In looking to the future of volunteers and advocates for senior health, we launched a young professionals group in mid-2016 called Society ’34. VNA was founded in 1934 and we’re inviting people aged 24-44 to join us. The goal is to bring increased awareness of senior hunger, the importance of hospice, and develop young, community-oriented leaders. We’ve seen instant growth and met many young professionals who are eager to help seniors age with dignity and independence at home.

“She kept holding on to the clothes, talking, and occasionally looking down at the bundle in her arms. We both knew she came into the office to give those clothes to me, but it was really hard for her,” said Linda Giddens, VNA hospice volunteer coordinator. After losing her daughter, it was hard to part with her things, and the clothes in her hand reminded her of happy times. She could still smell her daughter on some of the items, picture her wearing them, and laugh at the big paint stain on one of the shirts.

She brought the clothes to the office to be made into memory bears. The bears are made from fabric of someone who has passed away, as a loving reminder of their place in a person’s heart. Linda arranged for a VNA volunteer to make the bears, using our standard pattern and transforming the clothes into an extraordinary keepsake to ease the family’s grief. Although people of all ages love them, children who are grieving are often able to feel the comfort of the bear in a special way, sometimes talking to the bear or literally giving it a “bear hug.”

Linda says there are some bears that just stand out and take your breath away. One was a bear that was made from a police officer’s uniform and included her medals. Another was a bear made from flags to commemorate a man’s dedication to a power squadron teaching boat safety, and that bear was made for her, to remember her own father.

If you have sewing skills and a little bit of time, you can mend a heart by volunteering to sew a memory bear. All materials are provided. Contact Linda at giddensl@vnatexas.org

We’ve been serving the community for 83 years! Through the years, we’ve adapted our programs to the needs of the community, but we’ve never changed our commitment to serving people. As one of North Texas’ leading non-profits, we’re constantly looking at ways to reach and serve as many people as possible, provide them with high-quality care and services, and keep our overhead low.

Technology has been a useful resource, and we continue to innovate on several platforms. Our nurses carry laptops so they can update patient information shared with doctors in real time. We’ve been converting software applications to cloud-based platforms as our staff becomes more mobile. Initiatives to engage the next generation of volunteers and donors, utilize social channels where our clients and supporters interact, provide efficient “back office” operations, and provide important online resources to the community are part of our commitment to continuous quality improvement.

As the times change, we strive to reach you where you are most comfortable, and sometimes that is digitally. It's exciting to see the technology updates that will roll-out this year to better serve everyone. Thank you to the visionary donors who have assisted us in these significant projects to automate and optimize routine functions, improve data collection, and transform how we operate.

Technology is here to stay, but we’ll never give up the human interaction that makes VNA the compassionate, quality organization so many people have depended on since 1934.

Gratefully,

President & CEO VNA Texas