Hillcrest Hospital is rolling straight into 2015 with the continuation of its volunteer program, offering volunteer opportunities to interested students and adults in its surrounding community.

Last year, the volunteer program enjoyed great success. Gerry Schlak, the Coordinator of Volunteer Services at Hillcrest, is very pleased with how things went in 2014.

“We’ve increased our hours over the prior year. We had great new additions to the program and about 40 regular volunteers,” she said.

This year, Hillcrest is hoping to maintain this type of success. New additions are always welcome, and applications can be submitted at any time throughout the year.

“After I receive an application, we meet for a brief interview; [the volunteer] gets the TB [tuberculosis] testing and watches the HIPAA video,” Schlak said.

This application process is a necessary prerequisite to becoming a volunteer.  It gives Schlak the chance to become more familiar with the applicant and determine if he or she would be a suitable person to be involved in the Hillcrest community.

Tsui Chan is familiar with what occurs during the application procedure and believes it’s a very effective and thorough process.

“I think it’s a standard procedure that really helps previews what the volunteers will be doing. It also educates volunteers on what’s expected of them in a hospital environment,” Chan said.

Afterwards, volunteers are notified when they are permitted to start working. Schlak offers the volunteers many different options as to what type of work they would like to do at the hospital.

Jobs can range from ordinary office work that can be found in many career areas to more involved work that is unique to a hospital atmosphere.

“[Volunteers] will be doing some very typical jobs—working at the gift shop or information desk, helping out in the emergency room, or helping patients and tending to their needs,” Schlak said.

Regardless of what the job entails, each one provides volunteers with the opportunity to discover and interact with others in the community.

Senior Aastha Dhakal has been a volunteer at Hillcrest for nearly two years and enjoys the experience. “I get to meet the patients and talk to them, and I have understood the meaning of actually helping people,” she said.

Chan agrees that working at Hillcrest can be advantageous, both in the short term and the long term.

“[The Hillcrest volunteer program] gives you the chance to gain experience. It lets you explore a little bit to see if you’re interested in that type of field,” Chan said.

Aside from the individual knowledge and experience, Hillcrest’s volunteer program promotes the unity and leadership that is characteristic of volunteering.

“It allows students to give back to the community by assisting people in need. We are indirectly helping the larger community,” Dhakal said.

Mayfield’s Key Club adviser, Jerry Turk, also recognizes the value of such volunteer opportunities.

“There are a lot of needs that need to be filled. Without helpers, the needs would go unfulfilled. Lives around us are made better because people give themselves to help,” Turk said.

Volunteers choose to work at any time during the week that is most convenient for them. With this flexible scheduling, there are usually some volunteers present on each day of the week to assist the hospital staff.

“It really benefits the hospital community. Volunteers relieve nurses of small jobs to save time. The hospital has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars with the help of the volunteers,” Schlak said.