Medical Center Auxiliary honors teen volunteers

GAINESVILLE - The Medical Center Auxiliary honored more than 100 teen volunteers at an appreciation dinner this week at the Brenau Downtown Center. <br /> <br /> "The teen volunteer program is a 'win-win' for the teens and Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC)," said Nancy Colston, president and chief development officer of The Medical Center Foundation. "The program gives teens a head start to explore possible medical careers, and the services the teens provide are very helpful to patients, visitors and staff."<br /> <br /> Jennifer K. Bagwell, president of The Medical Center Auxiliary, presented one $500 Teen Scholarship Award to Helly Patel. Patel graduated from Gainesville High School, and is enrolled at Georgia Technical Institute for fall semester majoring in biochemistry. She has volunteered since 2011 giving more than 300 hours of service to the Medical Center.<br /> <br /> Meg Nivens, an Auxiliary board member and teen committee chair, presented The Andrew J. Dockery Teen Volunteer of the Year Award to Caitlin Gooch who has been a volunteer since 2011 and given more than 500 hours. She is a graduate of A Beka Academy Long Distance Learning Program and will attend the University of North Georgia in the fall majoring in nursing. <br /> <br /> The Medical Center Auxiliary sponsors a creative writing contest for the teen volunteers each summer. The teens are encouraged to write a short essay about what their volunteering experience has meant to them. This year's winner was Sydney Sanchez, and Kim Tran received second place. <br /> <br /> The Medical Center Auxiliary also sponsors a t-shirt design contest. Teens were asked to use "Bloom Where You're Planted" as the theme to create a unique design. All teens received a shirt with the winning design as a gift from the Auxiliary. First place was awarded to Sarah Schultz and second place to Emily Dufty. <br /> <br /> "The theme for our teen volunteer program is 'Bloom Where You're Planted,' and our teens truly demonstrated excellence this summer giving more than 4400 hours of service at the Medical Center," said Lynne Allen, director of Volunteer Services at NGMC. "The assistance our teens provided this summer makes a tremendous difference. They not only work hard, but they also brighten lives and lift souls."<br /> <br /> One hundred and eighty volunteers received awards for completing 30 or more hours of service including: Betty Huynh and Helly Patel for 300 hours; Indira Islas for 400 hours; and Caitlin Gooch for 500 hours.

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