Sixty-year Sparrow Volunteer Janet Hines (left) poses with her Volunteer of the Year award from the Capital Area United Way, along with Jean Paull, President of the Sparrow Women’s Board of Managers, and Shreya Srivastava, who received a Volunteer of the Year award in the teen category.
Published: April 25, 2016
One began her Volunteer service when Dwight Eisenhower was president. Another is just beginning hers.
Sparrow Volunteers Janet Hines, 90, of East Lansing, and Shreya Srivastava, 17, of Haslett, have been honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Capital Area United Way, embodying Sparrow’s commitment to improving the health of the mid-Michigan region and providing quality, compassionate care.
The pair were recognized during a recent ceremony and were selected from nominations from numerous local non-profit organizations.
Hines will soon pick up her 60-year service award from Sparrow and has worked in the Sparrow gift shop since it opened.
“Janet Hines has been a steady presence in the gift shop for 60 incredible years,” said Melissa Sherry, Sparrow Volunteer Services Director. “She has seen the gift shop grow from a shop that had to be set up and put away daily to being a part of every significant renovation and move the shop has ever made within Sparrow.”
Hines has also served in an array of leadership positions over the years. She was President of the Women’s Board of Managers and oversaw the fundraising effort that brought the Caritas statue to the lobby of Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.
Srivastava, who was named Volunteer of the Year in the teen category, has served Patients and families alike as a Volunteer at the Information Desk in the Sparrow Hospital lobby. For several hours a week over the past three years, she’s been a reliable part of the Sparrow team, guiding Patients and guests and giving information to those who need it.
Srivastava has amassed 212 hours and counting as a Volunteer. Serving the region is a family affair; her brother also served seven years as a teen and college Volunteer at Sparrow.
Sparrow Health System was born out of volunteerism and that spirit of community service still endures today.
The forerunner of Sparrow was founded in 1896 by a volunteer group known as the Women’s Hospital Association, governed by the Women’s Board of Managers. Sparrow Hospital now has more than 2,300 Volunteers.
To learn more about Volunteer opportunities at Sparrow, visit Sparrow.org or call 517.364.3606, option one.
Choose Wisely. Choose Sparrow.