Happy May! From May Day, Mother's Day to Memorial Day we hope this month's newsletter bring some joy to your day! Because you bring joy to our day every day!
Dear Volunteer Team,
I am so excited to be part of the Adoray Team and to champion our caring mission with all of you. There is no better time to remind ourselves of the value of life and all that we have taken for granted as “normal” for so long.
I am proud to be your new Volunteer Coordinator and can hardly wait to meet you all! Please look forward to a call from me in the month of May. We can talk about life, volunteering, creative ways to reach out to people, and whatever inspires us. I will be grateful for this time to chat and connect!
So far, from my home office, I have been blessed to be welcomed by everyone. I am on many virtual meetings through Zoom. I am being trained in by the “best of Adoray,” including Leann Lifto (your retired, “fearless leader,” Hospice Volunteer Coordinator), who is a wealth of knowledge and cares deeply for all of you, the staff, the Adoray mission, and our patients.
If you were part of our virtual “Hat’s Off” to Volunteers virtual appreciation meeting in April, then you know that I love to travel! I have been to several countries including, Israel, India, Ireland, England, Mexico, The Bahamas, and of course our own wonderful United States of America, with visits to several states, including Hawaii (island of Maui) and the territory of Puerto Rico. I always come back to the Midwest, though, with our family values and loving hearts!
What have I learned? Traveling anywhere helps to connect us and bring us closer to one another. It helps us in the understanding of other viewpoints, and it makes us kinder.
Kindness. By definition, “The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” This reminds me of all of you. Giving of your time so freely. An act that, collectively, makes the world go around. So many lives are affected by the heart of Volunteers. You are the lifeblood of Adoray. Your kindnesses do not go unnoticed and I want to say, “thank you.”
Even during this time of pandemic and social distancing, volunteerism is essential.
It is your encouragement and support of the Adoray staff that keeps us going.
It is your continued compassion, energy, and thoughtfulness for patients, even from a distance, that helps them navigate their process at this stage in their life.
It is the way that you keep going and working through life right now that inspires all of Adoray to keep going strong, and planning for what sometimes seems like an uncertain future. Because one thing that is certain, is that the mission of Adoray’s service of caring for patients in critical life stages, is ongoing and is never going away.
So, even though volunteering looks different right now, you are valued by me, the Adoray Team, and our patients. Thank you for proving every day that, “kindness is the only investment that never fails (Henry David Thoreau).”
Blessings and Peace,
Brenda Picture: Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s West Coast, August 2019
We need your help to celebrate and care for one of our own! One of Adoray's lifelong volunteers Barb Hess has given us her permission to share that she has started Hospice service with Adoray. Barb, also has a fur baby cat named Marge that we are working with our Pet Peace of Mind Program to help find her new forever home. We will be sending out details and pictures of Marge the cat so Barb can have peace of mind that she will forever be taken care of and loved.
Send your love and thoughts to let Barb know how much she means to us! You can send a card for Barb directly to the Adoray Office at (990 Main Street, Suite 1, Baldwin, WI 54002) or email to Brenda at b.bader@adorayhomecare.org and our team can get those to Barb to share!
Adoray Volunteer Training "Hospice and how all our volunteers (including our Treasures volunteers) are vital to our care team"
WHEN: 2 Times to pick from, Tuesday, May 12 at 1:00PM or Wednesday, May 13 at 10:30AM
Click to Join: PRESENTER: Erin Flug-Geissler, Adoray Patient Service Advisor
Join us this Friday, May 8 at 1:00PM This weeks theme: "Giving Ourselves Permission"
WHEN: 4 Sessions – join one or all! Friday’s, April 24 - May 15 at 1:00pm
PRESENTERS: Rev Theresa Riewestahl, Chaplain / Grief Support Coordinator and Tuni Turner, Chaplain
Dear Volunteers,
It seems like a million years since we last saw your smiling faces! We thought it would be fun to share what the store staff has been up to during our exciting COVID-19 Stay-cations! Please enjoy these postcards. We invite you to send "postcards" back and let us know what is new with you! (send yours to a.bettinger@adorayhomecare.org)
Joleen D Larson Store Manager, Treasures from the Heart River Falls
BIG SHOUTOUT & THANKS to all our amazing Adoray Angels for their continued support of helping ensure we have enough PPE. And hands down the most fabulous and stylish PPE in all the land! From isolation gowns, cloth and see-through masks to ear protectors/mask holders. Thank you all so much for your time and hard work to make these! Know that you are helping care for our team, patients and the community. Thanks to you Adoray has even been able to help our partner facilities and other local businesses from nursing homes and assisted living, Western Wisconsin Health, and funeral homes stay safe and continue to provide their essential services.
