Meet Wendy Gauntner, a valuable volunteer with Campbell County Health in
Gillette, Wyoming!
Wendy has a long history of giving to others, from volunteering in a nursing
home while in junior high to delivering mail to residents at Pioneer Manor.
Her natural ease and curiosity make easy for her to talk to others, a
quality that is much appreciated by
Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Tina Dickey.
“Wendy spends most of her time as a Hospice Volunteer doing patient
support,” said Tina. “She is very committed to doing everything
in her power to be there for our patients. She has done everything from
purchasing birthday cards for the patient to give to loved ones, to sitting
with a patient and praying with them as they took their last breaths.
This is what makes her an amazing person and volunteer.”
In addition to being a hospice volunteer, Wendy also volunteers as an associate
chaplain and an abider. CCH
Chaplain Coordinator
Donny Edwards steered her toward hospital chaplaincy, and Wendy rounds in the hospital
every six to eight weeks, seeing inpatients in the Campbell County Memorial Hospital
Medical/Surgical Unit and the
Intensive Care Unit. She wasn’t sure initially that she could do it, but her first experience
with a young trauma patient in the ICU was a profound one. Wendy says
she considers volunteering to be one of the most selfish things someone
can do because it gives her the chance to be part of something bigger.
She recently read an article citing research that volunteering is linked
to improvements in factors like depressive symptoms, purpose in life and
feelings of optimism.
Wendy and her husband Dave have a 15-year old son, Lee who was adopted
from South Korea when he was 19 months old. As a native of Canada, Wendy
jokes that their home is like the United Nations. Wendy’s hobbies
include teaching Zumba and yoga, any kind of outdoor activities and sports
and reading.
Wendy embodies the spirit of volunteerism—giving their time for the
opportunity to help others. Thanks Wendy, for all you do!
Always looking for more volunteers to assist in a variety of ways, CCH
is hosting a
Hospice volunteer training March 19, 22, 26 and 29 that includes four hours of training each day.
Those interested in volunteering must apply and complete a background
check, fingerprinting and an interview prior to the training. Hospice
volunteer applications can be downloaded at
www.cchwyo.org/volunteer. For more information, contact CCH Volunteer Services Coordinator Chris
Buxton at 688-1536 or email
crystal.buxton@cchwyo.org. The application deadline is February 16, 2018.