Winter 2012
Volunteer Voice
A Newsletter for MD Anderson Volunteers
Gifts with meaning Volunteer Services/CAP Task Force enjoys another fun, profitable season Each year, the Volunteer Services/Children’s Art Project Task Force sales generate many heartwarming stories, and 2011 was no exception. One patient came to specifically purchase a new Art Gallery Wooden Tray. His plan was to ask his girlfriend to marry him by serving her breakfast on the tray, complete with an engagement ring. In another case, a young couple and their 18-month-old son shopped and said how grateful they were to MD Anderson and what wonderful memories the task force booth evokes. Their story was about their son and discovering that he had cancer at the same time they became aware he was blind. The child had surgery at MD Anderson before he was 6 months old. A year later, when he reached for a snow globe at the task force booth, they learned he could see again. And in another tale, a young mother came to speak with a volunteer who had worked at the booth the previous week, not realizing that the same volunteers didn’t work every day. She wanted to thank the volunteer, who helped her daughter purchase a stuffed lion. Though the volunteer who had helped her before was not there, she told another volunteer that her daughter had died during the night and that the lion was with her. This mom wanted to thank the volunteer for the kindness she showed her daughter. All of these experiences and more added up to the most successful task force year ever. Patients, caregivers and employees came ready to shop when the task force opened for business on Oct. 3. They continued shopping through Dec. 16, reaching a grand total of $208,400 in product sales — a 20% increase over 2010. continued on page 2
Volunteers Yvette Matuszak (left) and Almas Hamir get in the holiday spirit by selling Children’s Art Project cards and gifts at the annual Volunteer Services/Children’s Art Project Task Force booth in the Clark Clinic lobby. Sandy Gomel, manager for Volunteer Services retail operations, sports part of her collection of task force buttons from years past.
The inside scoop
continued from page 1 | Gifts with meaning
Long-standing partnership
At March 21 VEPS luncheon, DePinho to share plans for conquering cancer Ronald DePinho, M.D., has bold plans for MD Anderson and the fight against cancer. And supporters of the Volunteer Endowment for Patient Support (VEPS) will get to hear about them first-hand. At the annual VEPS luncheon March 21, the new MD Anderson president will discuss his goals for conquering cancer and give his impressions of the institution since taking office last September. The luncheon is the primary fundraiser for the endowment, which supports programs and services that help meet the social, emotional, comfort, informational and recreational needs of MD Anderson patients. The endowment stands at more than $2.6 million. Each quarter, interest generated from it is returned to fund patient-oriented programs and services. In 2011, 33 programs, such as those listed below, received $287,229. • COLLAGE: The Art of Cancer Network Artist-in- Residence Program • Stem Cell Transplantation Caregiver Program • Regional care centers amenities • Nutrition videos on healthy eating • Together in Hope Conference for brain tumor patients • Childhood Cancer Survivor Celebration • Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy Patient Resource Guide • “Guide to Managing Your Chemotherapy Treatment” video VEPS was established in 1991 from the idea of longtime volunteer George Vietor and remains under the stewardship of the Department of Volunteer Services. Through the support of volunteers and community friends of VEPS, more than $1.8 million has been granted to fund meaningful programs and services. To make your reservation for the March 21 luncheon, call Maggi Suttles in Volunteer Services at 713-745-0270.
Volunteer Services and the Children’s Art Project (CAP) have a long history of service together. In fact, until 1999, CAP was a project of Volunteer Services. Although they’re now separate areas within the Division of Public Affairs, the two departments continue to work hand in hand on special projects. Fall marks the time to get ready for the holidays. Volunteer Services and CAP come together to form the task force, selling the latest holiday collection of cards and gifts. The task force was established in 1987. Staffed by volunteers, as well as MD Anderson volunteer employees, cards from the Children’s Christmas Card Project (as CAP was called then) were sold from early November through mid-December at various locations throughout MD Anderson. Wayne McHatton, associate director for Volunteer Services business operations, reports that in 1993 the task force was still a volunteer-run program called the Children’s Christmas Card Project Employee Task Force. Sandy Gomel, now the manager for Volunteer Services retail operations, was a volunteer at that time, and joined fellow volunteer Shirin Blackwell to lead it. In a note to their volunteer coordinators, Ann Smith and Margo Cannom, they set the 1993 sales goal at $20,000 (the actual sales were $31,521). The memo also mentioned that one 8-foot table was used for merchandise, “but an additional 4-foot table would be nice to have for next year.” At that time, the task force participated in CAP’s annual holiday kickoff parade that wound through parts of the Texas Medical Center. To get everyone in the spirit, Gomel and Blackwell donned angel costumes and walked with the “Angel” card design in one of the parades.
