Dedicated volunteers make the days brighter and livelier for our residents. We would like to publicly thank one volunteer in particular who comes to unit l0Y on a regular basis.

She is known as "our Debbie". Debbie comes to our unit 3 to 4 times a week. It begins with the sound of brisk footsteps which we all recognize and exclaim that "Debbie is here". When she enters the room, usually at breakfast time, one can feel the energy like a burst of sunshine. She greets all the staff, then every single resident with a hug, a "Good Morning", and the weather report. Sometimes she'll relay the top news story or some other interesting tidbit she has come across. The residents' faces light up at the sound of her voice, and though they may be unaware of the day or place and at times of their own identity. They smile and respond to the caring she exudes.

Everything Debbie does comes from the heart, whether its tossing a ball around or learning phrases from a foreign language in order to communicate with an individual who would otherwise have no one he could understand. If caring is a gift, our Debbie has it. She is here rain or shine, hot or cold, snow storm or not. You can depend on the fact that if she says she'll do something, it will get done and in top form. Her departure is as dramatic as her entry. She always says goodbye to each resident, letting them know when she'll be back, even though she is well aware that our people with Alzheimers will not actually remember this. She is a living mission statement. We, the staff on Forget me Not Gardens, would like to say thank you Debbie. You make our work easier and our residents' lives more meaningful by your very presence. You are a sunbeam on our unit, and we all love you.