National Volunteer Week: Meet the positive forces brightening our communities

Every April, we celebrate National Volunteer Week — a time to recognize the many MultiCare volunteers dedicated to caring for our communities.

In 2021, 886 volunteers donated more than 110,000 hours of their time, working as door screeners at local hospitals, making weekly phone calls to older adults, running gift shops and more. From the Inland Northwest to the Puget Sound, these positive forces lift up patients, families and clinicians every day.

Meet six MultiCare volunteers that are transforming the lives of others.

Making health screenings accessible to all

As a member of the Ebony Nurses Association of Tacoma, Lynda Ash is committed to breaking down barriers to care.

The longtime volunteer provides blood pressure and diabetic screenings at events including Sound to Narrows, farmers markets and garden shows. She also volunteers for Celebrate Seniority’s dental clinics, provides screenings and physicals to students at local high schools and volunteers at COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

Before volunteering at MultiCare, Lynda was a flight nurse in the Air Force for 21 years, and she spent 22 years working for the Veteran’s Health Administration in the emergency and triage departments. Volunteering allows her to continue connecting members of the community with high-quality care.

“It’s rewarding to go in and provide support to nursing staff, expanding their capacity,” Lynda explains. “Every little thing you can do is important.”

Brightening cancer patients’ days

For the past seven months, high school junior and aspiring health care professional Ava Steffen has volunteered at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in the Dr. Richard C. Ostenson Cancer Center by greeting patients and taking their temperatures ahead of their appointments.

Ava’s favorite part about volunteering is being able to brighten a patient’s day.

“Making people laugh is always the most rewarding thing for me,” she says. “It makes me feel so much better about what I’m doing.”

Her passion for volunteering is contagious — since starting at MultiCare, she’s already inspired two of her friends to get involved.

Serving the community in new ways

If you’ve shopped at MultiCare Grannies’ Attic Thrift Store in Puyallup, you’ve likely met Gege Bartlett and Thom Michelson. The dynamic duo and longtime Bonney Lake residents both started volunteering during the pandemic.

After retiring from a career as a teacher, Gege decided to spend her free time working as a cashier at the volunteer-run thrift store. Thom followed Gege’s footsteps several months later, inspired by his own career working in retail.

The incredible community supporting Grannies’ Attic has left a lasting impression on the couple and motivates them to continue using their time and talent to give back.

“The people that work here are very nice and seem to genuinely care about the people that volunteer here and the customers that come through,” Gege explains.

Growing and giving back

For high school student Maura Castillo, volunteering has helped her find purpose and inspires her to grow into the best version of herself.

As a door screener at MultiCare Maple Valley Clinic, she greets patients and families the moment they walk through the door, answering questions, managing COVID-19 screening procedures and directing them to their appointment rooms.

The high school student has logged more than 275 hours since joining MultiCare in August 2021. She was inspired to get involved by her grandmother, an employee at MultiCare Auburn Medical Center.

Seven months into her volunteering journey, Maura has noticed her experience is helping her come out of her shell.

“I used to be very shy and quiet, but now I’ll go up to somebody and ask how they’re doing instead of sitting in the corner,” she explains. “It’s really fun. I love it here.”

Supporting patients in their final hours

As a MultiCare Hospice volunteer, Sue Leland brings joy to the lives of individuals entering the final phases of a terminal illness, sometimes with a furry friend by her side.

The certified pet therapist spent years bringing her dog Bella to visit patients in Puyallup. Unfortunately, Bella passed away in December, but Sue has welcomed two new pups into her family. Sue also handwrites letters with special cartoons to people receiving hospice care.

Sue shares that the benefits of volunteering are twofold — it allows her to make the best use of her free time, while also bringing happiness to others.

“After visiting a friend every week while she was taking care of her mom, I felt Bella and I could make a difference in others’ lives,” she says. “It’s still one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.”

Giving back to the community

When Son Huynh isn’t busy submitting medical school applications, he spends time volunteering weekly in the MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Emergency Department.

“I just wanted to put my feet and hands in more of the medical field and see what it’s like,” he explains. “The emergency department sounded exciting. So, here I am.”

Volunteering allows him to develop his bedside manner and gain valuable experience interacting with staff and patients, preparing him for his long-term goals.

To those considering getting involved as a volunteer, Son has some advice: “It’s not something you have to do, but it’s something you can and should do,” Son explains. “For me, it’s about having a positive impact on the community that raised me.”

Learn more about MultiCare Volunteer Services and explore volunteer opportunities across MultiCare at multicare.org/volunteers.