Still going strong For the past few years, CAP products have been sold in The Aquarium lobby of Clark Clinic and in the Mays Clinic West lobby. In 2011, 47 volunteers worked weekly fourhour shifts, totaling approximately 1,500 hours in the two locations. Volunteer Services and CAP celebrated an excellent sales year in 2011. New products such as domino necklaces, flower magnets, travel bags and numerous ornaments drew customers to the lobby sales. Sales proceeds return to MD Anderson and CAP to fund special patient amenities. It’s a holiday gift for everyone. To learn more about CAP, go to www.childrensart.org.
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Spreading holiday cheer Volunteers were front and center during the recent holiday season, delivering good tidings and cheer — along with food, gifts and music — to patients and families throughout MD Anderson. Holiday Jolly Trolley, Cookies With Santa and Inpatient Santa Day were just a few of the activities. To read all about it, check Volunteer Voice online at www.mdanderson.org/volunteervoice.
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Volunteer Services Annual Report 2011
Our Mission: to provide excellence in volunteer service and support to patients, families, faculty, staff and community partners with care, integrity and compassion. The Value of Our Volunteer Commitment Our team of 1,135 trained volunteers contributed 200,064 hours of service, equivalent to 96 FTEs. The value of a volunteer’s time and talent is calculated each year by the Independent Sector. Although the volunteer contribution is immeasurable, the Independent Sector values this effort at $4,273,367. The Volunteer Component Volunteer Services recruits, orients, places and trains volunteers. Trained volunteers enhance quality of life for patients and caregivers through day, evening and weekend programs. Daytime volunteers contribute 83% of total hours, while evening volunteers contribute 8%, weekend volunteers 5% and teens 4%. Volunteers serve in 64 programs and 115 unique positions. Volunteer Patient/Caregiver Contacts Volunteers serve patients and caregivers throughout the MD Anderson campus, as well as at the regional care centers. Service impact is measured by volunteer contact with patients and caregivers. Results are summarized by operational category and illustrated in the chart below. Representative programs of each category are highlighted. PATIENT SERVICES PROGRAMS INPATIENT VISITS/SUPPORT
Beauty/Barber Shop
Bilingual Floor Hosts
Cyber Center
Floor Hosts
Integrative Medicine Center
Patient Advocates
Patient/Family Center Spiritual Care-Main and Mays
CLINIC SUPPORT and PEDIATRIC PROGRAMS ATC/Transfusion-Main and Mays Breast Diagnostic/Pink Ribbon
PATIENT SERVICES PROGRAMS
INPATIENT VISITS/SUPPORT
95,188 contacts
98,082 contacts
CLINIC SUPPORT and PEDIATRIC PROGRAMS ANDERSON NETWORK
76,558 contacts
HOSPITALITY CENTERS
Diagnostic ImagingMain and Mays Emergency Center GI Oncology
110,888 visitors SURGERY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT 36,520 contacts
Pedi Programs
PATIENT INFORMATION 97,208 contacts
ANDERSON NETWORK
Radiation Oncology-
HOSPITALITY CENTERS
Main and Mays
Main Building Mays Clinic
SURGERY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT Intensive Care Unit Outpatient Surgery-Main and Mays Surgery Waiting
PATIENT INFORMATION Concierge Desk Information Desk-Main and Mays Patient Education-Main and Mays Patient Navigator
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Patient Services Anderson Network Hospitality Centers Volunteers in the two Hospitality Centers provided support to 110,888 patient and caregiver guests. Beauty/Barber Shop Staffed by two licensed cosmetologists and supported by volunteers, the Beauty/Barber Shop provided patients with more than 12,300 specialized hair and head care services. Scarves, turbans and wigs were provided at no charge to patients. Cyber Center The Cyber Center offers patients and caregivers access to computers, printers, a scanner and a copier at no charge. During FY11, volunteers served more than 14,300 patients and caregivers. Patient/Family Center The Patient/Family Center is a comfortable area where patients can rest between appointments or before traveling home. Volunteers assist with wayfinding and appointment schedules and share information about institutional resources. In FY11, volunteers served more than 62,000 patients and caregivers. Patient/Family Library The library offers books, magazines, newspapers and audio books for patients and caregivers. In FY11, more than 62,000 items were circulated from the library and approximately 22,000 paperback books were distributed to clinic waiting areas.
AndersonNetwork
Sponsored 15 psychosocial programs for patients, survivors and their caregivers. Membership grew to 1,808 survivor and caregiver volunteers, enabling us to match 1,069 individuals to those with similar diagnoses, treatments and experience.
