SOUTHEAST HOSPICE HONORES VOLUNTEERS

Seven volunteers with Southeast Hospice, a service of Southeast Missouri Hospital, were honored for their service to the program at the annual Southeast Hospice Awards Banquet Wednesday.

The event was held in conjunction with National Hospice Month.

The Gabriel Award, the top award for Hospice volunteers, went to Vera Probst of Oran. She was honored for her service in all areas of volunteering and representing Hospice philosophy to patients, their families and the community.

A Southeast Hospice volunteer for four years, Probst gives time to many Hospice events including the Wailing in the Woods summer music festival. In addition to helping staff activities, Probst has made Christmas and Valentine gifts for all Hospice patients.

Recipients of the Golden Angel Award were Barbara Harrison of Scott City and Carolyn Pickens of Jackson. The women were honored for their work with nursing home residents who are Southeast Hospice patients.

Local musicians Barney Hartline, Jim Hickam and Terry Wright, The Folk Tree Company, received the Cherub Award. The trio was saluted for continued support of Southeast Hospice music festivals. Not only do they work as musicians, they also help with festival staging, securing other musical talent and promoting the festivals.

Recipient of the Tail of the Whale Award was Scott Givens, a staff member with Southeast's Fitness and Wellness Center. Givens was cited for his volunteer work in helping plan and staff special events and serving as master of ceremonies at many of them.

Southeast Hospice volunteer coordinator Carol Keppler said that of the 115,000 people involved in Hospice care in the U.S., some 95,000 are volunteers who each year give more than 5 million hours to helping terminally ill patients and their families.

Since 1986, when Southeast Missouri Hospital introduced the concept of Hospice care to Southeast Missouri, more than 975 terminally ill patients and their families have been provided support.

Southeast Hospice serves all or portions of 10 Southeast Missouri counties: Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott, Stoddard, Perry, Mississippi, New Madrid, Wayne, Madison and Pemiscot.