The Sparrow Women’s Board of Managers and the Sparrow Volunteer Services Department have named Dorothy Bartholic of East Lansing the October Volunteer of the Month. Dorothy has volunteered in the Infant Massage group for over four years and loves seeing the reaction of the infants as they are held and massaged. Even as young as these babies are, they react as all humans do, to the warmth and touch of others. Many times, parents who work cannot be there for their newborn as often as they would like. Volunteers like Dorothy fill in for them to calm and relax their babies.
Dorothy has been going beyond the “call of duty” by coming in on extra days over her usual schedule when there are infants with special needs and by filling in for other members who need a sub. She even has a special love for animals that drives her to take blankets that are no longer usable for the babies to the animal shelter for puppies and kittens. Dorothy has also come in at Christmas time to wrap presents for children.
Dorothy has four grown children of her own and six grandchildren. She is very dedicated to her family, often babysitting for them, and also for their pets when they go out of town.
In her spare time, Dorothy loves to read and to garden. She grew up in Jackson, attended Jackson Community College and MSU. When living in Florida, she worked part time for the university hospital. After the children grew up, she worked 15 years for MSU at the College of Music and 10 years at Jackson National Insurance Company.
While at working at MSU, a professor’s wife told her about volunteering at Sparrow in Infant Massage. After the special training for the position, she was hooked and loves it!
The Sparrow Women’s Board of Managers takes great pride in honoring volunteers like Dorothy Bartholic who share their time and talent for the benefit of Sparrow’s patients and families. To learn more about volunteering at Sparrow, please visit Sparrow.org or call our office at 517-364-3606, option 1.
SOURCE: SPARROW NEWSROOM
