis Memorial Hospital campus. The auxiliary used funds raised from various events to purchase material, and a number of talented auxilians cut fabric for kits and/or sewed the NICU quilts. The quilts are used to cover the isolettes of babies needing a quiet, darkened environment, and provide a homey touch to the nursery and a bit of cheer for the parents. Also, when the babies leave the NICU for home, each takes his/her quilt home, as a reminder of the TLC he/she received at West Allis Memorial Hospital. To date, more than 460 quilts, at a cost of more than $3,000, have been distributed.
Category: Fundraising Programs
Winning Program: "Lights of Love Business Campaign," Auxiliary of Riverside Medical Center, Waupaca
The Auxiliary of Riverside Medical Center conducted its Lights of Love Business Campaign over a two-year period, with a goal of raising $12,000, for the purchase of a new fetal heart monitor for their hospital. They appointed a Business Committee comprised of local business leaders, selected an honorary chair to lead the campaign, and secured the highly-visible site of the Waupaca Area Library for the holiday tree with businesses donating bulbs. More than 350 fundraising letters were sent, each with a personal note added by a Business Committee member, stressing the importance of volunteer service benefiting both the hospital and its patients. The business campaign resulted in more than $14,000 raised from 101 business donations, and fostered a new network of volunteers for Riverside Medical Center. This fundraising program was in addition to its traditional Lights of Love program, which raises an average of $2,000 per year.
Category: Community Outreach and/or Collaboration Programs
Winning Program: "Memory Box Program," Partners of Divine Savior Healthcare, Portage
The Memory Box Program is a collaborative effort between the Partners of Divine Savior Healthcare and the technology education teachers at Portage Junior High School. Memory boxes are created for the Enduring Loss Together support group, which helps families grieve and heal following the loss of a baby during pregnancy, birth or shortly after birth. The boxes are designed to hold remembrances, which will encourage the grieving families to move forward in a positive direction. The boxes are crafted by the woodworking teachers, decorated by Partners and other community members, and distributed through the Enduring Loss Together group.
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