FY11 Highlights Anderson Network/Cancer180 Cancer180, a program designed to meet the unique needs of young adult cancer survivors, launched its website, conducted an inaugural survivorship symposium and established a support network of young survivors in the Rio Grande Valley. Anderson Network Cancer Survivorship Conference The 22nd Annual Survivorship Conference was held at the Omni Houston Westside. A total of 542 patients and caregivers, including 140 scholarship awardees, participated in the event. Appearances – Providing Specialty Items for Cancer Patients Staffed by certified mastectomy fitters and volunteers, Appearances is a unique specialty shop for patients. The shop generated $199,136 in retail sales and $323,908 in patient billable transactions for a total of $523,044, an 8% increase over FY10. Appearances served the needs of breast cancer patients through 1,090 post-breast surgery/ mastectomy fittings. Bilingual Floor Host, Floor Host and Patient Advocate Volunteers Increased number of volunteers and improved the visitation process to support patients on new Alkek Hospital floors. Gift Shops Five gift shops produced revenue of $3,340,743, serving 362,376 customers. Proceeds from the gift shop operation totaling $400,000 provided funding for patient programs, volunteer support and 18 teen volunteer college scholarships. Regional Care Centers Volunteers placed at the four regional care centers increased to 25. Anderson Network expanded PIKNIC educational forums to serve our patients and caregivers in these community locations. Volunteer Endowment for Patient Support (VEPS) FY11 endowment corpus reached $2,624,703. Grant funds of $287,229 were awarded to 33 institutional programs meeting the social, educational and comfort needs of patients and caregivers. page 5
Cancer180 branches out to Rio Grande Valley By Lauren Schoenemann With the creation of a new social gathering site in the Rio Grande Valley, the Anderson Network extended its Cancer180 outreach to the young adult community there in 2011. Approximately 65 adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients, survivors, family members, friends and physicians attended the kickoff event at The University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. Cancer180 was created by the
Anderson Network to provide social and networking opportunities that cater to the unique situation and needs of this “in-between” cancer population. “These patients are too old for the Highlights magazines in the waiting rooms and too young to
talk about ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ with older patients,” says Marisa Mir, program coordinator for the Anderson Network. “It’s important for them to know that there’s someone else out there who knows what they’re going through and that they’re not alone.”
A second support site Mir says the Rio Grande Valley was selected for Cancer180’s expansion effort because the area is largely underserved and offers limited resources to patients, their families and caregivers living in the region. Modeled after the Houston group, the Rio Grande Valley chapter of Cancer180 cultivates a casual, social environment that’s nonmedical and nonthreatening in which AYA patients can interact naturally, Mir says. Five survivor volunteers in the Rio Grande Valley served as the local host committee for the workshop event.
Social mixers will be held in the Rio Grande Valley every two months. The kickoff event was a precursor to the Survivorship Symposium that took place in the same location, where Cancer180 volunteers focused on offering three key services: • the opportunity for patients to socialize and network; • instructional materials for patients, physicians and family members; and • local resources for patients and caregivers. Breakout sessions were also held throughout the day to address cancer-related issues that AYA patients identified as important. For more information about Cancer180, go to www.cancer180.org or www.facebook.com/cancer180.
Collaborations pay off for volunteer programs The Department of Volunteer Services counts on the kindness and support of others to help provide its many services and amenities to patients. Here are a few recent examples: • Splitcoaststampers, a group of people who enjoy creating cards and other products by stamping and scrapbook techniques, recently partnered with Volunteer Services for the second annual “Hope You Can Cling To” card drive. Their beautiful handmade cards were shared with patients in the Breast Center, Hospitality Centers and Patient/ Family Center. • Thanks go to MD Anderson supporter Maryanne McCormack, owner of Visible Changes, who donated 110 new wigs to the Beauty/Barber Shop. McCormack also introduced Volunteer Services to a new wig distributor. • Reggie Wilson, a supervisor in Facilities Management-Logistics at MD Anderson and a volunteer supporter, referred the W.W. Grainger Company to Volunteer Services. This introduction led to Volunteer Services receiving a $5,000 community grant award. Also, 11 members of the Grainger team assisted with the Pediatric Fall Festival. • Kristi Krupula, a senior communications specialist in Capital Planning and Management, connected the Houston office of McCarthy Building Company Inc. with Volunteer Services. The collaboration resulted in a $1,000 donation to the Pediatric Fall Festival and a commitment to partner as an underwriter for the 2012 Volunteer Endowment for Patient Support luncheon. Several McCarthy team members helped at the Fall Festival. McCarthy also partnered with Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. in Houston to hold a magazine subscription drive, which resulted in 118 new subscriptions to support inpatients. page 6
Festival of fun
Pediatric patients, supporters get into spirit of Halloween event There were princesses and transformers, ladybugs and cowboys wandering the halls of MD Anderson in late October. If any of them jumped out and said “BOO!” we hope it didn’t scare you. The annual Fall Festival, sponsored by the Department of Volunteer Services, was the source of the fun. But coordinators of the festival report that this was a true collaboration of people and departments from across MD Anderson. Pediatric patients in the Children’s Cancer Hospital were decked out in funny, silly and sometimes even spooky costumes to get an early start on Halloween trick-or-treating.
