Hello again, Blogging Pals. My apologies for yet another delay between postings.
Today I want to chat with you about my experiences in volunteering at the Beauregard Agape Community Clinic here in Louisiana. It (volunteering) has been something new to me, I'm ashamed to admit, but I seem to have found more time on-my-hands here. :) Perhaps the lessons I am learning by doing so are the reasons I have so much time? I won't try to second-guess things. That's a no-win situation. I will just go with the flow!
So... I chatted with the Executive Director of the clinic back in perhaps October? I believe that's when I filled out the volunteer application indicating my willingness to be a receptionist, a screener (these folks qualify the patients before they can see the doctors), provide food, help clean the place up... whatever! I had no idea where I could add value but I knew I was not a licensed medical professional (!) so that helped me narrow my choices.
During our conversation, the E.D. (Kathy) and I discovered we had some things in common! She had worked at a large aerospace manufacturing firm in the Pacific Northwest with its IT (Information Technology) department. I had worked at a large telecommunications firm with its headquarters in the same Pacific Northwest with its IT department. We actually speak pretty much the same language!!! That, in itself, was very exciting news!! Someone to chat with who would understand some of the things I might say while attempting to "improve" a process!! Hooray!! Oh... and she is the younger sister of yet another of my high school graduation pals. Sigh. This is a place where everyone knows everyone, folks. I know my "big city" pals can't quite grasp that.
At any rate, I asked her where she thought I might be able to add the most value. LESSON #1: If you offer up your services without defined parameters, you have NO idea what you may end up doing!! :) She mentioned an area where only one person was really involved at that time. The Prescription Assistance Program (or Patient Assistance Program) offered by many of the big pharmaceutical companies is a real help to free clinics. Many provide their brand-name medications at no cost... yep... you heard me... free... to patients who are in a free clinic environment. Most have essentially the same income guidelines as the clinics so there aren't too many folks who would qualify for care at the clinic but not for the PAP of most of the big pharmas. The down side? The paperwork. Ah yes, my pals... each and every different pharma has its own little paperwork and its own little quirks within! Some have a very simple one-page form (imagine!) that just requires the doc's signature and the prescription. Others have up to four pages to complete, requiring the doc's signature but NOT asking for the actual prescription being satisfied for you to check off which of their meds you need. Others have their own little differences. I suppose asking them all to consolidate at LEAST the paperwork would be out of the question. Sigh.
So... I embarked on the world of PAP and its nuances. I will say we have come a long way since October when I began. We have a bit of a process now in place that will allow us to track things a bit more easily. We are ironing out which PAP programs we can actually USE vs. those that serve only specific states vs. those that have a $20 co-pay for a 90-day supply of meds. It's been a bit of a challenge and we're not there yet... but there are boxes of meds showing up at the doc's office all the time and the pharmacy in the clinic has not yet indicated it is in danger of running out of meds. So, we're pleased! LESSON #2: Having no idea about what you are doing as a volunteer means nothing. The concept is that you will eventually figure it out or make something up to get it done. Either way is fine. No one asks questions!
I became aware in December that a training class for new receptionists and one for new screeners was going to be held in January. When I mentioned my past experience facilitating training classes, I found myself with a new job at the clinic. Understand I am still working on the PAP process documentation, etc., but I am also now facilitating the "basic" portion of the training classes. LESSON #3: Open your mouth... have a new job. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, I suggest you watch what you say and to whom while working with any volunteer organization. I personally believe there are "volunteer scouts" within these places that are professionals at gleaning tidbits that will serve the greater good in the future. "Resistance is futile!" :)
Okay. There are more lessons but I have gone long... again. Perhaps we'll visit some more in the future. What I do want to say is that my experiences thus far with the clinic have been very rewarding. It is nice to be able to use some of that knowledge and some of those skills I spent so much time acquiring for a good cause!! The other volunteers are all just happy to see you show up. The patients are all just thrilled and amazed that they can come in, get registered and qualified, see a doctor, get any prescribed meds, and leave without having to spend a dime. There is a "donation" jar and there have been patients who have left a dollar or two to show their gratitude. There are other patients who have prepared homemade goodies and brought them to the clinic to "pay back" the kindness shown to them. It is incredibly wonderful to watch this whole thing take place. Very rewarding business, this volunteerism.
So... when you feel like maybe there is no one willing to hire you and you can't even get arrested... find someplace to volunteer. You will feel very welcomed and valued. I promise. It's certainly done me a world of good.
Until next time...
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
GOODBYE TO MY FRIEND, DONNA
Hello again, Blogging Buddies. I am afraid this post is not fun nor is it humorous.
