November 22, 2000
Program honors Hospice volunteers
Recognition brunch kicks off $3.4 million Hospice House fund-raiser
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Spreading laughter and fun wherever she goes, longtime Hospice volunteer Luvy Harty takes turns as her alter ego, Bertha Elderberry, when visiting her Hospice families. Dressing up in her combo bag lady-lady of the evening finest, Harty enjoys the smiles she sees even on the faces of critically ill patients.
"It is so important, if you have a humorous situation on hand, to use it," Harty said.
Harty had a larger audience in stitches Saturday morning at the Munson Hospice Volunteer Recognition Brunch, held at the Waterfront Conference Center. Drawing 110 volunteers and Hospice employees together for food, laughter and fun, the banquet featured volunteer stories by Harty and two other volunteers.
Together, these volunteers exemplified the commitment and heart required to be a Hospice volunteer, helping the morning's event live up to its theme of "Volunteers as Magic."
"Humor has to be included in Hospice," said Harty. "You have to have a happy face and you have to know how to grieve. When I do Hospice, I do it all."
Bill Murgan of Interlochen received the Pete Strom Award during the brunch. The Pete Strom Award, named for one of Munson Hospice's founding members, is an annual award recognizing outstanding commitment and service to the program.
A Hospice volunteer for ten years, Murgan received a Volunteer of the Year award last year. After last year's honor, Murgan was completely surprised to be honored again.
"I got the other award last year, thought that would hold me for a while," said Murgan, who as a volunteer provides respite care, comfort, a listening ear and support to families of terminally ill people.
"They could have picked anyone in that room and not been wrong. Some of the folks who have been awarded in the past are my heroes in hospice."
Murgan discovered Munson Hospice during a fundraising event at Giovanni's restaurant in Interlochen ten years ago. He was already familiar with end-of-life issues because his younger brother, David Murray, died of cancer five years before that. Although his brother was not part of a hospice program, Murgan found he wanted to work with people in that stage of life.
Murgan has seen a lot of courage in both patients and families during his years as a volunteer. He finds that even providing a few hours of respite care to a family is a huge contribution, providing a rejuvenating break for the caregivers. Each year since becoming a Hospice volunteer, Murgan decides to join up for another year.
"One thing I like about volunteering is that the family and I get to decide how we can work together," noted Murgan, who works in the disability determination service for the Social Security Administration. "You do different things for different families. You don't have a specific task every time."
The Volunteer Recognition Brunch also featured the kick-off of a $3.4 million dollar, two-year fundraising campaign to build a 12-bed Hospice House near Munson Hospital. The Hospice House will provide patients and their families a place to come when they need care beyond in-home services, without having to enter a hospital setting.
Bob Wick of the Munson Healthcare Regional Foundation explained to the gathering that land had been chosen and a budget and floor plan drawn up, the next step was to gather funds.
Wick and Kay Benizek, manager of Munson Hospice, fielded questions from volunteers eager to know about the proposed facility. As they explained grants underway and fundraising plans in place for the next two years, both said that the Hospice House was an idea whose time had come in the Grand Traverse region.
"Money flows to where it belongs," Wick said. "You all work hard to leave a legacy with the families you serve. Now we can leave a legacy to the community with regard to how we address end-of-life care."