Hospital: Outstanding Volunteer of the Year and Spring Ideas

Urgent reminder: The Outstanding Hospital Volunteer of the Year application form is due to me by March 15. It is perfectly OK to email it to me at info@vfwauxiliary.org. The forms will be forwarded to me. Remember that you must also attach a summary of why the member is an outstanding hospital volunteer. The application alone will not qualify the member for consideration.

Here are some ideas to promote the Hospital Program in March and April:

• March 12 – The Girl Scouts were formed in 1912. Ask a local troop if they would like to celebrate their anniversary at a local nursing home. You can sponsor the cake and refreshments for the party.
• March 17 – It’s Patrick’s Day! Get your Irish on and make green sugar free cookies in the shape of a shamrock to bring to an adult community center for an afternoon snack. Don’t forget the tea!
• March 20 – The first day of Spring! There are lots of simple and fun crafts to make with veterans in local nursing homes – and especially the adult day care centers on the VFW Auxiliary Pinterest page.
• April 1 – April Fool’s Day! Print yourself a number of knock-knock jokes from the Readers Digest site https://www.rd.com/jokes/knock-knock/, and go have some fun with veterans and their families at a local nursing home. If you have a jester’s hat (or something similar), wear it! It will add to the fun.
• April 1 – Easter! You can find more projects on the VFW Auxiliary Pinterest page. It is also a holy day for Christians. Consider asking if a nursing home or home-bound veteran can accompany you to your church to attend a service.
• April 6 – It’s Army Day! Contact a local nursing home or adult day center and see  if they have Army veteran residents or patients. If so, bake a sheet cake with a star on it and “Go Army!” or “Hooah!” written on it, take it to the facility and celebrate the veterans service in the Army with their fellow residents/patients.

Thanks for all you do to bring smiles to hospitalized veterans!