Pair of parades The event began with dual parades, one leaving from the Robin Bush Child and Adolescent Clinic and the other from the Children’s Cancer Hospital inpatient floor. Employees lined the hallways and were ready to fill pumpkins, bags and little hands with sweet treats. Every variety of candy was passed out to the pedi paraders. Tootsie Roll Pops, Snickers, Milk Duds, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hot Tamales, M&M’s, Jolly Ranchers, Hershey’s Kisses, Jelly Beans, Skittles, Starburst Fruit Chews — does your stomach hurt yet? This was trick-or-treat paradise.
The parades ended in The Park, which was transformed into a massive carnival. This year, MD Anderson departments and organizations created 46 booths to entertain the revelers. Those who manned the booths were also in full costume. Child Life specialists appeared as a picnic and Ms. Pac-Man even made the scene. One favorite area was a pumpkin patch, sponsored by McCarthy Building Company Inc., where young goblins selected a pumpkin and decorated it with paint and stickers. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Network presented a mini-haunted house, complete with spaghetti brains and slimy grape eyeballs. The Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition sponsored a Lego booth with special miniature Lego giveaways. Other departments offered a laser shot game and booths where patients could take their pick of
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tossing bean bags, jack-o’-lanterns, footballs or even rats — EEEKKK! A lollipop tree, face painting, photo booth and go-fishing game were also part of the merriment. And it wasn’t just fun and games. Pediatric patients and their families took a break from the MD Anderson cafeteria to enjoy hot dogs, nachos, snow cones and slushies — topped off by candy, of course.
Bigger and better The Fall Festival, one of the largest in recent years, was such a success that organizers may initiate similar events at MD Anderson. “This went far beyond pediatrics,” says Brandon Floyd, program coordinator for Volunteer Services. “It was a great day for everyone — a real bonding time for the entire institution.”
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PA I D Houston, Texas Permit No. 7052
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Cancer Center Volunteer Services 163100 /30076654 — Unit 115 1515 Holcombe Houston Texas 77030-3800
Volunteer Continuing Education Events Volunteer Orientation II Thursday, Feb. 2; Thursday, March 1; Thursday, April 5 Each session will be held 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Main Building, R11.1100, Room 6 This workshop includes tips for communicating with patients, the patient perspective and information about MD Anderson’s psychosocial support services. Emotional Patients and Families Friday, Feb. 3, 8:30-11:30 a.m. or 1:304:30 p.m. Facilitated by Walter Baile, M.D., and Rebecca Walters Attendance for this interactive workshop is limited. COLLAGE: The Art of Cancer Network Wednesday, Feb. 22, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.,
Winter 2012 Main Building, R11.1100, Rooms 5-6 MD Anderson updates presented by Steve Stuyck, vice president for public affairs. COLLAGE presented by Jennifer Wheler, M.D., program founder and executive director, and Marcia Brennan, Ph.D., Department of Art History, Rice University. COLLAGE is dedicated to providing innovative art programs for people living with cancer. It’s inspired by a belief in the power of art and creativity to transform lives. Cancer Survivorship Tuesday, March 27, 10-11:30 a.m., Rotary House, Conference Rooms A-C MD Anderson updates presented by Steve Stuyck, vice president for public affairs. Cancer survivorship presented by Fran Zandstra, executive director of MD Anderson’s Survivorship Program.
Advance registration is required for each of these events. Contact Mary Donnelly Jackson at 713-792-7180 or mdonnelly@mdanderson.org.
For your calendar Annual VEPS Luncheon Featured speaker: MD Anderson President Ronald DePinho, M.D. Wednesday, March 21, 11:30 a.m., River Oaks Country Club Evening/Weekend Volunteer Recognition Event Thursday, April 12, 6-8 p.m., Junior League of Houston Inc. Daytime Volunteer Recognition Event Thursday, April 19, 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m., Duncan Building, Floor 8, Ballroom