During my tenure as a Project Manager at AT&T Wireless Services, I was privileged to meet a lot of folks from all over the U.S. I was part of a National team within the IT department and we handled our call centers which were in a lot of places! We held two National team meetings while I was part of the organization and it was great fun to put faces with names and voices we had heard on conference calls.
I will tell you that there are a LOT of those folks with whom I remain in contact even now. Some subscribe to this blog. Others I hear from sporadically... but I do hear from them. The network was large and spread-out... but we all felt like family and we shared the good times and, unfortunately, the bad.
I had been on calls with a young lady named Donna who was located in the Pittsburgh area. She struck me as someone who was thorough, demanding, inquisitive, and sharp. While I would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of some of her more pointed questions, I enjoyed working with her. When we were finally able to meet in person, it was great fun. Here was this TINY little brunette with "big hair" whose voice simply did not match the person!! The voice was WAY bigger than the person!! Most of us will draw a picture in our heads of folks we talk to but have not met. Donna just flat-out did NOT match my head-picture!! LOL!! Of course, she was now meeting a big ol' brunette with "little hair" so perhaps she was just as surprised as I. I don't know.
At any rate, we worked together on some projects during my tenure there. We were in contact on a business level... but also on a personal level. Oh... I didn't mention that she discovered she was pregnant with her third child during one of our National team meetings, did I? She wasn't feeling well. I took some food up to her room and we bemoaned her "illness" which was intruding on our ability to have a good time!! We were both surprised and laughed heartily when we later discovered her "illness" was Kevin. :) Kevin is nine years old now. His older brother, Eric, is 15. His older sister, Samantha ("Sam"), is 17. All three lost their mother last night and I cannot even imagine how they are handling that.
You see, Donna was diagnosed with cancer on June 23, 2008. Interestingly enough, I had called her, on a whim, on June 25, 2008, which is when she told me about the diagnosis. She underwent surgery in July 2008 and endured chemo and radiation. She discovered the cancer had spread in October of 2008. She endured more treatments. She returned to work in February of 2009 but the cancer returned in April. In June of 2009, the docs advised 8-10 months without chemo... maybe 2-3 months more if chemo was used. Donna decided the treatment was just too hard and took too much from her so she opted to skip it this time. I applaud that decision. I understand it.
Donna had a lot of faith and believed that God would do whatever was His plan for her... but she would fight hard to live just in case that's what He wanted! :) She and her husband kept their children very much in-the-loop about the situation and she indicated they drew strength from each other throughout the ordeal.
Donna scheduled vacation for July 21st through August 4th to visit with her family in San Diego. We emailed back and forth and I know she had a great trip and enjoyed seeing everyone. By early October, there were problems that required another surgery. Donna sent out a prayer request to a lot of "Prayer Warriors" she knew were pulling for her. I sent her a short response to let her know I was thinking about her. Her response to me was "LOV YA!"
I received a funny Thanksgiving email from one of my many crazy friends. I forwarded it to Donna as I knew she enjoyed a good laugh. Her reply to me (which I did not know would be the last one I ever received) was "You always find ways to make me have such good laughs! Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!"
I sent an email on December 23rd and, when I did not hear from her, I called her home. I spoke with Gary, her husband, who advised they were in the process of bringing her home from Hospice. That was pretty much all I needed to know. I told him to have her call me if she felt up to it. If not, I understood.
On January 5th, I sent Donna a final email. It was one of my usual, rambling, totally disconnected emails about life, liberty, and the pursuit of something. :) I made certain she knew how much she had meant to me over the years. I am hopeful that Gary was reading her emails to her if she was unable to read them herself. I feel pretty sure that was the case.
So, today I received an email from another former AT&T pal. He had gotten word from yet another AT&T pal that Donna had passed on to her next project on Thursday, January 14th, 2010. All I know for certain is that if there is ANYthing in Heaven that needs to be improved, Donna will be lining up the appropriate personnel and making calls to those impacted in order to get that improvement up and running as soon as possible!! In the meantime, since I can't be part of that particular project, I just want to say Goodbye to my friend, Donna.
I'll miss ya', toots!!! Save me a place!
Until next time...
During my tenure as a Project Manager at AT&T Wireless Services, I was privileged to meet a lot of folks from all over the U.S. I was part of a National team within the IT department and we handled our call centers which were in a lot of places! We held two National team meetings while I was part of the organization and it was great fun to put faces with names and voices we had heard on conference calls.
I will tell you that there are a LOT of those folks with whom I remain in contact even now. Some subscribe to this blog. Others I hear from sporadically... but I do hear from them. The network was large and spread-out... but we all felt like family and we shared the good times and, unfortunately, the bad.
