Volunteer Caregiving Program Is Honored

MAUI, Hawaii - Jan. 27, 2015 - PRLog -- GEORGETOWN, TX; On January 26, 2015, the National Volunteer Caregiving Network announced winners and honorable mention recipients of the 2015 Excellence Awards. The awards recognize outstanding volunteer caregiving organizations (VCOs) that incorporate best of the best practices while providing no-charge services to those with long-term health needs.

2015 National Volunteer Caregivng Network Excellence Awardees

Faith in Action, Greater Kanawha Valley, Charleston, WV

Na Hoaloha – Maui Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, Wailuku, HI

Honorable Mention:

Respite Volunteers of Shiawassee, Owosso, MI

Verde Cares, Inc., Rio Verde, AZ

The Center for Volunteer Caregiving, Cary, NC

Faith in Action, Greater Kanawha, is one of NVCNs newest member organizations. Faced with needs in their community; a small group of passionate, determined people conducted a nationwide outreach, delved into research, and sought advice from peers. Their attention to detail, incorporation of best practices, and well-thought out responses caught the attention of the judging panel.

“We are pleased to be a part of their continued success by offering $1,000, one year of RideScheduler solutions, and a complimentary annual subscription to NVCN”, commented Rhonda Anderson, Executive Director, NVCN.

Jennifer Waggener, Executive Director FIAGKV, “We have forged strong relationships with businesses, congregations and organizations within the areas we serve. Our planning and strategic thinking has yielded good results!”

These results are played out in the lives of the seniors they serve, such as “Nancy”. Who declared after a ride to fill her eye-glass prescription, “I lost my leg a year ago. I lost my husband in January. But today has been a good day. Today has been like Christmas.”

FIAGKV is providing services to help elders, like Nancy, remain in their homes where they are happier and healthier.

Na Hoaloha – Maui Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers has been sending volunteers to help seniors remain independent and to enhance the quality of their lives for 18 years. When other agencies are unable to hire someone to provide basic services to people in need, Na Hoaloha has consistently been able to find a volunteer who will provide these services, “from the heart”, states Candace Carter, Executive Director.

Escorted transportation, friendly visits, telephone reassurance, and respite services bring joy, peace of mind, and yes, respite to family members caring for their frail loved ones. In Maui, not unlike many other areas of our nation, by 2020 every fourth person will be 60 years of age or older.

“My wife and I are caregivers. After months of never being able to leave the house together we found help from Neighbors Helping Neighbors. My mother’s life is so much better, and my wife and I are also relieved. The Na Hoaloha was a gift that blessed three lives. Mahalo!”

Maui, paradise to its visitors, may not seem so to elders who no longer drive, or who cannot manage small tasks that come easily to many. Volunteers provided through Na Hoaloha helps elders remain in their home, paradise to those who prefer not to be shuffled off to a nursing home.

Na Hoaloha will receive $1,000, a one year subscription to RideScheduler, and a complimentary membership with NVCN.

“It takes diligence and attention to strong management structures to become a sustainable volunteer caregiving program. Each of these VCOs has earned the right to be called “Excellent”, and we are proud to bestow this honor upon them.” Douglass Myers, President NVCN.

Recipients of an Honorable Mention – to receive a six-month subscription to RideScheduler solutions:

Respite Volunteers of Shiawassee, Owosso, MI

Verde Cares, Inc., Ro Verde, AZ

The Center for Volunteer Caregiving, Cary, NC

The National Volunteer Caregiving Network expands the work began by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 30 years ago. Member programs throughout the nation are provided the services they need to become and to remain viable.