Villa Volunteers hold 'Fall Festival' luncheon

Intermountain Catholic

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Villa volunteer Vickie Gandley sells raffle tickets for the $100 money hat she's wearing. IC photo/Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — The Saint Joseph Villa volunteers held their annual "Fall Festival" luncheon at Saint Ambrose Catholic Church Oct. 20, to raise funds for the Saint Joseph Villa Foundation for Charity Care.

The funds will assist the seniors at St. Joseph Villa who are in need of glasses, hearing aids, wheel chairs and other medical items.

St. Joseph Villa is unique, said Brad Albrechtsen, the facility’s new administrator. "The volunteers are the reason it is unique," he said. "I am so humbled by the service they give. They come in and give compassionate service by visiting the residents and lifting their spirits. They do activities on a regular basis that are more than we would be able to do on our own without them, and the residents really look forward to that. The volunteers run the gift shop to raise money to bless the lives of the residents. The volunteers are always smiling and happy and have a lot of enthusiasm and energy, and it is wonderful to have them in the facility."

Some of the volunteers such as Maxine Giovacchini, who co-chaired the luncheon, have been volunteering for almost 30 years, said Father Anastasius Iwuoha, St. Joseph Villa chaplain. "What makes it even more beautiful is that they come from a variety of faiths. In addition, they help bring the residents to the different services and help us in the chapel for the Catholic Mass. They are so willing to help and always say, ‘Just tell us what you need us to do.’ They organize gifts for all the residents at Christmas and do many things for the residents."

Former St. Joseph Villa CEO Matt Church attended the luncheon to support the volunteers in their worthy effort, he said. "I had the privilege of being there with you for almost two years and seeing the love and compassion you show for the residents. If I could recruit on your behalf I would say the residents love having you come and play games, socialize and have fun with them. My experience there really was the most remarkable experience of my career."

Mary Colleen Day, luncheon co-chair and past president, became a volunteer 19 years ago on the recommendation of her cousin. She attends Mass at the Villa and loves being a volunteer, she said.

Similarly, Helen Wright has been volunteering for 10 years. "My father didn’t like going to church, but he always told us, ‘Just treat people like you want to be treated and be a good person,’" she said. "He was a good person and we learned well from him. So volunteering at the Villa is something I really enjoy. I go to the sing-a-longs and the birthday parties and make things like baby booties for the gift shop, and I made the afghan for the raffle. When I can’t be at the Villa, I miss it."

Wright said the hard part of being a volunteer is getting close to a resident and having him or her die. "It hurts and it’s sad, even though it’s inevitable," she said. "We’ve had volunteers die, too, and that’s really sad."

Vickie Gandley has been a Villa volunteer for 23 years and she said, "It’s better than looking at four walls and going into the refrigerator every 15 minutes. The residents come into the gift shop and we know each other by name. Some of them just like to come and sit and talk, and the volunteers are the best, but we need more volunteers."