On Tuesday, April 29, AVIVA Valparaiso and Dunes Hospice hosted their annual Volunteer Appreciation Lunch at the AVIVA Valparaiso facility. Over 35 volunteers from throughout the community gathered to enjoy some delicious food and the pleasure of one another's company.
The volunteers being honored were affiliated with a number of churches, AVIVA Valparaiso, Dunes Hospice, and The Bonner Senior Center in Portage. Members of the Winamac Old Auto Club, which puts on annual charity car shows at nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout the Region, was also in attendance.
This is the first year that Tricia Catlin, sales and marketing coordinator at AVIVA Valparaiso, has helped coordinate this event. She considers the volunteers' appreciation lunch to be an excellent way to celebrate the great work that these individuals do all over the community.
“We had a wonderful turnout today,” Catlin said. “I’ve coordinated other volunteer appreciation events before, but never one with this degree of participation. We are very happy to be able to honor all of these volunteers. I’ve enjoyed seeing the camaraderie among the attendees as the different volunteer groups interact with one another.”
The Volunteer Appreciation Lunch has been a tradition at AVIVA Valparaiso for nearly 10 years. The guests of honor are always provided with a tantalizing spread, and this year was no exception. The volunteers were able to enjoy a pasta bar that featured spaghetti along with their choice of tomato, alfredo, and meat pasta sauce. Garlic bread and a salad were also available. For dessert, the volunteers ate either chocolate or yellow cake, both of which had buttercream icing. They refreshed themselves with lemonade, cucumber water, and coffee.
Cathy Ellis, hospice liaison for Dunes Hospice, looks forward to offering more Volunteer Appreciation Lunches in the future.
“Volunteers are the core of every organization they are a part of,” Elllis said. “April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, so we want to celebrate volunteers from throughout the community today and let them know that they are appreciated. This event gives them a chance to get together in a laid-back atmosphere and enjoy lunch. They may potentially meet other volunteers they may not know as well.”
The volunteers were sent home with gift bags that included jars of apple butter, Hershey’s chocolate bars, Starbucks gift cards, and Dunes Hospice swag like pens, Post-It notes, and hand sanitizer. They also picked up several flyers advertising several upcoming events that AVIVA Valparaiso will be collaborating with CoAction and Franciscan Health on.
Catlin stated that the Volunteer Appreciation Lunch is also an ideal opportunity to spread the word about AVIVA’s services and volunteer opportunities.
“I hope the attendees leave seeing that AVIVA Valparaiso is a great place to volunteer,” Catlin said. “Hopefully, the individuals who have never volunteered here will consider coming to AVIVA to give of their time in the future. This is also a great way for us to exhibit AVIVA’s great community and our services. The volunteers honored today may decide to recommend our services to a friend or loved one in need of assisted living or memory care.”
For more information on AVIVA Valparaiso’s services and upcoming events, please visit avivavalparaiso.com.