Providing an invaluable service
These days, getting some fresh air can be a somewhat chilling experience, especially if you’re a hospital patient.
That’s why Bermuda Hospitals Auxiliary volunteer Valerie Bull made gloves available for some of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital patients who like to sit outside the hospital lobby during the day.
“The other day it was freezing,” Mrs. Bull told the Royal Gazette. “I shook hands with one fellow from the Extended Care Unit. His hands were frozen. I went home and asked my husband if he had any old gloves. He said ‘no’. He suggested I go to MarketPlace where they had pairs of gloves for $2 each. So I bought all these gloves. They all went.”
At the banquet, the Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, Wayne Perinchief offered his congratulations to Mrs. Bull.
“Valerie Bull, and all of the previous Community Service Award recipients here tonight, embody the spirit of Bermuda through their selfless devotion to helping others. It is inspiring to be around so many people who are making a difference in our community. Valerie Bull has dedicated her retirement to the service of others. On behalf of the entire Government of Bermuda, I congratulate Mrs. Bull tonight.”
Mrs. Bull has been a Pink Lady at the hospital since 1998 and is chairperson of the Information Desk. She is responsible for scheduling the volunteers to work on the information desk, directing hospital visitors to the correct places, and managing the enforcement of visitation hours.
“Valerie is the 12th person to get one of these awards,” said Emily Mathison of Troncossi Public Relations, speaking for CableVision.
“The first award was in the fall of 2004, when the four original organisers of the Bermuda Day marathon were recognised. There are four awards given a year, and Valerie is the first one of 2007.”
The Bermuda CableVision banquet was organised to recognise the 11 previous individuals who have received the community service award since the programme was launched and honour them with a special tribute and congratulations from community leaders.
Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Paula Cox attended the banquet along with a host of other Government Ministers and dignitaries.
Mrs. Bull is one of 238 active Bermuda Hospitals Auxiliary volunteers. She began as a Pink Lady in 1998 after she retired from the Bank of Butterfield.
“I used to volunteer on the wards, taking the menu sheets around,” she said.
“I liked chatting with the patients. Being Bermudian, I knew a lot of them too. I enjoyed that. Then I went on the information desk. It was at a time when someone was being promoted. I was asked to take over on the desk as chairperson.”
Around 22 volunteers work the information desk during the week, and paid workers man the desk at certain off times.
“We don’t get tired of answering the same questions,” said Mrs. Bull.
“You have different personalities. I find it very interesting when I am on the desk. I see people I went to school with when I was five years old. It is amazing that as small as Bermuda is you still don’t see some people for years. I have lived in St. George’s my whole life, and it is such a nice feeling.”
Mrs. Bull said she particularly liked the overseas family help services aspect of the Pink Ladies.
“You meet people from all over the world, particularly in the summer time when the cruise ships are in,” she said. “That is when we are busy.
“You do get attached to these people, because they are really dependent on you. They are very appreciative. I feel so sorry for some of them.
“We had a man the other day who was German. He didn’t even want to go in the hospital. I was the first person to speak with him because I was on duty. He didn’t speak any English. He kept trying to say ‘insurance’. Luckily, we had quite a few Pink Ladies who spoke German.
“Then when he was all better he didn’t want to leave. He was probably on his own in Germany and he enjoyed people making a fuss of him.”
Currently, the Bermuda Hospitals Auxiliary is looking for more people who live near the hospital to rent rooms to visiting overseas families who suddenly find themselves with a loved one in the hospital.
“With all the doctors offices going up on Point Finger Road, it is becoming more difficult to find a room for them within walking distance of the hospital,” Mrs. Bull said. “
Mrs. Bull said she also likes delivering to the maternity ward donated baby care samples from BGA each week.
“Whenever the babies come in, BGA give us shampoo, lotion, soap and other things,” she said. “We get the Candy Stripers to make up these baby bags on a Saturday. So it is kind of fun. I like delivering them to the maternity ward. The babies are amazing. They are so cute. I love it.”
“Valerie serves as a reminder of the good that can be achieved through community service,” said Terry Roberson, general manager of Bermuda CableVision.
A committee reviews all nominations and selects a winner for the quarterly CableVision Community Service Award.
The committee is comprised of CableVision employee Rollin Nathan; Bermuda Broadcasting Company personality Everest DaCosta; Da Fontes radio host Shirley Dill; police media manager Dwayne Caines; and, community activist Cromwell Shakir.
Bermuda CableVision will present its next Community Service Award in April 2007 and invites the public to nominate any individual residing in Bermuda who has shown outstanding community service through participation in a school, church or charity organisation, or through their own determination.
Nominations can be emailed to Rollin Nathan at rnathan[AT]cablevision.bm or mailed to the attention of Rollin Nathan, Bermuda CableVision, P.O. Box 1642, Hamilton, HM GX. For further information, visit www.cablevision.bm.
