Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Paula Palumbo
“One of the first times I worked at the Kanas Center, a patient told me he loved to sing, and he began to sing a song that was played the night he and his wife were married. I sang along with him, and we both really enjoyed the experience. A week later, when I was at the Center, he was still there but was now unresponsive. His family asked me if I was the one he had sung with that night. I said yes, and they told me how excited he was that I knew the words and sang along with him. So many experiences like that have enriched my life.”
“I’m honored to be able to share the Hospice experience so intimately with the families and friends of patients, to make their journey through this difficult period a little easier, and to make sure that the end-of-life experience is not one of devastation but one of celebration and appreciation for the life we have been given and have shared with our loved ones.”
Meet Paula Palumbo an 8-year East End Hospice Volunteer who supports EEH in many different ways: as a patient family, bereavement, Kanas Center, Camp Good Grief, and fundraising volunteer. When she is not wearing one of her many hats at EEH you’ll find her teaching yoga, walking her dog and spending time with her family.
“In 2014, at the suggestion of friend, I volunteered to be part of the EEH Summer Gala committee. I was so impressed with the people who volunteered, and in general with the Hospice staff, that I decided to donate more time, took the volunteer training and bereavement courses, and became involved with Camp Good Grief and working with hospice patients in their homes and at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care.”
“Volunteering has been so rewarding to me. Working with patients and their families, and especially children during Camp Good Grief, has enriched my personal growth, my understanding of death, dying and bereavement, and my ability to see things in a more spiritual way. I’m certain that I have received as much or more than I have given during these eight years.”
“My advice to those who are thinking about becoming a hospice volunteer is to try it out, with an open mind and heart. Volunteering is not for everyone, but in my experience, most people come to love their experience and end up learning that it will expand their own lives and hearts as much as they will help others do the same.”
“I wish more people knew about East End Hospice. Many people in the area actually do not know that Hospice exists, let alone that it provides exceptional resources and supports critical needs of the community.”
Thank you for volunteering Paula! You are one of East End Hospice’s exceptional resources.
You can join Paula who is co-chairing East End Hospice’s “A Night Under the Stars” Annual Summer Gala on Saturday, June 25. It’s an event not to be missed.
Photo: Paula volunteering at Camp Good Grief with our little campers the Purple Grapes!
