A beautiful valentine!

Miss South Caroline U.S. International 2019

It helps to know the right people and each year I contact Randall Dukes and he summons up a beauty queen to serve as an honorary hospital volunteer on Valentine's Day. I order romantic fortune cookies and chocolate hearts and we roam the hospital treating the staff and patients as she patiently poses for photo ops.

This year our guest was Sara Burd, Miss South Carolina U.S. International and she was a delight! Thanks Sara! You brought a lot of smiles. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Pink Bagels for Sale!

Pink Ribbon Bagels, Panera Bread Company, Charelston, SC 

My team and I sold 250 bagels yesterday morning - pink ribbon bagels! I wasn't sure we could pull it off but they were very much in demand and we sold out. Panera Bread makes these especially during October and donates the profits to breast cancer research.

Yesterday 100% of the proceeds were donated and for the rest of the month a percentage of profits from the bagels sold in their stores goes towards the cause. Thanks Panera! 

Youth Appreciation Banquet

2015 West Ashley Optimist Club, Youth Appreciation

Introducing the 2015 Youth Volunteers of the Year as honored by the West Ashley Optimist Club. The club's main goal is to be a Friend to Youth and they hold a recognition banquet every year. I am delighted to get recognition for a student who volunteers at the hospital. All non-profits are invited to nominated so these students represented different area agencies. Congrats ladies!

SC Governor's Award for Volunteering - 2015

SC Governor's Awards - Volunteerism 2015

Ladies and gentlemen, may I be the first to present you with the Governor's Award Winners for Volunteerism in South Carolina. Congratulations folks! 

I was at the Governor's Mansion in Columbia today to see this incredible group of folks from across the state being recognized for community service activities from mentoring, hospice work, school volunteering and Americorp. 

I almost bust with pride when representatives from my own health care system, Roper St. Francis were honored in the Workplace Volunteer category for all they do with the community including health fairs, the heart walk, Families for Healthy Hearts program, HOPE bags for children in abusive situations and Medical Mission trips. 

Workplace Volunteerism Award, Roper St. Francis

Volunteer Fair - Lowcountry Senior Center

Volunteer Fair, Lowcountry Senior Center, Charleston, S. C

Volunteer program managers took their show on the road this afternoon setting up information and recruitment tables at the Lowcountry Senior Center's Volunteer Fair. From my healthcare table to Pet Helpers, SC Historical Society, Barrier Island Medical Clinic, Water Keeper, Charleston County Library, Park Conservancy, Footlight Players and the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry, non-profits from all over the lowcountry were represented.

It is a tricky thing finding a meaningful volunteer role but I think some connections were made today. Many thanks to the Lowcountry Senior Center for hosting the event. The Trident United Way web site is a good place to start if you are looking for volunteer opportunities.

Ninety four years and counting!

94 years young, Charleston, S.C.

I stopped by Publix to pick up a coconut cake for Mr. Heath on Friday. In my mind when you are 94 years old and volunteer two full days a week driving a golf cart shuttle in the hospital parking lot you deserve some festivities. Each year I try to drill a little deeper to find out what his secret is. He grew up in West Virginia, joined the military, was very athletic himself and then coached sports. He still has a ready smile. Twice a year he takes off on a solitary road trip to Maryland and West Virginia to visit his family members.

He is really quite amazing. Maybe it is the coconut cake which is a stand out favorite! I could do that.

Taking Your Best Shot

Tri-SCAVA Group, Anderson, S.C.

This was the gathering of the clans in the Volunteer Management world in the upstate yesterday and I was the featured speaker! My topic actually was about promoting non-profits and volunteer programs through photography and I was invited up to Anderson, S.C. to present. What a great group of people. They included volunteer coordinators from libraries, hospice, Americorp, shelters etc. It was a most impressive gathering. Thanks for inviting me folks!

Naturally I made them pose for a group shot a the end of the presentation. :)

Humor that Heals

Caring Clown Program, Charleston, S.C.

I went to lunch with a couple of clowns on Friday. The folks at Cafe Fork didn't know what hit them when I walked in with four hospital clowns but they were great sports and besides the always tasty lunch the chef sent out complimentary desserts for us all. As it turned out I was the only one who could stuff my face without worrying about clown make up. Bob Mason aka Dr. Geezer brought the Caring Clown program to Charleston quite a few years ago. He has since grown his posse to a small cast of characters who use gentle humor on their rounds.

Mission Statement: The Bumper "T" Caring Clowns, Inc. is a volunteer organization dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of hospitalized patients, their families friends and caregivers. Therapeutic Clowning is a powerful tool in promoting the healing process. Sharing the Humor that Heals: We’re clowns with a mission—volunteers dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of hospitalized patients, their families, friends and caregivers. Our clowns complete a comprehensive clown training course on the art of gentle humor. We use therapeutic clowning as a powerful tool to promote the healing process.

