Mary van Hooff, Jansen Hospice's Remarkable Volunteer
Apr. 30, 2014: Jansen Hospice and Palliative Care offers dying patients and their families a coordination of services, under the direction of the patient's own physician, to alleviate symptoms and make the last months of life as comfortable as possible.
At the heart of the program are the volunteers who work with teams of health care professionals and physicians to help treat patients' unique physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Mary van Hooff was one of Jansen's remarkable volunteers; she dedicated sixteen years to comforting terminally ill patients before she retired in November of 2013.
The hospice volunteer role came naturally to Mary. She was always a caregiver and worked full-time as a nurse for over thirty years. When Mary started thinking about retiring from her nursing career, she had "an internal knowingness" that she wanted to get involved with hospice care in her older age. When Mary saw a newspaper advertisement recruiting volunteers for Jansen Hospice, she knew destiny was knocking on her door; it was her duty to get involved.
Over the years, Mary cared for many terminally ill patients, and her approach on each visit was always the same: she left her opinions and biases at the door and did whatever was needed to make her patients feel comfortable.
Oftentimes Mary found that her patients needed companionship more than anything else. She was always eager to visit patients at their homes and talk to them about anything that could help create a special connection. Mary strove to have a positive impact on her patients' lives and felt grateful for the opportunity to offer them support.
Mary said, "It's a privilege to care for somebody during such a sacred time. It's the culmination of their life. It's also a very difficult time. There's pain and emotional struggles for the patient and their family."
Mary felt honored to help people through their illnesses, and she did whatever possible to make life easier. It didn't matter if it was engaging in conversation with her patients, talking about the latest movies, reading to the people she cared for, and beyond; Mary tried to take on any role that family and friends could not. She knew that even the smallest gestures make all the difference during such an emotionally charged time.
Mary is extremely pleased with her volunteer experience. The training and volunteer support groups offered by Jansen Hospice offered a place to air problems, ask advice, receive new insights into situations, and prepare her to walk into any circumstance.
Mary described her fellow volunteers as "the top echelon of caring people." There is no doubt that the Jansen volunteers are an outstanding group of warm individuals, and the care they offer makes the unimaginable hardship of life-threatening illness a little easier to endure.
Pictured here: Mary van Hooff, outstanding Jansen Hospice volunteer.
Photo by Abigail Sprague, Outreach and Marketing Specialist, Lawrence Community Health Services
Community Service Organizations Directory
HOME & GARDEN
Bronxville Beautification Council
Organized in 1982, the Bronxville Beautification Council (BBC) is a not-for-profit organization administered by a volunteer Board of Directors. The mission of the BBC is to enhance and maintain the natural and man-made beauty of the village of Bronxville, with an emphasis on the downtown business district.
Click here to learn more
Boulder Ledge Garden Club
Founded in 1966, the Boulder Ledge Garden Club is rooted in a mission to inspire a deeper appreciation and love for gardening and flower arranging. The club is dedicated to fostering and promoting interest and knowledge in gardening.
The Club maintains Bronxville’s Bicentennial Park and other civic gardens. In 2019–2020 the club raised $18,000 to replace trees in the village, reflecting its active role in community beautification. It also holds garden therapy projects and educational garden trips for members.
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Bronxville Giving Garden
The Bronxville Giving Garden is a community-centered garden that donates organic produce to Eastchester Community Action Partnership in Tuckahoe and Community Service Associates in Mount Vernon. The garden is also a gathering place where school children and volunteers can discover the joy of tending plants and growing food.
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Bronxville Green Committee
The Bronxville Green Committee is a volunteer organization that is part of the Village of Bronxville. It proposes and implements environmentally sustainable programs in our community.
You can contact them HERE.
SCOUTING
Bronxville Boy Scouts
The village of Bronxville has a long tradition of scouting. “The troops and packs of Bronxville have maintained the finest scouting organizations and have taught the boys of the Bronxville area to be leaders and outstanding members of the local, national and global communities.”
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information
Bronxville Girls Scouts
The Girls Scouts is “the world’s preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world.” In Girl Scouts, “girls discover the fun, friendship and power of girls together. Through the many enriching experiences provided by Girl Scouts, they can grow courageous and strong.”
Here is more information about girl scouts.
HISTORY
Bronxville Historical Conservancy
Inspired by the highly successful Bronxville Centennial Celebration in 1998, the Bronxville Historical Conservancy was founded to record and preserve Bronxville's history and life in the village today.
BRONXVILLE SCHOOL
Bronxville School Foundation
The Bronxville School Foundation, founded in 1991, is a non-profit organization independent from the school with the sole purpose of supporting the school.
The mission of the Bronxville School Foundation is to enhance the quality of public education in our community by engaging the support and energies of educators, citizens, parents, students and alumni.
The Foundation awards grants for projects
CLICK HERE to learn more.
LECTURES, EXHIBITS, CONCERTS
Bronxville Women's Club
The Bronxville Women’s Club offers lectures, exhibits and concerts. It also has a beautiful clubhouse which is available for rental for events.
135 Midland Avenue
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-3252
Concordia Conservatory
Concordia Conservatory, a preeminent center for music education in Westchester and Fairfield Counties, is a welcoming community where children and adults find lifelong inspiration and joy through learning, performing, listening to, and participating with others in music.
The Conservatory’s mission is to inspire, instruct, and enrich lives through music offering excellence in education and performance.
CLICK HERE for more information.
COUNSELING
Counseling Center
Founded in 1971, the mission of the Counseling Center “is to provide a wide range of psychotherapeutic and counseling services to individuals, couples and families by a staff of highly trained, experience and dedicated psychotherapists.
The Counseling Center
180 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-793-3388
www.counselingcenter.org
SERVICE & VOLUNTEERISM
Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester & Tuckahoe
The mission of the Community Fund is “to support broad social services in Bronxville 10708, Eastchester and Tuckahoe through grants and technical support to local agencies and community projects. All money raised here in our community stays here in our community.”
15 Park Place
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-8808
www.thecommunityfund.org
Junior League of Bronxville
The Junior League of Bronxville is “an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.”
Rotary Club of Bronxville
The Rotary Club of Bronxville is part of a national network of 1.25 million problem-solvers. They see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
READING & LEARNING
Friends of the Bronxville Library
The Friends of the Bronxville Library is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to focus attention on the “Library’s services, facilities and needs” as well as sponsor projects and provide materials that are beyond the reach of the Library's regular budget and perform other services.
SENIORS
Gramatan Village
Gramatan Village is a unique community model offering programs, services and social connections that help members continue to live independently in their homes as they age. In addition, GV offers one-on-one consultations and counseling with our experienced staff to guide members through life’s transitions.
Senior Citizens of Bronxville
Senior Citizens of Bronxville is a not-for-profit organization that provides services and programs to seniors within the 10708 zip code area. “Programs cover a wide range of activities from educational seminars and cultural enrichment to community services, bridge classes and exercise.”
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