TimesLeader.com

July 26

Friends share compassion with others

Pat Mould, Lorraine Daniels volunteer companionship at Allied Services, Clarks Summit.

FACTORYVILLE – Two area women, who are volunteers for Allied Services in Clarks Summit, say they’ve learned much through volunteering, and one major lesson they learned is that little things can make big differences in people’s lives.

Pat Mould has volunteered with Allied Services for almost 10 years and her friend, Lorraine Daniels, has done so for the past five years.

Both retired, they say they enjoy volunteering and find it rewarding.

“You hope that you’re making a difference, or that you’re helping somebody, otherwise you wouldn’t do it,” Mould said.

It’s especially been a good experience working with Allied Services, Mould added.

“There isn’t a grouchy person in the place (Allied Services),” Mould said.“It is rewarding and I think that’s what keeps your life going in different directions,” Daniels said.

“You don’t want to just sit home,” Mould added. “Why sit home if I can drive a car and walk and get up there and sit in a hospital room?”

Currently, Mould and Daniels volunteer their time, spending a few hours each week on Mondays as “safety sitters” at Allied Services, and have previously worked as volunteers for Allied Services with events including “Breakfast with Santa Claus” and car cruisers. They have also helped sell candy bars and worked in the former gift shop.

“Pat’s the one who got me started (at Allied Services),” said Daniels. Mould noted she was introduced to Allied Services through a friend of hers, Bonnie Maciak.

“She (Maciak) wanted to know if I would be interested in being a volunteer. She told me what they did, how they raised money, and the functions that they had, and I used to work all day long and I would go volunteer at night…because there wasn’t anybody for the gift shop at night,” Mould said.

Both Daniels and Mould started volunteer work at Allied Services gift shop before it closed a little more than two years ago. They have since worked on different volunteer projects with Allied Services, including selling candy bars to raise money for “wish list” items of Allied Services.

“We had sold candy bars over at Skilled Nursing (Center) and we liked what we saw over there. The people were friendly. These people need care and that’s where it started,” Mould said. “They asked us if we wanted to be the safety sitters.”

“I think they were amazed that we hung out at skilled nursing,” Daniels said.

“It’s just so that they won’t fall out of bed, so it is a nice thing to do,” Mould said, adding that they do not lift patients, and if a patient needs to go to the bathroom, they call for a nurse.

“We don’t actually know what’s wrong with our patients. That’s something that we don’t get into. We’re not there to give them any medicines,” Mould added.

“I think the object of it is to give the sitter there, that say is their paid employee, a break that they can go and help the nurses somewhere else where they might be needed, while we sit in there,” Mould explained of their duties as safety sitters.

Mould and Daniels explained that it’s also important to keep the patients company, whether they’re sleeping during the visit or not.

If they’re awake, Daniels said, “you just talk, ask them how they are.

“You have to give the body language that you like them.”

“You don’t have to say much,” Mould added. “We try to wear some kind of bright clothing, something, even green pants would be bright, a yellow shirt, something that maybe they could even comment on…they may not say much, but ‘I like.’”

Mould and Daniels said that they’re happy to keep the patients company by spending time with them.

“(To a patient) I said ‘I’ll see you next week,’” Daniels said, “for the first time she (a patient) light up and she said, ‘Oh! Will you?’ And I thought…she was so happy.

“The sad thing is they’re all afraid to be alone,” she continued.

“Family can’t come all day long and sit,” Mould said. “You come home and sometimes you’re thinking about that person. You know, if you can’t go on a Monday you get that guilt feeling…maybe they’re looking for me.”

“We’re giving them the companionship they wouldn’t get, only through relatives,” Daniels said.

“I may be in there someday and hopefully…someone will be there for me,” Mould offered as another motivator for volunteering and why others should get involved as well. “You hope somebody would be kind to you if you were in that situation.”

“Anybody can do that (safety sit),” Mould said. “If you have a couple hours a day to spare, anybody can do it...just to see them smile is gratifying.”

It’s important that your heart is in the right place.

“We never volunteer for what we can get,” Daniels said. “It’s the other way (around) – what we can give.”

Lorraine Daniels

Pat Mould

TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Dalton

OCCUPATION: Retired from Dalton Post Office

YEARS: 33 years

CHARITIES, VOLUNTEER WORK: Session board member, First Presbyterian Church of Clarks Summit; Dalton councilwoman; volunteer, Dalton Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary; Dalton Community Library board member; volunteer, Dalton Business and Professional Association; treasurer, Scranton Canoe Club Women’s Golf Organization; Allied Services volunteer for five years

FAMILY: Late husband George; son, Bob, and his wife Nancy; granddaughter, Gretchen; great-granddaughters, Kate and Brynn.

EDUCATION: High school

HOBBIES, INTERESTS: Golf, mahjongg, Red Hat Society member

TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Factoryville

OCCUPATION: Retired, worked for Nationwide as a licensed customer service representative

YEARS: 15 years

CHARITIES, VOLUNTEER WORK: Allied Services volunteer for nearly 10 years; majority inspector for Factoryville elections; board member, Scranton Canoe Club Women’s Golf Organization, various committees

FAMILY: Husband Dr. Michael W. Mould; son, Daniel, and his wife Francesca; daughter, Megan

EDUCATION: High school, some college studies

HOBBIES, INTERESTS: Bridge, mahjongg, golf, Red Hat Society member

Volunteer of the Week is a regular feature in The Times Leader Scranton Edition that recognizes individuals, businesses or other organizations for their volunteer efforts and contributions to their communities. To nominate someone to be considered for this feature, e-mail mondrako@scrantonedition.com or call 558-01 13.