2024 Leo Hill Awards

In 2023, our volunteers spent 29,200 hours serving across 33 departments at Boulder Community Health. You can find our 380 active volunteers including, our 40 dog volunteers, at nine locations across campus, helping staff on units, providing newborn hearing screenings, delivering free coffee and conversations to patients, serving on one of our boards or providing comfort through the Canine Corps therapy dog program. Our incredible volunteers help make BCH an excellent health system, 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 in the Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion for a celebration of our 2024 Leo Hill Extraordinary Volunteer Awardees. 

Established in 2005 by Leo Hill, a former hospital Board of Directors member and donor, the Leo Hill Extraordinary Volunteer Award recognizes the longevity of BCH volunteers which is made possible through his endowment at the BCH Foundation. The endowment’s purpose is to provide annual support for recognizing and rewarding of 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. 

2024 Leo Hill Award Recipients​

These four extraordinary volunteers started in 2009 and reached 15 years of service in 2024. 

Leslee Barker: 2,000+ hours of service

“Leslee has always made volunteering an important part of her life. In the Gift Shop, she is friendly, always engaging people, and making them feel welcome. Her beautiful smile and laugh can always brighten your day!” - Melodie Christal, BCH Volunteer and Ambassador

Joy Wexels: 1,054 hours of service 

“Joy is one of our long time Canine Corps volunteers serving for the past 15 years with two dogs Amigo and Chica. Joy continues to be one of our Canine Corps leaders. When a new team applies, Joy is their first contact. She welcomes, guides, educates, holds hands and paws, and starts them on their way. Her patience, enthusiasm, commitment, kindness, and insightful sense of humor mark everything she touches.” -Jan Fincher, BCH Canine Corps Volunteer  

Laurie Van Grack: 703 hours of service 

“Laurie’s hard work, dedication and commitment to our volunteer program has not gone unnoticed and we are grateful for her time and positive attitude as a volunteer. Being a Newborn Hearing Screener can be a demanding position and very rewarding. Our new parents have benefited from Laurie’s experience, kindness, and gentle ways for many years. She is, without a doubt, a SHINING STAR volunteer!” -Glenda Diggens, Registered Nurse, Family Birth Center, BCH 

Joyce Lermire: 2,744 hours of service 

"Joyce was always a very valuable volunteer. She worked quietly and purposefully, and I always loved the calm energy she brought with her. Her tireless work behind the scenes enhanced the efficiency of the ER and made us better. We have been so lucky to have had her for 15 years!" - Joyce Vander Knijff, Registered Nurse, BCH 

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