Betty Heisserer, Tina Bles Receive Volunteer of the Year Honors

SoutheastHEALTH Auxiliary member and volunteer Betty Heisserer, left, and Southeast Hospice volunteer Tina Bles display their Volunteer of the Year awards.

SoutheastHEALTH Auxiliary member and volunteer Betty Heisserer and Southeast Hospice volunteer Tina Bles were recognized as Volunteers of the Year, along with 11 other area residents, at the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on June 4 at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson.

The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce and the Non-Profit Alliance hosted the luncheon and awards ceremony.

Betty Heisserer

Betty, who has volunteered at Southeast Hospital since 1998, has donated 2,706 hours of service. She has worked at the Lobby Desk and the Gift Shop, and assisted with fundraisers and blood drives. She has served on the Auxiliary's Scholarship Endowment Committee and is currently treasurer of the Auxiliary. She chairs the Auxiliary's Budget Committee.

Auxiliary President Nancy Bray says, "Betty is one of our most dependable and capable volunteers, who also is a devoted member of the SoutheastHEALTH Auxiliary. She is willing to handle multiple Auxiliary responsibilities, and you can always count on her to do them well."

Tina Bles

Tina has volunteered with Southeast Hospice since March 2005. She helps out in a variety of ways. She comforts dying patients, and assists with fundraising, clerical assistance and even editing with Hospice's video Recollections program. In 2014 alone, she donated 405 hours of service and traveled 329 miles in connection with those volunteer efforts.

Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Pearla Smith says Tina has received the Gabriel Award --

the highest honor awarded by our Hospice -- three times since 2009. "We all dream of that perfect volunteer," she notes. "For Southeast Hospice, that volunteer is Tina Bles. She is awesome."