I had been on calls with a young lady named Donna who was located in the Pittsburgh area. She struck me as someone who was thorough, demanding, inquisitive, and sharp. While I would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of some of her more pointed questions, I enjoyed working with her. When we were finally able to meet in person, it was great fun. Here was this TINY little brunette with "big hair" whose voice simply did not match the person!! The voice was WAY bigger than the person!! Most of us will draw a picture in our heads of folks we talk to but have not met. Donna just flat-out did NOT match my head-picture!! LOL!! Of course, she was now meeting a big ol' brunette with "little hair" so perhaps she was just as surprised as I. I don't know.
At any rate, we worked together on some projects during my tenure there. We were in contact on a business level... but also on a personal level. Oh... I didn't mention that she discovered she was pregnant with her third child during one of our National team meetings, did I? She wasn't feeling well. I took some food up to her room and we bemoaned her "illness" which was intruding on our ability to have a good time!! We were both surprised and laughed heartily when we later discovered her "illness" was Kevin. :) Kevin is nine years old now. His older brother, Eric, is 15. His older sister, Samantha ("Sam"), is 17. All three lost their mother last night and I cannot even imagine how they are handling that.
You see, Donna was diagnosed with cancer on June 23, 2008. Interestingly enough, I had called her, on a whim, on June 25, 2008, which is when she told me about the diagnosis. She underwent surgery in July 2008 and endured chemo and radiation. She discovered the cancer had spread in October of 2008. She endured more treatments. She returned to work in February of 2009 but the cancer returned in April. In June of 2009, the docs advised 8-10 months without chemo... maybe 2-3 months more if chemo was used. Donna decided the treatment was just too hard and took too much from her so she opted to skip it this time. I applaud that decision. I understand it.
Donna had a lot of faith and believed that God would do whatever was His plan for her... but she would fight hard to live just in case that's what He wanted! :) She and her husband kept their children very much in-the-loop about the situation and she indicated they drew strength from each other throughout the ordeal.
Donna scheduled vacation for July 21st through August 4th to visit with her family in San Diego. We emailed back and forth and I know she had a great trip and enjoyed seeing everyone. By early October, there were problems that required another surgery. Donna sent out a prayer request to a lot of "Prayer Warriors" she knew were pulling for her. I sent her a short response to let her know I was thinking about her. Her response to me was "LOV YA!"
I received a funny Thanksgiving email from one of my many crazy friends. I forwarded it to Donna as I knew she enjoyed a good laugh. Her reply to me (which I did not know would be the last one I ever received) was "You always find ways to make me have such good laughs! Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!"
I sent an email on December 23rd and, when I did not hear from her, I called her home. I spoke with Gary, her husband, who advised they were in the process of bringing her home from Hospice. That was pretty much all I needed to know. I told him to have her call me if she felt up to it. If not, I understood.
On January 5th, I sent Donna a final email. It was one of my usual, rambling, totally disconnected emails about life, liberty, and the pursuit of something. :) I made certain she knew how much she had meant to me over the years. I am hopeful that Gary was reading her emails to her if she was unable to read them herself. I feel pretty sure that was the case.
So, today I received an email from another former AT&T pal. He had gotten word from yet another AT&T pal that Donna had passed on to her next project on Thursday, January 14th, 2010. All I know for certain is that if there is ANYthing in Heaven that needs to be improved, Donna will be lining up the appropriate personnel and making calls to those impacted in order to get that improvement up and running as soon as possible!! In the meantime, since I can't be part of that particular project, I just want to say Goodbye to my friend, Donna.
I'll miss ya', toots!!! Save me a place!
Until next time...
Friday, January 8, 2010
AL, I'VE GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!!
Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies. I hope you are indoors and properly attired!!
So... while the term "global warming" has been replaced with "climate change", I think we need to take a slightly harder look at how "climate change" is being used. If I am not mistaken, the proponents of same are still on track about how our exhaling (perhaps we should wait?) and cows releasing their "natural gas" are rocketing our planet toward destruction due to the WARMING EFFECT those things have. There have been massive amounts of studies (at I can't even imagine what cost) done to "prove" we are headed toward an earth-fatal meltdown of the polar ice caps, the rising of the seas (good-bye, New Orleans), and just plain overall loss of our quality of life as we know it. We will all be "crispy critters" in no time. Pass the sunscreen, please.
Please understand I am NOT a scientist of any sort by any stretch of your (or my own!) imagination!! Heck... when I was a kid, there were still 9 planets. (Today, there are only 8... although some web sites still allow Pluto as a "dwarf planet"... whatever!) The good news... there are still 7 dwarves. But I digress. So... again... you will not find me poring over scientific papers or journals... you will not find me wandering through large institutions of science absorbing information on each and every exhibit... heck... you just will not find me in any truly scientific environment (or at least not if I recognize it as such!).
