At Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, “TEAM” stands for The Escort Assistance Members. It is a team of dedicated volunteers who assist patients in fulfilling many different needs. This includes taking patients to different areas of the hospital, delivering items to the patient areas such as mail, flowers or other items and performs many other tasks that make a patient’s day better.
Since 2016, Steve Zimmerman has been a TEAM volunteer. Steve works 2 shifts per week, which is twice as many as any of the other volunteers. He also fills in when needed and is dependable and carries his positive attitude with him as he contributes. Co-volunteers say Steve always has a positive attitude and pleasant disposition. Steves dedication to the mission of the TEAM is reflected in his very apparent passion for the work he does in the hospital, all the while performing those duties with a humble demeanor. Since joining Avera Sacred Heart Hospital’s Team, Steve had given 3,043 hours of his time and talents to caring for those that need it. He was one of the first volunteers to return after the Covid downtime for volunteers.
Carla Hummel, Director of Volunteer Services for Avera Sacred Heart Hospital said, “Steve exemplifies our values! He is so attentive to the needs of others, provides great support to the staff, and in such a gracious manner. Steve gives great care to all who he serves. And his Stewardship is reflected in the hours that he commits to Avera. We are so thankful to have him. Steve always comes in with a great attitude, he treats everyone so respectfully. Steve is always helping and does a great job of anticipating needs. He is such an integral part of our team and benefits everyone he works with. We are just so blessed to have him at Avera!”
Because of his commitment to making the lives of young people better, United Way & Volunteer Services of Greater Yankton was honored to present Steve Zimmerman with the February 2024 Volunteer of the Month Award.
We asked Steve to share more about his volunteerism, in his own words:
I have lived in the Greater Yankton area since 2002.
I began volunteering in September of 2016.
I volunteer at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital.
Approximate hours per year I volunteer is 400 hours.
Volunteer work is enjoyable because you get exercise while helping people.
My best volunteer experience was when I helped a lady to her car when she was visiting her mother in ICU.
My advice to others who are thinking of volunteering is you get to help and meet a lot of people while getting a little exercise.
Thank you, Steve, for all you do.
To learn more about local volunteer opportunities or to nominate someone for United Way’s Volunteer of the Month Award, please visit www.yanktonunitedway.org/volunteer, email info@yanktonunitedway.org, or call United Way of Greater Yankton at (605) 665-6766.
