I have been volunteering with
San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine for over three years now. I don't remember what introduced me to San Diego Hospice, but I aligned myself with the preeminent Hospice organization in the country. Once my workload increased, I could no longer devote the time and energy required of a Patient Care volunteer. Their website has a picture of the Intensive Care Center on the home page. But Hospice isn't a "place to go when you're dying," it's a philosophy of pain management and caring to improve quality of life at this stage.
About a year ago I began volunteering with the Art Committee assisting with the art rotation. Six times a year, paintings are rotated at the ICC. Artists pick up their work which was on exhibit for the prior two months and new artists bring in their work to be displayed for the next two months. We refer to this exchange as "rotation", not "hanging" although some hammering is done at the end of the morning to display the works. The Center is then open to the public the following weekend with an artists' reception with wine and cheese and a chance to meet the artists and purchase a painting. Their website has a picture of the facility on the home page.
A few months ago, two long-time fixtures of this event, the staff liaison and the Art Rotation coordinator retired after more than 10 years of service. The Art Rotation and Reception has improved and streamlined itself greatly in this period with everyone's input and assistance.
So it was no big deal when Gail asked if I would be willing to step in as Art Rotation coordinator. I was already bopping around performing the different tasks of the morning, learning the ropes as it were. If they needed a figurehead, I wouldn't mind. They failed to mention at the time that it included laundry duty! White gloves are worn by the people who help deliver the artwork to and from the artists and they would need washing before the next time. It also turns out that as coordinator, you are the point person if there are any questions, but my common sense has served me well.
At the end of the annual Art Committee meeting at the end of September, they awarded my common sense with this lovely silver clock engraved with "2008 SDH Art Committee Volunteer Of The Year." The Art Committee Chairman, Mary, encouraged me to open it (at the time I didn't know it was a clock.) The top swivels and I noticed a sticker, "Oh, look, it has a alarm so I won't be late to the next rotation!"
