3 minute read
Investing time and treasure.
Jeanie Olson
Volunteers are at the heart and soul of Huntington Health. As an integral part of our team, they help us provide compassionate care to patients in our community every day.
A resident of Altadena for more than four decades, Jeanie Olson is one of the many volunteers who believe in giving back by sharing their time — and financial support — with us. She is a member of the Altadena Guild and has volunteered in our S. Robert and Denise Zeilstra Gift Shop. Most recently, she has also chosen to give back by becoming a donor to our Huntington Annual Fund.
When it comes to deciding what organizations to support, Jeanie notes that she carefully reads through the appeal letters she receives in the mail. She recently made a gift to Huntington Hospital in response to a request for annual fund support. Our Huntington Annual Fund is a meaningful way to contribute toward the greatest needs on our campus. In fact, annual fund dollars help provide essential funding across many areas — including in some of the areas where Jeanie serves as a volunteer. “I can’t give to every nonprofit organization, but the appeal spoke to me,” says Jeanie. “There is no better cause to support than our community hospital.”
Supporting our work in many ways. Jeanie chooses to support Huntington Hospital because she shares in our commitment to safeguard community well-being. Her devotion to this cause is also why she first became involved here as a volunteer. “I feel grateful and blessed to be able to make a difference as a volunteer,” says Jeanie.
Over the years, she has found many ways to give of her time and talents. While working as a teacher in El Monte, Jeanie was introduced to the Altadena Guild. She has taken on many leadership roles within the guild since then and is also actively involved in the group’s annual Home & Garden Tour. This popular fundraising event showcases a residential street in Altadena that is of historic and architectural interest — while raising money in support of Huntington Hospital and Huntington Medical Research Institutes.
Jeanie also volunteers with the Assistance League of Pasadena, through which she participates in a program known as Bear Hugs. Through Bear Hugs, she helps coordinate the purchase and delivery of teddy bears to young patients in our pediatric unit and emergency department.
A lifetime of giving. For Jeanie, her long-standing relationship to the hospital also holds personal meaning. Her late husband was brought here when he was nearing the end of his life. “Huntington was there for me during a very difficult time,” says Jeanie. “It was comforting to be in a place that I loved while tending to my husband in his final hours.”
Since the passing of her husband, Jeanie focuses on spending time with her loved ones, traveling with her friends and gardening. Her commitment to giving back to the hospital — and giving regularly — remains. “Huntington is a pillar of our community and is so deserving of our support,” says Jeanie. I definitely plan to continue to contribute as both a donor and as a volunteer.”
