Laurelle A. Cummings is the Coordinator of Volunteer Service and Legislative Advocate at Lighthouse Hospice, Inc. Ms. Cummings also serves as Director of the Volunteer Center of Camden County recruiting and matching volunteers with participating agencies and governmental departments in Camden County. Email at laurelle@lighthousehospice.net, www.lighthousehospice.net
Area volunteers, of all ages, and from all walks of life provide cheer and comfort to the patients served by the staff at Lighthouse Hospice, Inc. This hospice program serves patients in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Salem and Cumberland Counties. The volunteer department, under the direction of Laurelle Cummings, is multifaceted. Volunteers provide support as patient visitors, office assistants, teen and adult craft and needlework groups, therapeutic Reiki practitioners, pet visitation and Musical Interludes music therapy, a program of the Camden County Cultural and Heritage Center.
Keeping patients comfortable is one of the things a hospice program strives to do well. One of the most active groups with the Lighthouse volunteer program is the Camden County Senior Citizen Day Center in Blackwood. Many of their members make crocheted lap blankets and slippers. They also donate “easy babies”. These adorable scrap yarn dolls offer the special emotional comfort that comes from having something special to cuddle and love. The Day Center seniors donate over 170 hours a month to this project.
Love Apple Quilters contribute their special skills by creating blankets and lap robes to provide warmth on chilly days.
Teens play an important role in the Lighthouse volunteer family. A Pennsauken High School group, Teen Angels of Light, brighten the days of shut-in patients at home and in facilities with hand-crafted gifts, door hangers and cards. Members of this club have expanded their activities to include visitation of patients in area assisted living and long term care facilities. Students at Baptist High School and a variety of church groups bake cookies and brownies as a special treat for patients and caregivers. Students at Kingsway Learning Center spend quality time at Lighthouse Hospice bagging gloves for staff and caregivers, shredding documents and making holiday crafts.
“Especially important are the volunteers who provide individual companionship and emotional support to our patients and their families,” said Laurelle Cummings. “We conduct a 15 hour training program to attune our volunteers to endof- life needs. Lighthouse Hospice home visitors focus on assisting patients with life review, a technique that emphasizes the many accomplishments of each individual during their lifetime. Rewards are immeasurable, both for the patient and the volunteer.”
If you are interested in volunteering for Lighthouse Hospice, as an individual or with a group of students or adults, contact Laurelle Cummings at 856-414-1155 x307 or email at laurelle@lighthousehospice.net.