However... On Friday, January 8, 2010, in southwest Louisiana, where the only snow I recall during my first 18 years here was when I was six years old... we find the following evidence (thanks to Weatherbug, a registered trademark) AGAINST the use of "climate change" to mean "global warming:"
Important Message
Hard freeze warning in effect until noon cst today. Wind chill advisory in effect until 10 AM cst this morning. Hard freeze warning in effect from 6 PM this evening to noon cst Saturday. Wind chill advisory in effect from 9 PM this evening to 9 AM cst Saturday.
Today
Partly sunny. Colder. Highs in the mid 30s. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Wind chill readings 9 to 19 in the morning.
Tonight
Partly cloudy. Lows around 17. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Wind chill readings 8 to 20.
Saturday
Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Wind chill readings 8 to 24 in the morning.
Saturday Night
Clear. Lows around 18. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Wind chill readings 10 to 24.
Sunday
Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. Northeast winds around 5 mph. Wind chill readings 10 to 31 in the morning.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 20s.
So, Al... while you stand firm in your (mistaken) belief we are all going to fry like the Onion Rings at Bailey's Restaurant (love those!), I submit to the intelligent people of the planet that you are committed to that belief for reasons of your own... but not reasons provided by science. (I won't even discuss the "fudging" done by some of your beloved scientists to make the information fit your paradigm!) Clearly, as mentioned in the Title... I have a bone to pick with you!!!
So, dear Blogging Pals... don't worry yet about having to purchase those unattractive "carbon credits" to offset your most recent burp!! I submit to you that we are just as likely to turn into "human popsicles" as "crispy critters." Oh... and a word of advice... don't believe anything someone tells you if that someone has even the slightest potential of power or financial gain if what they tell you is believed.
Until the great thaw...
So... while the term "global warming" has been replaced with "climate change", I think we need to take a slightly harder look at how "climate change" is being used. If I am not mistaken, the proponents of same are still on track about how our exhaling (perhaps we should wait?) and cows releasing their "natural gas" are rocketing our planet toward destruction due to the WARMING EFFECT those things have. There have been massive amounts of studies (at I can't even imagine what cost) done to "prove" we are headed toward an earth-fatal meltdown of the polar ice caps, the rising of the seas (good-bye, New Orleans), and just plain overall loss of our quality of life as we know it. We will all be "crispy critters" in no time. Pass the sunscreen, please.
Please understand I am NOT a scientist of any sort by any stretch of your (or my own!) imagination!! Heck... when I was a kid, there were still 9 planets. (Today, there are only 8... although some web sites still allow Pluto as a "dwarf planet"... whatever!) The good news... there are still 7 dwarves. But I digress. So... again... you will not find me poring over scientific papers or journals... you will not find me wandering through large institutions of science absorbing information on each and every exhibit... heck... you just will not find me in any truly scientific environment (or at least not if I recognize it as such!).
However... On Friday, January 8, 2010, in southwest Louisiana, where the only snow I recall during my first 18 years here was when I was six years old... we find the following evidence (thanks to Weatherbug, a registered trademark) AGAINST the use of "climate change" to mean "global warming:"
Important Message
Hard freeze warning in effect until noon cst today. Wind chill advisory in effect until 10 AM cst this morning. Hard freeze warning in effect from 6 PM this evening to noon cst Saturday. Wind chill advisory in effect from 9 PM this evening to 9 AM cst Saturday.
Today
Partly sunny. Colder. Highs in the mid 30s. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Wind chill readings 9 to 19 in the morning.
Tonight
Partly cloudy. Lows around 17. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Wind chill readings 8 to 20.
Saturday
Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Wind chill readings 8 to 24 in the morning.
Saturday Night
Clear. Lows around 18. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Wind chill readings 10 to 24.
Sunday
Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. Northeast winds around 5 mph. Wind chill readings 10 to 31 in the morning.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 20s.
So, Al... while you stand firm in your (mistaken) belief we are all going to fry like the Onion Rings at Bailey's Restaurant (love those!), I submit to the intelligent people of the planet that you are committed to that belief for reasons of your own... but not reasons provided by science. (I won't even discuss the "fudging" done by some of your beloved scientists to make the information fit your paradigm!) Clearly, as mentioned in the Title... I have a bone to pick with you!!!
So, dear Blogging Pals... don't worry yet about having to purchase those unattractive "carbon credits" to offset your most recent burp!! I submit to you that we are just as likely to turn into "human popsicles" as "crispy critters." Oh... and a word of advice... don't believe anything someone tells you if that someone has even the slightest potential of power or financial gain if what they tell you is believed.
Until the great thaw...
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