Hello Everyone!
The new board is looking forward to our regular meeting schedule starting in September, and to serving the membership in the year to come! Summer is always so busy, but by the time September does arrive, we always find the energy to approach our tasks and goals with fresh vision.
We would love to connect with our Michigan members at the AHVRP conference in Orlando in September. If you are planning to be at the national conference, please let me or Rachael Rosas, President-Elect, know so that we can make plans to see you there. We also remind you that our very own Julie VanderNoot from Bronson Hospital is the incoming president of AHVRP. We will certainly show our support of Julie while in the "Sunshine State"!
We hope that you are looking forward to the upcoming FALL EDUCATION DAY, free to our current, paid members. This event will be held on October 4, 2011, and we hope to see as many members there as possible. Christie Carlson and Pam Derks, as well as many from the MCDVS Board, are working to make that a worthwhile one-day event for your professional growth, as well as an opportunity to network "live" with your colleagues.
If you know someone in the healthcare field who is responsible for volunteers in their organization, please reach out to them about MCDVS. We have various regions scheduling dates, times and locations for regional meetings, and those are a great way to get new people connected to our organization. Use those meetings as a recruiting tool. I was recently reminded that sometimes new members even come from within our own organizations. As our healthcare institutions grow as healthcare delivery systems, look for those hospice, homecare, visiting nurse, infusion therapy, and other programs that may be managing volunteers outside of your office, but within your system. They are great potential new members. You may also refer prospective members to our Membership Chair, Rachel Selgo, St. Mary's Hospital, in Grand Rapids.
As we come to a rapid close to a very hot, very short summer, we thank you for your continued support of MCDVS through your membership in the organization. We realize that budgets are getting tighter all the time, and some members pay all of their own expenses for being a part of MCDVS. Therefore, we hope that you do find value and even enjoyment as being a member.
Hope to see you in Orlando, and if not there, certainly at a regional meeting or the Fall Education Day in October. May your last few weeks of summer be pleasant, safe, and memorable!
Most sincerely,
Jacquie Karr-Zlotnicki
Holland Home & Faith Hospice