The Gathering of Volunteer Program Managers

LASCAVA workshop at James Island County Park

I got away from my office on Friday afternoon and met up with fellow volunteer program managers at the conference center at James Island County Park. The group is called LASCAVA and is the lowcountry branch of the SC Association for Volunteer Administration.

I don't want to boast, but this groups pulls the strings behind the scenes on an awful lot of what goes on in this town. You might not know us but these ladies and gentleman coordinate recruit, train and place volunteers who serve in hospitals, hospice, libraries, meals on wheels, Water Missions International, Habitat for Humanity, Trident United Way, 211 Hotline, Parks & Recreation and more, more, more! Hundreds of thousands of hours of community service annually flows through our hands. It's a pretty amazing group.

Happy Volunteer Week!

Charleston, S.C.

Happy Volunteer Week! There is no way to properly thank the people who add that extra warm and caring touch to health care in this country. Every day, some working almost like full time employees, they are welcoming, comforting, rocking babies, passing meal trays, knitting baby bonnets, pushing wheelchairs and pouring cups of coffee for a patient's family member.

Volunteers are in action all over the Lowcountry but the team at Roper St. Francis Healthcare served over 88,000 hours just last year. They are a phenomenal group and I am fortunate to be allowed to work with them.

Besides that, they are a very colorful cast of rascals and characters! Love 'em all. I never have a boring day with this crowd. Picture me blowing kisses folks!

Dining with Friends - 2010

Dining with Friends, Maritime Center, Charleston, S.C.

I staff the Dining with Friends Champagne table each year and recruit friends to help out. Thank you, thank you, thank you....especially to the muscle in the background opening bottles non stop for two hours!

Thanks to my team Richard & Erin Larson, Sonja Brenner, Becca Walton, Mary & Kevin Holmes, Michelle Hard we poured bottle after bottle and only drank enough to made sure each bottle was quality champagne. Thanks to our table captain Neil and to George Hill who always throws a top notch shindig! We always have a blast.

Y'all remember that I do this each year and holler if you want to help. It's a fun, high energy, high sugar event benefiting Lowcountry AIDS Services. Paul Cheney served as event photographer so look for your photos on his site at Let's Talk Charleston.

Dining with Friends: For this massive fundraising effort, hundreds of people will join forces to host dinner parties in their homes, churches or workplace to raise money and of course have a good time dining with friends. At the end of the evening, all dinner parties unite for a Champagne and dessert finale at the Charleston Maritime Center beginning at 9pm. Guests will enjoy delicious treats from various bakeries and restaurants and music provided by jazz and blues singer Ann Caldwell.

What Does Joan Do?

It's Volunteer Week and a good time to clarify what the heck I actually do.

We are fortunate in this country to have so many people willing to do unpaid work supporting the causes they believe in, that we actually need people to coordinate their efforts. That would be me. I am the Director of Volunteers for Roper St. Francis Healthcare and I coordinate the day to day program at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital.

I have over 450 active volunteers between the ages of 14 - 96 in our facilities in any one month. Last year our volunteers served over 82,000 hours. Amazing.

In health care the processing is so complicated I am lucky that I have any volunteers at all.

The idea is, if a hospital employee is required to go through safety, infection control, privacy training, health screenings, backgrounds checks etc. to keep our patients safe, why wouldn't we have to do that for someone who is working for free? We do.

My life is processing. I am contantly orienting, placing and training a rolling roster of volunteers of all ages who come to serve. These folks make an great difference in the service we offer and many do it because someone helped them when they most needed it.

Volunteers welcome and greet, help with clerical support, fill water pitchers and help feed, make rounds on patients, push wheelchairs, help in the nursery and drive golf carts. I have a singing volunteer, a couple of clowns and pet therapists whose trained dogs wear official hospital ID tags. We regularly get letters and phone calls grateful for the kindness of this cast of incredible characters that have gathered determined to make a difference.

We have a great reputation for helping students on career tracks and the hospital is well staffed with young professionals who started in my office. I have student mentoring programs, career evenings and a summer camp. I am fortunate to work with a wonderful staff who welcome and teach students interested in health careers.

It's Volunteer Week! Volunteers are working all over this city adding to our quality of life in ways we can't imagine. I hope I say it every day, but thank you, thank you, thank you volunteers.

Volunteer Photographer Needed

Youth Service Day, 2009, Charleston, S.C.

You've probably caught on to the fact that I often serve as event photographer for non profits in the lowcountry and one happy chaos day that I usually take pictures of is the annual Youth Service Day coordinated by my friend Sally Burnett at Trident United Way. She rallies a zillion kids of all ages and lines up service projects all over town. It is an amazing production and she pulls it off with flair.

This year, since it is during Volunteer Week, I have another event I am hosting and can't take care of them. Anyone else game? Youth Service Day is Saturday, April 24th. I usually start my day at North Charleston High School, take the pep rally and t shirt shots and then go around to as many sites as I can visit and take action shots of the kids at work. Most times they have a driver who knows where they are going.

