In recognition of National Volunteer Appreciation Week, organizations throughout the Santa Clarita Valley are thanking their dutiful helpers.
“There is no ‘I’ in team, but there is a ‘U’ in volunteer,” says a city of Santa Clarita news release issued Monday.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is celebrating its volunteers, a group that numbers more than 300 individuals, and includes adults, teens and even canines.
“We value our dedicated volunteers 365 days of the year, but we are especially proud to honor them during National Volunteer Week,” said Marlee Lauffer, president of the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation. “Our volunteers help us every day to provide quality, compassionate health care to our community. The gift of their time and their dedication to all Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital staff, patients and visitors is priceless.”
Throughout 2018, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital’s volunteers clocked more than 52,100 hours and served the organization in 31 different departments.
The city of Santa Clarita credited an equally impressive number of volunteer hours with helping its functions and events throughout the year happen without a hitch.
In 2018 alone, a total of 5,478 volunteers gave 51,154 hours to the city, according to the city of Santa Clarita news release, an effort valued at an estimated $1.5 million in resources.
“From the annual River Rally and Cowboy Festival, to beautification projects and swim meets, the city has a regular need for volunteers to make events, programs and projects a success,” Carrie Lujan, city of Santa Clarita spokeswoman, wrote in the release thanking city helpers. “The city would like to offer its sincere praise and thanks to all of our volunteers.”
In 1974, President Richard Nixon established National Volunteer Week with an executive order as a way to recognize and celebrate the efforts of volunteers in the U.S., according to a statement from Henry Mayo. Every sitting president since that time has issued a proclamation during the third week of April to honor volunteers. Since the hospital opened its doors nearly 45 years ago, volunteers have donated more than 1 million hours.
For more information on getting involved with local volunteerism, visit henrymayo.com/volunteer.
