By Daily Press staff
Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center will honor its more than 300 adult volunteers by hosting a “Volunteer Recognition Luncheon” at the DoubleTree Guest Suites in Santa Monica and other festivities to celebrate “National Volunteer Week,” April 19-25.
The luncheon will recognize more than 125 volunteers who achieved milestones at the medical center during the past year. Santa Monica resident Jette Simmons will be the top honoree, with more than 67,000 hours of service. Two other Westside residents, Alice Kurtz of West Los Angeles and Kuljit Marwah of Malibu, will be honored for 35,000 and 22,000 hours of service, respectively. Simmons also will be honored for reaching the 35-year milestone, as will Santa Monica resident Renate McDonald. Two other Santa Monica residents, Pauline Daws and Donna Peterson, will be honored for 30 and 25 years, respectively.
The luncheon also will pay tribute to the “Santa Monica-UCLA Knitters,” a group that knits caps and booties for the approximately 2,000 babies born at the medical center each year. The knitters also crochet hats that are sold in the medical center’s gift shop.
Adult volunteers donated more than 55,000 hours of service to Santa Monica-UCLA in 2003 by assisting caregivers, working in non-clinical departments and running the gift shop.
The hospital’s volunteer workforce includes adults, pre-medical students called “care extenders,” junior volunteers ages 15 to 18 and pet-assisted activity teams that visit patients in the hospital. For information about volunteer opportunities at Santa Monica-UCLA, call (310) 319-4614.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 17, 2004. Read the original PDF.