If you would be interested in helping out it would be very much appreciated. It's fun and lets you snoop inside all kinds of places you would normally have no business in (right up my alley). Your pictures will be used in United Way publications through out the year and you will come away feeling darned good about kids today.

Contact Sally at: 211volunteer@tuw.org

Youth Service Day: Locally, more than 600 young people participate in Tricounty Youth Service Day in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties in the South Carolina lowcountry.

Young people can be great assets and resources to their communities, providing unique perspectives and skills while becoming better students and more productive citizens.

TYSD is a great opportunity to recruit the next generation of volunteers, to educate the public about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders, and to mobilize youth to identify, address and take ownership in the solutions to local needs through service.

Finger Lickin' Good

Charleston, S.C.

I made six key lime pies for my volunteer's holiday luncheon tomorrow and I have a sticky spoon licking out six cans of condensed milk. Yum. Gotta do it. You can't just throw out a condensed milk can until it's scraped clean. Sugar high!

I Heart This River

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, S.C.

Can you read it? It says "I heart this river". Sweet.

I am so incredibly weary. Long days all this week trying to tie up loose ends before I leave town. That's what happens with many so balls bouncing at once. It takes too many plans to keep them all bouncing when I step out of the picture. I hit the couch and nodded off after my two pieces of left over pizza and hadn't even started packing yet.

I am heading to Phoenix, Arizona in the morning for the national conference for Association for Healthcare Volunteer Resource Professionals. I actually present to the big kids this year so think positive thoughts for me at 2:30 on Friday.

Checking the temperature charts for Phoenix just now I found this:

Phoenix, Arizona
Excessive heat warning in effect from 10 am to 8 PM MST Thursday...
Excessive heat warning in effect from 10 am to 8 PM MST Friday...

Thursday
Sunny and hot. Highs 106 to 111. Northeast wind around 5 mph in the morning...becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Blah. Just what I want when I leave Charleston. More heat warnings.

So, what's good in Phoenix, kids? Anything I should check out?

Trident United Way - Flash Mob

TUW Flash Mob, Marion Square, Charleston, SC

I was finishing my hike about town this morning, heading back with my backpack full of groceries when I spotted Sonya from Trident United Way with her darling little baby and remembered it was the Trident United Way Flash Mob day. They had invited people to wear their Live United shirts and swarm Marion Square during the Farmer's Market.

I dumped my groceries at home and headed back to take a few pictures of them in action. They plan more of these wacky events to bring attention to the good work Trident United Way does in the Lowcountry so join their Facebook page to stay tuned and join the fun.

What's the point? Imagine 50 people wearing Live United shirts walking around the crowded market. Wouldn't you want to ask one of them what's going on? It's our opportunity to educate people about Living United and have some goofy fun while we're at it.
To be part of a Flash Mob, all you have to do is show up! We're going to descend by the dozens on the market wearing our Live United shirts, just walking around like it's nothing.

What's the point? Imagine 50 people wearing Live United shirts walking around the crowded market. Wouldn't you want to ask one of them what's going on? It's our opportunity to educate people about Living United and have some goofy fun while we're at it.

More photos here.

Drinking with Friends

Dining with Friends, Maritime Center, Charleston, SC

Last night was the 17th annual Dining With Friends benefit for Lowcountry AIDS Services. For years I have taken a crew of friends and co-workers to staff the Champagne Table. (I can pick my volunteers projects can't I?)

The idea is that people host parties in their homes and the attendees make a donation. Then everyone gathers for dessert, champagne and dancing at the Maritime Center from 9 - 11 pm. I didn't hear a final count but they expected about 4,000. My champagne pouring arm gets it's annual workout at this event and thank goodness we had some muscle to pop the corks.

We had a great gang rallied this year and had a blast! I drank a couple of glasses myself (quality control) and toddled on home licking my fingers after snagging some of the incredible desserts. Thanks to all my helpers for making it a fun night! I'm with Richard and Erin Larson in the photo.

Youth Service Day - Charleston

Youth Service Day, Charleston, SC

I joined Jodi Bateman, Charleston School District (top right) bright and early this morning and zipped around town trying to catch as many of the kids in action for Youth Service Day as we could. It wasn't easy since we were tempted to get caught up in the activity at each place we stopped.

Festivities started early this morning at North Charleston High School where shirts and packed lunches were handed out. Teams then caught buses to their service projects in different non profit agencies. The happy chaos was coordinated by Sally Burnett and her team from Trident United Way.

The group in the first picture was landscaping at the Boys & Girls Club on Mary St. In the next shot the kids had loaded a truck of donated supplies at Tricounty Family Ministries and cleaned out the clothes closet. In the third picture, students took turns cleaning the facility, walking and bathing dogs at the Charleston Animal Shelter.

Not the typical way most teenagers spend a Saturday morning (nor do I for that matter!) but with them all working together they accomplished more than they could ever imagine.