Volunteering Makes a Difference – giving can be powerful
The new year gives you the chance to change someone’s life—and your own. As the New Year approaches, many of us pause to reflect on what truly matters. We often set resolutions—promises to become better people and to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. Volunteering makes a Difference – giving can be powerful.
Hospice volunteers make that difference every day. Ordinary people choose to show extraordinary compassion, not because they have some sort of special training or gift, but because they simply have a lot of heart.
Many of our hospice volunteers rank their time volunteering with our patients as deeply meaningful. They learn what true connection is and witness the incredible power of compassion. Many find a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment.
Ascend Hospice invites you to step forward as a volunteer and bring comfort and connection to people in your community facing a life-limiting illness. There are many meaningful ways to get involved, each suited to different interests, skills, and personalities. Here are a few ways you can help:
Comfort Volunteers: Bring Warmth and Connection
Comfort volunteers brighten a patient’s day through simple, meaningful activities and steady companionship. You might play music, read aloud, write letters, watch TV together, play cards or board games, share stories, hold a hand, offer aromatherapy, or simply sit and listen with kindness.
Craft Volunteers: Create Gifts That Comfort
Craft volunteers use their creativity to make items that bring joy and comfort to patients—such as blankets, memory books, picture frames, knitted items, and other handmade gifts. Even without direct patient contact, your creative work makes a real impact.
Pet Therapy: Share the Healing Power of Animals
Pet therapy volunteers bring certified therapy animals to visit patients, offering emotional comfort, lowering stress, and boosting mood through the simple presence of a loving pet.
Music Therapy: Lift Spirits Through Sound
Music therapy volunteers help patients and families find comfort through music—whether by playing an instrument, singing, or sharing recorded music that soothes and supports emotional well-being.
Bereavement Volunteers: Support Families After Loss
Bereavement volunteers provide caring follow-up for families after a loved one has passed. Your steady support can be especially meaningful for people with limited family or social connections.
Reiki Volunteers: Offer Gentle Energy Support
Certified Reiki volunteers provide calming, hands-on energy work that promotes relaxation, comfort, and a sense of well-being for patients coping with serious illness.
Massage Therapy Volunteers: Ease Tension and Bring Relief
Licensed massage therapy volunteers help reduce pain, tension, and anxiety for patients—and can also provide gentle stress-relief massages to family members who are caregiving.
Teen Volunteers: Make a Difference Early On
High school students can volunteer too, offering friendship, support, and fresh energy to patients of all ages while gaining valuable life experience.
Office Volunteers: Keep the Heart of Hospice Running
Office volunteers support the hospice team by helping with filing, phone calls, typing, mailings, copying, and other essential administrative tasks that keep patient care moving forward.
Volunteering makes a Difference – giving can be powerful. The new year gives you the chance to change someone’s life—and your own. Seize the opportunity.