VA Maryland Health Care System Honors Volunteers During National Volunteer Week

Locally, the VA Maryland Health Care System will recognize 225 volunteers for the 5,000 hours of service they contributed toward caring for veterans during the past year.

“Volunteers who serve at the VA Maryland Health Care System reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience and dedication to our nation’s veterans,” said Jonathan R. Eckman, P.E., director of the VA Maryland Health Care System. “One of our volunteers –Cynthia Davis, is even being recognized nationally for her volunteer work on behalf of veterans.”

National Volunteer Week also presents an opportunity for local community member to join the ranks of volunteers serving veterans. There are many ways to volunteer, and the VA’s Center for Development & Civic Engagement (CDCE) works hard to assign new volunteers in meaningful assignments that match their strengths and interests. Volunteers can drive, escort patients from one area to another in the hospital, answer phones, distribute gifts, greet patients, assist in the pharmacy, on nursing units, in recreation therapy programs and much more.

For instance, Cynthia Davis, the National Volunteer of the Year for 2023, has served as a hospice volunteer, as a phone buddy calling veterans living alone, and as an escort service dispatcher.

“Volunteers may not get paid, but they are priceless in the service they provide to our veteran patients,” said Susan Kern, program manager for the Center for Development and Civic Engagement for the health care system. “It’s always a joy to work with volunteers whose selflessness and heart cannot be measured.”

While National Volunteer Week kicks off April 16, VA is inviting interested community members to explore how they can use their skills and unique abilities to thank veterans through the commitment of their time and service. No medical experience is necessary, and volunteers are encouraged to share ideas on how they would like to give back using their unique skills.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities available throughout the VA Maryland Health Care System by visiting  https://www.va.gov/maryland-health-care/work-with-us/volunteer-or-donate/ or calling your local VA medical center:

• Baltimore VA Medical Center – 410-605-7100
• Loch Raven VA Medical Center – 410-605-7000, ext. 54613
• Perry Point VA Medical Center – 410-642-1038