By Ingrid Schnader
Behind the daily operations at Brookwood Baptist Health, there is a team of about 70 volunteers who help put a smile on each patient’s face.
Denise Lambert, who took over as volunteer coordinator last year, said she is amazed by the work the volunteers do each day.
“They are phenomenal,” Lambert said. “I didn’t even know some of the stuff they do every day that impacts us.”
The volunteers plan three uniform sales and one jewelry sale each year, which helps fund the many projects they do.
They prepare about 100 birthday boxes for the newborn babies each week. They make baby hats and onesies to include in the boxes.
They crochet cancer hats for each of the hospital’s cancer patients, and Lambert said some volunteers even take those home to finish them. They also stuff and sew pillows for the cardiac patients.
Other volunteers work at the information desk, give directions, help with medical records and perform other helpful tasks each day.
“It’s been so nice to work with them,” Lambert said. “They come into work every day and will do whatever you ask them to do. They have a heart of gold, and they want to serve and be helpful.”
Building Another ‘Family’
Mary Ann Goodson, a Vestavia Hills resident, has been volunteering at Brookwood every Thursday morning for the past 39 years, ever since her children left for college. She works at the information desk and answers visitors’ questions.
“I help people find places that they need to go,” she said. “I always try to smile, be happy and encourage them.”
Goodson comes from a medical family. Her father was a doctor, one brother was a veterinarian, one brother was a doctor, another brother was a hospital administrator and her sister was a nurse. So when she decided to take up volunteering, Brookwood was a natural fit.
“I love doing it,” she said. “I don’t want to sit at home. My husband and my children are all gone, so I love coming up here … . It’s just a good place to be. I’m always glad to help people, and I’m glad to be here.”
Janet Christman, a Hoover resident who started volunteering at Brookwood 24 years ago, also stepped into her role after becoming an empty nester. She said she wanted a close-knit community, and she found that in her role at Brookwood.
“I thought, how am I going to meet people?” she said. “I decided I would look around. I came to Brookwood, and they said, ‘Oh yeah, we could use you.’”
She also volunteers every Tuesday, and she said the volunteers she works with are like her family.
“We go out the first Monday of every month for breakfast,” she said. “When one of us doesn’t feel good, we always call each other.
“I’ve met some wonderful people. And of course, you feel like you’re doing a lot of good.”
Christman has worn a lot of different hats since she started volunteering there. She started in physical therapy, helping people get in wheelchairs and taking them where they needed to go within the hospital.
“When I was in therapy, a lot of those people had aches and pains,” she said. “It seemed as though, after they were done with their therapy, they really hurt. They would sit and talk with you. Several of them said, ‘Just talking to you, my pain has gone away because I forgot about it.’”
Then she worked in medical records, and now she works in the office helping out wherever she’s needed.
“I want to volunteer until I can’t,” she said. “It’s rewarding when you know that you’re helping somebody.”
In addition to Goodson and Christman, Lambert said there are several volunteers who have been coming in each week for decades.
“It just amazes me that they still want to come and do that because they love it so much,” she said. “They’re just a joy to be around. Everybody loves them.”
Adults who are interested in volunteering are asked to commit to four hours a week and a minimum of 100 hours a year. There are also volunteer opportunities for college students, teens and pet therapy partners. To fill out an application, visit BrookwoodBaptistHealth.com.