We are still accepting and in need of homemade masks and headband mask holders. For anyone in need of materials please reach out to Joleen Larson at j.larson@adorayhomecare.org or by calling her directly at 612-987-6721 to coordinate a fabric pick-up.
Our Adoray's Angels are hard at work getting the Treasures stores cleaned and prepped so once they get the call for "Mission Open the Doors" they will be ready.
Get Your Adoray's Angels Tshirt! Plus 50% of all profits from each Adoray's Angels shirt sale will go to Adoray.
Once our Treasures stores are able to re-open we will be holding SPECIAL "Adoray's Angels" DISCOUNTS just for wearing this shirt!
You’ve been asking, and we are excited to finally announce we will be hosting a You Can’t Touch This Donation Celebration! Happening Monday, May 11 – Saturday, May 16 from 10am – 3pm (No donations accepted outside these hours and dates)
How you drop off and we accept donations will be different than our previous process. In order to process donations in a safe manner with zero contact please read and follow these guidelines before you bring your donations to the stores. We NEED EVERYONE to follow the guidelines.
BEFORE DONATION GUIDELINES: 1. If it is ripped, stained, broken, or missing parts, put it in the garbage (or if it meets recycling standards, the recycle bin) We are a thrift store, not an outlet for trash or here to replace the canceled spring cleanups. 2. Don’t empty toy boxes or entire drawers into boxes. Take time to sort through everything and if it isn’t in the condition that you would buy in a thrift store, put it in the garbage. It’s okay to throw things away! 3. Check our donation guidelines at https://adoray.org/treasures-stores#donationsDiv. While we accept most items, there are some things we cannot accept due to safety concerns, space limitations, or the cost of disposal that Adoray incurs. 4. All donations MUST be sealed in regular tall kitchen garbage bags or boxes that can easily be lifted by one person, avoiding oversized bags and boxes (under 40lbs). If you cannot easily lift it, we cannot safely lift it. No exceptions!
DONATION DROPOFF GUIDELINES: 1. When you arrive to the store, remain in your car during the entire time, and call the store to let someone know you are here to drop off a donation. (stay tuned for some fun videos on how to drop-off your donations touch-free!) 2. Someone will come to retrieve your sealed donations from the trunk or backseat of your vehicles. Please remain in your vehicle while our team member retrieves the donations. If we do not feel comfortable taking your donation, please understand that it is for the safety of everyone. 3. They will leave a donation receipt in your trunk or backseat. 4. Our Team will bring the donations into the store with gloves and personal protective equipment, using a variety of sanitizing supplies and setting aside donations in containers for several days before going through them.
AFTER DONATION GUIDELINES: 1. Go home and feel good because you just donated like a BOSS! Not only did you check off your list of finally clearing out some items from your home, but you also helped keep our earth clean all while helping care for local home health and hospice patients. You are our HERO! 2. Know that your donations are vital to the Adoray Home Health & Hospice mission of “Partnering to improve the quality of life throughout serious illness wherever you call home” and we appreciate your generosity and support.
NEW! Adoray Crossword Challenge Complete the puzzle below and send back to Brenda at b.bader@adorayhomecare.org and we will announce the winners in next month's newsletter.
Virtual Suggestion Box
Do you have ideas on how to make Adoray a better place to work and care for patients? Submit your ideas using the virtual suggestion box. This box will be monitored daily and will be forwarded to the appropriate manager for action.
