Henry Mayo thanks hundreds of voluneers,

With more than 300 volunteers, including adults, teens and even canines, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is taking a pause from the coronavirus pandemic to thank its volunteers in celebration of National Volunteer Appreciation Week.

“We value our dedicated volunteers 365 days of the year, but we are especially proud to honor them during National Volunteer Week,” Marlee Lauffer, president of Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation, said in a prepared statement. “Our volunteers help us to provide quality, compassionate health care to our community. The gift of their time and their dedication to all Henry Mayo staff, patients and visitors is priceless.”

Since 1974, when President Richard Nixon established the third week of April as National Volunteer Week with an executive order as a way to recognize the efforts of volunteers nationwide, every sitting president has continued the tradition, issuing proclamations to honor volunteers, urging people to get out and volunteer in their own communities.

Since the hospital opened its doors 45 years ago, volunteers have donated more than a million hours, while in 2019 alone, Henry Mayo’s volunteers clocked more than 53,000 hours while serving in more than 30 different departments.

With the “Safer at Home” directive in place, Henry Mayo has had to temporarily suspend its volunteer program, and volunteers have been missed greatly, Lauffer said.

“During these unprecedented times, we would like to take the time to pay tribute to our 300 outstanding adults, teens and canine volunteers for National Volunteer Week,” April Garcia, manager of volunteer services at Henry Mayo, said in the statement. “They have been greatly missed by everyone these past few weeks. Their 53,000 hours of dedicated service to the patients, staff and visitors has not gone unnoticed this year, and we look forward to having them back and seeing their kind smiles throughout the hospital again.”

For more information on volunteering with Henry Mayo, visit henrymayo. com/volunteer.

Courtesy photo Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials gather the facility’s more than 300 volunteers — which includes adults, teens and canines — to say thank you in celebration of National Volunteer Appreciation Week.