A special group of volunteers meets just about every Thursday at the Haven Hospice Suwannee Valley Care Center in Lake City, FL. Over donuts and coffee, they catch up and discuss plans for the upcoming day. They then travel to the homes of Haven patients who are veterans and perform moving recognition ceremonies.
The group consists of Mike Bechard, Sandy Bird, Dion Cole, Jan Cole, Mark Knoper, Bill McGrath, and Martha Robinson. Some are veterans themselves and many have children with military experience. All have a deep gratitude for those who have served our country. Haven Hospice is a participant in the national We Honor Veterans program, which aims to ensure veterans receive the care and support they need. With the help of Haven Volunteer Coordinator Marie Burdge, this group of volunteers recognizes patients wherever they reside—in their homes, in nursing homes and assisted living communities, or in the care center.
Marie organizes the visits and says that often when she asks family members if the group can come, the family doesn’t really know what’s going to happen. “I let them know that the volunteers will present their loved one with a certificate, but once everyone is in the room together, the family is just overwhelmed with gratitude because it’s much more than that,” says Marie.
Each ceremony starts with presenting the veteran with a certificate and reading it aloud, followed by presenting a flag display and a card that the hospice staff has signed. Volunteers then perform a pinning ceremony. They present a quilt, which is handmade by two Lake City Haven volunteers, sisters LuAnn Zude and Janet Nelson. Each member of the team takes on a role. “Sometimes I’ll do the certificate, sometimes I’ll do the card. Sandy and Martha are good at displaying the quilt. Jan is our official hugger,” says Dion.
The ceremony always ends with a military salute. “Most of the time, our patient salutes back, which is the most emotional part. It means so much to them,” says Jan.
There are many things that keep this group motivated, including a love for their country, their faith, and the camaraderie they feel with each other and with those who they are honoring. “The brotherhood that happens when the patients see these volunteers is awesome,” says Marie. “Sometimes when a patient is recognized, even if they aren’t communicative, you see them light up.”
For many veterans, this will be the first time that their service has been recognized. For example, many who served in the Vietnam War had negative experiences when they returned to the United States. Jan says, “I remember one Vietnam veteran whom we visited. Sandy shook his hand and said, ‘Welcome home.’ He said, ‘Nobody has ever said that to me since I came back.’ It chokes me up just thinking about it.”
These volunteers came to Haven in their own unique ways. Jan, for example, had a warm place in her heart for Haven because of her hospice experience with both of her parents. When her brother was a patient at a nearby dialysis clinic, she would drop him off three times a week and come to the Haven Hospice Suwannee Valley Care Center to visit with hospice patients. She eventually decided to join the veteran recognition team. Dion, her husband and a former Florida Highway Patrol officer, got started when Jan invited him to join after they played golf one day. Mike and his wife started their volunteer service at Haven by taking their beloved Australian shepherd, Cody, to visit patients. Mark attends the same church as Bill, who encouraged him to help recognize veterans with Haven.
“He told me stories about how his life has been enriched by meeting with these men and women and honoring them. I could see in Bill that it positively affected his faith. So, I decided to go with him one day. The rest is history,” says Mark.
Beyond their veteran recognition activities, members of the group have been involved in other projects at Haven, including helping to replace a worn American flag in front of the care center. They led a ceremony in which an old flag was lowered and a new flag was raised, with staff and volunteers in attendance. Dion moved the crowd to tears with his recitation of the Prayer to the Flag.
“The flag brings back memories of things that have happened in our lifetime. My daddy passed away when I was five years old, and even though I was young, I still remember when they folded the flag and handed it to me. It represents all of us, and it represents our country,” says Mike.
The call to service is deeply felt by this group of volunteers. “I believe that God has given each of us a gift, and I believe mine is the gift of service. Giving back to our country and to our community is something that’s very important, because the country and the community have given so much to us,” says Mike.