The Medical Center Auxiliary honored more than 100 teen volunteers during an appreciation dinner Tuesday night at The Venue at Friendship Springs.

The teen volunteers donated over 4,200 hours of service to Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s hospitals in Gainesville, Braselton and Barrow in the 2018 fiscal year – equivalent to a value of $104,759.

“Our teen volunteers eagerly shared their valuable time and compassionate acts of service at each of the hospital campuses – NGMC Gainesville, Braselton and for the first summer at the Barrow Campus, which has been a great new addition to the program,” said Christopher Bray, president and chief development officer of The Medical Center Foundation. “We are fortunate to have so many great young people in this program who put the needs of others before their own and are willing to serve our organization at whatever capacity needed.”

During the program, a number of teens were honored for their contributions to the Teen Volunteer Program – including service awards for 30 to 300 hours of service. In addition, twenty-five graduated seniors were recognized for contributing a combined 3,400 hours of volunteer service.

“The teen volunteers have put in numerous hours of service and have touched countless lives,” said Lajuania Lester, manager of Volunteer Services at NGMC Braselton & Barrow. “We are honored to have such an active group of teen volunteers every year and greatly appreciate their enthusiasm and dedication to the program.”

Among those recognized was Ingrid Islas who was awarded The Andrew J. Dockery Teen Volunteer of the Year Award and received a scholarship from The Medical Center Auxiliary. Ingrid is a 2018 graduate of Gainesville High School and has plans to attend Trinity Washington University in the fall to pursue a degree in nursing. She began volunteering with The Medical Center Auxiliary in 2016 and has contributed 338 hours of service.

“Volunteering has meant that I could lift someone’s spirit just by giving a smile,” Islas said. “This experience has grown my love for the medical field.”

Sloane Sengson was also recognized with a scholarship from The Medical Center Auxiliary. Sengson graduated from Johnson High School and is currently attending the University of Georgia. She is majoring in health promotion with an emphasis on health services and pre-PA intent. Sengson has been involved as a Medical Center Auxiliary volunteer since 2015 and has contributed 305 total hours of service.

“Through my service, I have found that reaching out into my community not only aids others but also myself, as I have been able to personally grow and mature. I truly believe that my constant and unrelenting commitment has allowed me to learn new skills and helped me to encourage others,” Sengson said. “By pursuing this type of volunteerism, I have found my passion to one day work in the medical field, which has given me a lifetime of gratitude to this program and to these advisors.”

Also in attendance at the event were college interns Alaina Lee and Simin Savani who are both former teen volunteers and returned to NCMC to intern throughout the summer. Lee is a student at The University of Alabama and Savani attends the University of Georgia.

The Medical Center Auxiliary sponsors a creative writing contest and t-shirt design contest for teen volunteers each summer. This year’s creative writing winner was Khandaker Aqib, and the t-shirt design winner was Yoana Cardenas. The first-place design was printed on t-shirts and given to all teen volunteers as a gift from the Auxiliary. 

“The accomplishments of the teen volunteers are remarkable, however the true value of their spirits lies within their willingness to serve patients, visitors and staff and is something that cannot be fully measured,” said Lynne Allen, director of Volunteer Services. “Northeast Georgia Health System and The Medical Center Auxiliary wish each of the teen volunteers the very best with all their future plans, as we know their futures are bright.”