BCH Celebrates National Volunteer Week & Leo Hill Awardees

In 2022, volunteers spent 26,550 hours serving across 33 departments at Boulder Community Health. You can find our 365 active volunteers including our 28 dog volunteers at five locations across campus, sitting at the front desk, providing newborn hearing screenings, lending a helping hand to nursing staff, serving on one of our boards or providing comfort through the Canine Corps therapy dog program.

Our incredible volunteers help make BCH a welcoming space, and during National Volunteer week in April, it is our turn to honor all they do to support our staff, our patients and our community.

The week culminated with a special event at the beautiful Chautauqua Park Dining Hall for a celebration of our 2023 Leo Hill Extraordinary Volunteer Award recognition.

Established in 2005 by Leo Hill, a former hospital board member and donor, the Leo Hill Extraordinary Volunteer Award recognizes the longevity of BCH volunteers. The annual awards are made possible through his endowment gift to the BCH Foundation. The endowment’s purpose is to provide perpetual annual support for recognizing and rewarding one or more BCH volunteers involved in extraordinary service to BCH.

Volunteers are eligible for the award after volunteering for 15 years or serving as a leader of one of the hospital boards including the BCH Board of Directors, BCH Foundation Board of Trustees or the BCH Ambassador Leadership Council.

2023 Leo Hill Award Recipients

Janet Martin

1,322 hours of service.

Janet started serving on the BCH Board of Directors in 2008 and served as Board Chair in 2016-17. She has also served on the Patient Family Advisory Council and served as a hands-on volunteer in the Surgery Post Anesthesia Care Unit. She joined the BCH Foundation Board of Trustees in 2019 where she has been serving since.

Dee Perry

1,287 hours of service.

Dee started serving on the Foundation Board of Trustees in 2008 where she served for two years, and then returned again last year as a Trustee. In 2010 she joined the BCH Board of Directors where she served through 2018, including serving as Board Chair.

Esther Erikson

2,394 hours of service.

Esther started in 2008 as a volunteer in the behavioral health department and has been serving in that capacity ever since. She has performed various other roles over the years including transporter/greeter, imaging volunteer, intensive care unit volunteer, patient representative, and more.

Nancy Vinson

3,829 hours of service.

Nancy started as a candy striper when she was in Junior High. She then came back during college to volunteer in physical therapy and returned again in 2007 as the Holiday Extravaganza auction chair, and has been a BCH Ambassador ever since.

Anne Gebhardt O’Brien

1,853 hours of service.

Anne started volunteering in 2008 as the Holiday Extravaganza Fashion Show chair and has served as a BCH Ambassador ever since.

Thank you and congratulations to this year’s incredible volunteer recipients!

Pictured: Janet Martin, Esther Erikson, Anne Gebhardt O’Brien, Dee Perry