Volunteer

Volunteer Sue Samuels and Ginger the Golden Doodle

November 21, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

Volunteer, Sue Samuels, has been volunteering with TRU Community Care for around ten years. She has volunteered with various programs such as Comfort Touch, 11th-hour, and Pet Therapy visits, which support individuals in their final moments struggling with illness.

Sue’s golden doodle, Ginger, visits the Care Center every Monday. Ginger is a specially trained therapy dog and one of many that visit the Care Center in rotation. A TRU Care Center nurse had asked Sue and Ginger to visit a patient who was showing signs of actively passing and had been unconscious for a few days. Sadly, the woman’s sister had arrived after the patient was no longer conscious, but was present for Ginger’s arrival and pet therapy visit.

Ginger was brought around the patient’s bed and near her side by Sue. She placed the patient’s hand on Ginger’s head for comfort and then heard an audible gasp by the patient. The patient’s eyes opened and she asked for water and a cup of coffee! From this point, the patient asked to go to the bathroom and was assisted to walk. She was conscious for two more days while she and her sister visited until her last breath.

One of Sue’s favorite parts of volunteering with TRU Community Care is being able to support individuals in their final hours. The additional support to the patients and their families is what sets TRU Community Care apart from other hospice care centers. This is one of those stories that we strive for and hope for, to bring people together in life’s most vulnerable moments, and we are thankful for all of our volunteers who support this vision.

To learn more about our programs and volunteering, please visit trucare.org/volunteer for more information.

TRU Volunteers Serve

September 26, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

This week, TRU Thrift Shop celebrated Morgana Young for her nearly 14 years of volunteer work. TRU Thrift Shop volunteers, employees, friends, and family all gathered at the shop’s cafe to say farewell and show appreciation for Morgana’s years of service to TRU Community Care.

Volunteers are an essential piece of the mission, vision, and values of TRU Community Care. Last year alone, TRU volunteers accounted for over 30,000 hours of work, equating to over $900,000 in value. We could not serve the greater community without the dedicated service of our volunteers. Ultimately, they provide an immeasurable value that goes beyond volunteer hours and represents the dynamic support we are able to provide in TRU Hospice, TRU Palliative Care, TRU PACE, and TRU Grief Services.

Reta Morrisette, the Volunteer Coordinator for TRU Community Care, works with volunteers supporting our Grief Services and those coping with illness and loss. She is amazed by the devoted care and service of these volunteers on a daily basis. In Reta’s words, “It is a true honor and privilege to serve the bereaved in our community. Our volunteers are very compassionate and skilled in bringing a sacred place to our community, offering their time and hearts to serve the bereaved who are coping with illness and loss.”

TRU volunteers are skilled in practice and devoted to the heart and values of our community. Without them, we would not be able to provide the depth of care and compassion that supports our mission and makes TRU not just a service provider, but also a supportive community. Volunteers are at the heart of why we are TRU Community Care.

We are always searching for new volunteers to help us support our mission as they serve our patients and families with the best emotional, spiritual, and practical support possible; lend valuable administrative assistance to the organization; and play a key role at TRU Thrift Shop. Our volunteers are all admiringly devoted and often choose to remain “behind the scenes,” serving in humility. They find joy and contentment in making a tangible difference in people’s lives, giving back to our community, and continuing to learn new skills while meeting new and interesting people.

We cannot thank all of our volunteers enough! We look forward to serving you as you help serve the mission, vision, and core values of TRU Community Care.

If you are interested in becoming a TRU volunteer, please visit: https://www.trucare.org/careers-volunteers/volunteer-overview/

Thrift with a Mission

June 6, 2019 by Elizabeth Neufeld

Infectious joy. Those are the two words that people frequently use to describe the atmosphere at TRU Thrift and the volunteers who work there. And it has the ability to impact anyone who steps foot into the store.

Mary Scripter has been volunteering with TRU Thrift for over three years. She helps with everything from organizing the literacy section to working the register. She even helped start the TRU Thrift Online Amazon Bookstore. She loves volunteering with TRU Thrift because of their mission — and the first look at all of the items coming in the door doesn’t hurt either.

Originally from South Dakota, Mary went to college in Wyoming and has lived in Colorado since 1971. She has been volunteering with hospices across Colorado since ‘76. She started her volunteering in Colorado Springs, until she found TRU Community Care.

Mary began working with hospice communities because of her experience through her sister’s death.

“When you’ve been helped by a hospice, you want to give back.” Mary tells us. “TRU Community Care has such a wonderful community, who donate furniture and goods to TRU Thrift.”

She understands that when people go through the death of a loved one, they want to give back and support others who are going through a similar experience. Mary’s favorite section is in the book stacks. There are days that she organizes 100’s of donated books.

Mary loves to organize and research the books for their value. If at any time you find yourself at TRU Thrift, check out their amazing book section. You may even find Mary there to help you support your efforts in finding the perfect summer read or even a treasure.

In the words of TRU Thrift’s Store Manager, Lynn McCullough, “Shopping at the TRU Hospice Thrift Shop can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Who doesn’t love the hunt for a bargain?”. Merchandise includes high-end furniture at reasonable prices, gently worn clothing from designer to basics, jewelry, collectibles, art, books, sporting equipment, housewares, and more.

Volunteer Training May 2015

April 6, 2015 by TRU Community Care

TRU’s next volunteer training begins in May! We are actively trying to recruit volunteers willing to visit patients in our eastern and southern territories (Broomfield, Westminster, Thornton, Northglenn, Arvada, etc.). If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Volunteer Services for more information.

Click here for more information on our volunteer training!

May 2015 Training

Core Training (All sessions must be attended):

Session 1: Tuesday, May 12^th 4:00pm – 7:30pm
Session 2: Thursday, May 14^th 4:00pm – 7:30pm
Session 3: Saturday, May 16^th 9:00am – 3:30pm

Specialized Training (must attend the training for your specific role):

Patient Care 1: Tuesday, May 19^th 4:00pm – 7:30pm
Patient Care 2: Thursday, May 21^st 4:00pm – 7:30pm

May 2015 Training

About TRU