Hospice Volunteer Receives Community Foundation’s Wertheimer Award
The Community Foundation of Frederick County’s Wertheimer Award for Excellence in Volunteerism exists to reward those who otherwise wouldn’t draw attention to their tireless service, and prolific hospice volunteer Elaine Junker certainly deserves it.
Though she never kept an official tally, Elaine – now in her early 90s – estimates that she has logged close to 8,000 volunteer hours with Hospice and spent time with over 450 patients. The Wertheimer Award is given each year in honor of Janis Miller Wertheimer, a well-known Frederick County businesswoman and dedicated volunteer. Award fellows are given $25,000 to establish or add to a permanent fund at the Community Foundation for the charity of their choice. Elaine has used her award to establish the Elaine Junker Hospice Enrichment Fund. Elaine’s daughter, Karen Butler, says there wasn’t a particular reason why her mother chose hospice to begin volunteering in 1995, but she quickly jumped in and committed. After her retirement, she was looking to stay busy, and her engagement with Hospice nearly bloomed into a second career. Karen says she eventually became a senior volunteer and would help train others; she also served as a Big Buddy at Camp Jamie.
One thing Elaine’s hospice patients appreciated, Karen says, was her love of knitting. “She would knit during visits,” she explains, “so that patients didn’t feel obligated to talk, but she was always available if they wanted to and needed company; it helped the visit feel natural.” Her passion for crafts and handmade items also figured into another major avenue she found to serve Hospice.
“I used to give [handmade felted] hats to people,” Elaine says in her Wertheimer interview, “and I gave one to a friend and she insisted on paying me, and we argued back and forth until I just told her to give the money to Hospice.” Elaine’s initiative Handmade for Hospice was born.
Over the next several years, Elaine’s “sales” of her various handmade items, especially hats and woven shawls, brought in more than $95,000 in donations for Hospice. Karen, who is also a crafter, says that they began selling their work at community festivals like Schifferstadt’s Oktoberfest, and built up a loyal client base, sometimes taking custom orders. They also enlisted friends into the effort and began gathering item donations from other crafters. Even more remarkably, every penny of the “sales” has gone to Hospice – Elaine does not keep any of the money for her own materials.
Though health issues have now necessitated a second retirement, it’s hard to imagine a volunteer who has given more to an organization than Elaine has to Hospice. “I did it because I discovered I was good at it, and that I could be helpful to dozens of patients and families, and that’s all the reward you want or need,” she says.
For more information about becoming a Hospice volunteer, reach out to volunteer coordinator Dianne Elizabeth at delizabeth@frederick.health or call 240-566-3038.
Handmade for Hospice also welcomes crafters interested in donating handmade items to sell; contact Karen Butler at mkabutler@aol.com.
