"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." Mother Theresa

Thursday, April 14 was a very special day at the St. Andrews Village Gregory Wing as volunteers who donate their time and energy at the Village were honored with a festive Volunteer Tea hosted by the residents to say "thank you."

Jerie Phinney, director of activities for the Gregory Wing and the new Zimmerli Pavilion, works tirelessly to provide stimulating programs suited to both the needs and interests of the residents which include music, pet and garden therapy just to name a few. The Gregory Wing has a total of 57 volunteers, many of whom come from the St. Andrews Auxiliary and the Boothbay Region Garden Club to offer a myriad of activities. Kathy Barter, for example, has been running weekly bingo for many years and the Garden Therapy team devotes the first Tuesday of every month to assisting residents in creating colorful garden related crafts to decorate common areas or the rooms of the residents.

Phinney explained that the Volunteer Tea was a culmination of many weeks of activity by the residents to complete the preparations. The table decorations were done at the beginning of the month as a garden therapy project and the little "May baskets" that were given as a thank you to each volunteer were painstakingly created over several weeks time "from coloring the coffee filters, picking the silk flowers they wanted, rolling putty to use as a base and then putting the tissue paper in the bottom."

Phinney said, "When I tell the residents that we are doing a project to thank our volunteers, without exception they always want to help show their appreciation. I think it is very important for them to feel wanted, needed and productive. The tea accomplishes that and more because it’s fun!"

And fun it was for the 30 or so volunteers who were able to attend the Tea! It was a full house of smiles, chatter and laughter. Afterwards, Phinney said, "Our volunteers give from the heart, and we want them to feel the love and appreciation we have for them."

That love and appreciation was evident the moment one set foot into the main dining area at the Gregory Wing which had been transformed into a lovely setting complete with tablecloths, pretty teapots, flowers and scrumptious treats but most of all, the welcoming warmth of the residents and staff who served.

Phinney was quick to mention that many people were involved in making the Tea happen, from maintenance, to the dietary staff, housekeeping and the nursing staff that worked hard to help residents put their best foot forward for this event. Thanks also go out to Steve Hurd, LincolnHealth volunteer coordinator and Barbara Marr from Resident Services at the Village who, besides working as wait staff, were on hand to assist wherever needed.

St. Andrews Village is always expanding its volunteer services and if you would like to learn more about how you can help, contact Steve Hurd at steven.hurd@lchcare.org or Giselle Armstrong, St Andrews Auxiliary volunteer chair, at gisellearmstrong8@gmail.com.