Volunteer supports families behind the scenes Once a month you will find Kris Dobbeck in the volunteer office hand-addressing bereavement support mailings. A nurse by training, Kris has worked in the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatrics triage, case management, and even as a teacher’s aide while her two boys were in school. She retired in 2016 and has enjoyed volunteer opportunities at The Hub, shelving books at the library, community Thanksgiving, Museum of Wisconsin Art’s Chalk Fest, and the Full Shelf Food Pantry. She found all these wonderful opportunities through the Washington County Volunteer Center website, along with her current volunteer job at Cedar Community. Each month, Kris puts together informational booklets for families who are receiving bereavement mailings as part of Cedar Community’s hospice program. “I hope these bereavement booklets provide comfort for the family during the grieving process. There are always so many waves of emotions when we lose someone. I hope it’s comforting for families to know we are here to support them and that we are thinking about them,” says Kris. The flexibility of the volunteer position is a perfect fit for Kris, who likes to spend time with her five grandchildren—three in the area and two on the East Coast—and her two boys, two daughters-in-law, and husband of 36 years. “I can pick the day and time I want to volunteer,” says Kris. When she is not busy volunteering, Kris enjoys reading, baking with her grandkids, walking a couple of miles every day, yoga, and spending time with family—which is the center of everything she does. “My husband will be retiring in about two years and we look forward to being able to travel more,” says Kris. “This volunteer opportunity allows me to help, but also works around my schedule.”
CONTACT US! To learn more about Cedar Community’s volunteer program, contact Bonnie Amerling, volunteer coordinator, at 262.306.4218. 20
| SUMMER 2022
“Kris is such a vital part of our hospice team, quietly going about her volunteer responsibility, and respecting the confidentiality of the position. She is very kind and compassionate and always willing to lend a helping hand whenever she can,” says Bonnie Amerling, volunteer coordinator.
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