The last new person you meet
In honor of National Volunteer Month
By: Craig Dresang, CEO, YoloCares
Often, the last new, and truly authentic, relationship that a hospice patient will form is with their hospice volunteer.
The bond between volunteer and patient can be profound, and it often develops quickly.
Unlike family members, or the clinical team providing care, the volunteer walks into a patient’s life electively and with no agenda. Family members frequently carry a sense of duty or obligation. Caregivers and the clinical team (physician, nurse, aide, social worker, chaplain) are paid to be at the bedside. It is their job. But the volunteer is the only person who shows up voluntarily.
Many years ago, Brooks McCormick, a descendant of the famous family that once owned the Chicago Tribune and International Harvester, was one of my former agency’s most active and reliable volunteers. When asked what he liked most about his volunteer work, he said, “The fact that I am the last new relationship that a patient will make gives me immense satisfaction. I get to see firsthand how a new friendship positively impacts a patient’s emotional and mental health.” McCormick explained, “The benefits that a volunteer brings to a patient relationship cannot be understated. We help reduce loneliness, lower stress levels, and manage anxiety in ways that traditional medicine cannot.” Some patients experience a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment, and according to McCormick, “The volunteer gains something valuable too. Spending time with someone who is living on the edge of life gives me perspective. I learn a lot from my patients. Each person’s life is so different and so fascinating. Many of their stories are breathtaking. I am constantly learning. The experience keeps me grounded and grateful for every day.”
McCormick’s experience is consistent with the latest research. Studies suggest that volunteers receive significant benefit from their volunteerism. People who volunteer experience a boost in their mental health — good news at a time when more than a third of Americans report feeling symptoms of anxiety or depression.
The Journal of Happiness Studies is an international peer-reviewed journal devoted to theoretical and applied advancements in all areas of well-being. Recently, researchers examined data from nearly 70,000 subjects. Participants answered survey questions about their volunteering habits and mental health, including their distress and functioning in everyday life. Those who participated in the survey provided feedback every two years for nearly two decades.
Compared to people who did not volunteer, folks who served as unpaid workers in the past year were more satisfied with their lives and rated their overall health as better. Additionally, the researchers found that people who volunteered more frequently experienced greater benefits: Those who volunteered at least once a month reported better mental health than participants who volunteered infrequently or not at all.
Volunteering appears to be intrinsically rewarding — when we help others, we tend to experience what researchers call a warm glow. In addition, volunteering is likely to help boost a sense of social connection. Older adults can stay engaged with others long after retirement by volunteering.
Volunteer work can also be a way to build professional skills and try out leadership opportunities, which are especially relevant to young adults. In the study, researchers found that participants ages 16 to 24 and 55 to 74 were most likely to benefit from volunteering, perhaps because of the opportunity to build social connections and new skills.
Even though patient-care volunteers are a critical component of the care team, there are numerous other ways that volunteers have helped, and continue to help, advance the mission of the organization. In fact, volunteers are the reason why YoloCares exists. Nearly 50 years ago, a group of grass-roots do-gooders from Yolo County did something extraordinary. They banded together to challenge the status quo and do what the healthcare system (at that time) could not: They invented and launched an alternative model of care that would give quality of life at the end of life; birthing an organization that would deliver compassion, respect and dignity for terminally ill patients.
Together, these gutsy individuals selflessly poured their energy, time and resources into a movement that would eventually make a profound difference in the lives of thousands of people. They did this without employees, without Medicare reimbursements or revenue, and with virtually no community support. Yet, through determination and a shared vision they breathed life into a fledgling micro-organization called Yolo Hospice.
In more recent years, another group of audacious volunteers pioneered yet another initiative to strengthen their community. To care for terminally ill Californians who are experiencing homelessness, they transformed an idea into reality and established Joshua’s House in Sacramento. Joshua’s House is the first hospice housing program for unhoused individuals on the entire West Coast. Ten years in the making, this unique approach to caring for the State’s most vulnerable population garnered goodwill energy from hundreds of volunteers, faith communities, two Sacramento mayors, Sacramento City Council, Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, health systems, and countless donors. Since opening in July of 2025, more than 885 days of patient care have been provided to Joshua’s House residents.
This sort of volunteerism is the ultimate exercise in democracy. People vote in elections every year, but when someone volunteers, they vote every day about the kind of community they want.
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Last year, YoloCares relied on the goodwill, service and generosity of more than 100 volunteers who contributed nearly 5,600 hours of volunteer support. The Independent Sector estimates the value of those volunteer hours at nearly $200,000. However, the true value of our volunteers is most clearly seen in the lives of patients, families and clients.
For more information regarding available volunteer opportunities, visit our website at www.yolocares.org or contact Elisa Stone, volunteer manager at YoloCares: estone@yolocares.org
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