On Sunday, April 22, 2012, Hospice of Acadiana held their 29th annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet at the Petroleum Club of Lafayette. This event is being held in April honor of National Volunteer Month and for the 350+ Hospice of Acadiana volunteers and over 20 volunteer physicians who donate their time and talents to Acadiana’s only non-profit hospice. The highlight of this event is the presentation of four awards to members of the Hospice of Acadiana community that have shown exemplary service and dedication to our patients and their families. The three awards are given to our dedicated volunteers and the fourth to the staff member of the year.

The Jerome Romagosa, MD award is given in honor the first Medical Director of Hospice of Acadiana and one of the leading forces in the Hospice movement in Acadiana. This year’s recipient is Dr. Leonard J. Rolfes, a hospice volunteer physician for over 10 years. Prior to his retirement, Dr. Rolfes was a Pediatrician practicing in Lafayette.

The Carolyn Patin Award is given to Hospice of Acadiana Volunteers, one male and one female in memory of Carolyn Patin one of our long time volunteers who passed away several years ago and was known for her cheer and support of Hospice of Acadiana. This year’s male volunteer of the year is Lyall Scott, a HOA volunteer for over 5 years who has shown compassion and caring for our patients and their families while visiting them. The female recipient of this award is Margaret Rucks, a dedicated hospice volunteer for over 12 years. Margaret is a pastoral care volunteer who has truly brought peace to the families and patients of Hospice of Acadiana.

The Jewell Lowe award is given to the professional volunteer in memory of Jewell Lowe one of the founders of Hospice of Acadiana and driving force behind many Acadiana non-profit organizations. This year’s recipient is Tom Voinche. Prior to retirement, Tom had been the face of the Hospice of Acadiana Televent.

The Leslie Lancon, RN award is given to the clinical or administrative employee’s dedicated service to HOA. Lancon served as the Clinical Director of Hospice of Acadiana for several years before her death. This year’s recipient is Ann Wallace. Ann is the head of Volunteer Services and has worked at Hospice of Acadiana for the past 7 years. Ann is the face of the Volunteer Department. She coordinates the placement of volunteers whether in a home, hospital or assisted facility and has an uncanny knack of placing the right volunteer to the right spot!

Hospice of Acadiana volunteers this past year donated over 3,428 hours of their time to the service of Hospice of Acadiana, their patients and their families. Without the support of these dedicated people, Hospice of Acadiana would not be the oldest and only non-profit hospice in Acadiana.