“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead
Tuesdays are a different sort of day at Good Samaritan Clinic. The Clinic stays open in the evening nearly every Tuesday. Nearly all of the paid staff goes home at 4:30 or 5:00, as usual. Volunteers slide into the seats at the reception desk, the nurses’ station, and the medical records room.
Tuesday is also “Medication Assistance Day”. Several volunteers spend the entire day at the Clinic. They fill out the paperwork for our Prescription Assistance Program. (We call this program “Med Assist”.) This week, three volunteers worked all day on patient applications. Two others took separate shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon and early evening.
The dedication of the Tuesday volunteers never ceases to amaze me. The two primary unpaid workers for Med Assist are Rosemary and Lucy. These two women have spent one or two days at the Clinic nearly every week for almost six years. The Tuesday evening volunteers (Jeanne, Debbie, Laura, Ralph, Larry, and Sibley) have also volunteered weekly at the Clinic since 2003. However, prior to July 2003, the same group spent every Tuesday evening for 15 years at a weekly clinic held at a local church. Every Tuesday evening since 1988. Now THAT is commitment!
There are other volunteers on Tuesday evenings. An additional nurse or two. Various physicians who rotate through one or two evenings every month. Monthly volunteers for the 3rd Tuesday Eye Clinic.
If you have an urge to make a difference in people’s lives, the Clinic has plenty of volunteer opportunities – and not just on Tuesdays! Stop by for a visit and bring your completed Volunteer Application with you.
