Marsha Burkhardt Awarded Nonprofit Volunteer of the Year
Who is Marsha?
Marsha Bukhardt has been a volunteer with 211’s Sunshine Telephone Reassurance Program since February 2020, shortly before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While still relatively new to the 211 teams, Marsha became a volunteer of the Sunshine program during a time when its services were more critical and in-demand than ever before. While Marsha initially started on as a volunteer one day a week, she quickly stepped in and increased her time spent working within this program up to 2-3 days a week, in order to fill the large gaps in volunteer support caused by the pandemic. Her support during this time has made it possible for this program to continue to operate at full capacity, ensuring that every senior client receives their call and has their well-being confirmed and their outlook improved.
Marsha has been an energetic, positive force for the Sunshine program staff, clients, and the community during her time as a volunteer. Before becoming a key member of the Sunshine team she had recently retired from St.Ann's, where she still volunteers some of her time in addition to her work with 211. She has dedicated her life to being a source of light for those she comes into contact with, and it is clear in her volunteer work that she is a natural helper to those in need.
Marsha’s Contributions
When speaking to these clients Marsha makes sure to remember the small details that they share with her and to ask them questions about their personal life and discuss topics that are of particular interest to them. For those clients who have medical issues or regular doctor's appointments, Marsha will kindly provide them with reminders to take their medications or to arrange to get transportation to their medical visits. By taking the time to learn about the client'’ lives, their interests, and their families, Marsha has become more than just the volunteer who is making their Sunshine call. In addition to the clients, Marsha has had an incredible impact on the other volunteers and the program staff she works with, who often say that they could not do it all without her.
Marsha's selflessness and willingness to help others goes beyond her call to duty as a volunteer of the Sunshine Program and inspires other volunteers and staff within this program to carry out this critical work in the face of every obstacle. She has not only improved the lives of the hundreds of seniors with who she interacts on a weekly basis, but due to her quick thinking and following of correct program protocols, she has also saved the life of a Sunshine client. Despite her heroic actions, Marsha can be quoted as saying that she “gets back more out of talking to the clients than they get out of me calling them.”
Story about Marsha
One day, Marsha was volunteering for one of her usual Sunshine shifts and making her scheduled phone calls. When Marsha reached out to contact one of our clients, a woman who is over 100 years old, she was not able to get in touch with her. The standard Sunshine program protocol is that if the client is not able to be reached within three attempts, our program volunteers and staff will reach out to their backup contact or emergency services if the backup contact is unable to verify the client's well-being. Marsha felt it was odd that this client was not answering her scheduled call, and attempted to reach her a couple more times without success. Diligently following up, Marsha reached out to the client's backup contact person who immediately went to check on the client. Upon arriving at the client's home, the backup contact found that the client had fallen during the night and had been on the floor unable to get up for several hours. The client was immediately taken to the hospital, where she received the medical attention she needed before being returned safely to her home. Without Marsha's intervention and following proper Sunshine procedures, who knows how long the client would have been stuck unable to get up and her situation may have quickly become life-threatening. When the client returned home and once again began receiving her Sunshine calls, she was so appreciative of Marsha for calling for help when she was in need. The client said that without Marsha's regular friendly phone calls and caring jump to action, she is not sure if she would still be here today.
More about 211’s Sunshine Telephone Reassurance Program
211’s Sunshine Telephone Reassurance Program is a vital program housed at 211 that provides isolated, homebound seniors throughout Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast with a once-daily phone call to check on their well-being and bring human connection into their day, to lessen the detrimental effects of loneliness that affect people's mental and physical health. 211’s Sunshine program also works closely with our Elder Crisis Outreach Program (ECO), which ensures that seniors who are experiencing a crisis are connected to support. Elder Advocates ensure their basic needs are met and their situation is resolved or stabilized. During the pandemic, there was an increased need from seniors needing things like food/groceries
Volunteers for the Sunshine program often even save lives by providing emergency intervention when necessary. As a volunteer within this program, on her shift, Marsha is in direct communication with at least 100 of the over 500 seniors of our community who receive a call from the Sunshine program every single day. During her time as a Sunshine Volunteer, Marsha has grown close to the clients with who she frequently chats, taking a genuine interest in their personal lives and welfare.
The Fifth Annual Hats Off Nonprofit Awards honor Palm Beach County nonprofit organizations, staff and volunteers who are dedicated to the business of doing good in our community. The 2021 Honorees were announced *live* at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, October 5, 2021.