On April 29, Palisades Medical Center celebrated National Volunteer Week by holding a special luncheon at the Waterside in North Bergen to recognize its dedicated volunteers for their tireless efforts. During the Volunteer Recognition Luncheon, Beatriz “Bea” Garcia of Edgewater received a special recognition award for serving nearly 15,000 volunteer hours at Palisades Medical Center during the last 15 years.
“Bea is a vital part of the day-to-day activities at Palisades,” said Bruce J. Markowitz, president and CEO of Palisades Medical Center. “She is well respected by our employees and Medical Staff for her work in lending a helping hand to virtually every department at the Medical Center.”
Garcia’s volunteer efforts at Palisades began by supporting patients in need of feeding assistance through the Meal Mate program. She quickly expanded her patient care efforts by serving as a Patient Navigator for breast cancer screenings and assisting the Patient Relations Department in doing personal follow-ups with discharged patients. She has also served as the manager of the gift shop at Palisades where she coordinated other volunteers and continually implemented new merchandising and sales ideas.
In recent years, Garcia has played an active role in boosting fundraising efforts to support the Palisades Medical Center Foundation. As a member of the auxiliary, she has played a major role in all bake sales, book sales and raffles. She has also helped organize bus trips to Atlantic City with all proceeds donated to the foundation. In addition to her volunteer work at Palisades Medical Center, Garcia is involved in several civic programs. The mayor of Jersey City presented Ms. Garcia an official Certificate of Appreciation and recognized her as one of the most-active members of the Hispanic community in New Jersey. Garcia also currently serves on the Board of Health in Edgewater.
During the Volunteer Recognition Luncheon, Palisades Medical Center staff presented commemorative pins to the following volunteers to recognize their cumulative hours of service to the Medical Center:
14,500 Hours
Beatriz Garcia of Edgewater
6,500 Hours
Katherine Lockwood of North Bergen
5,000 Hours
Eronidez Cristofol of West New York
Paul DeSavino of New Milford
4,000 Hours
Gladys Leech of Fort Lee
2,500 Hours
Isabelle Romano of Hasbrouck Heights
2,000 Hours
Dorothy Riley of Weehawken
1,000 Hours
Joan Bacon of Jersey City
Marie Theresa Giusto of Weehawken
750 Hours
Edelma Acosta of West New York
Huei Lan Kao of Fort Lee
Charles Kim of Cliffside Park
500 Hours
Seneida Gomez of Guttenberg
Lorraine Moretto of West New York
250 Hours
Caroline Imperato of North Bergen
Ellen Lewis of Guttenberg
Luisa Rivas of North Bergen
Chris Santos of West New York
100 Hours
Virginia Cafaro of Union City
Alexandra De Los Santos of North Bergen
Segundo Fernandez of Guttenberg
Polina Sahanekova of North Bergen
Clara Torres of North Bergen
“Our volunteers play a vital role in helping Palisades Medical Center provide world-class care for our community,” said Markowitz. “They truly exemplify what it means to make a strong commitment to caring for our neighbors each and every day.”
Volunteer activities at Palisades Medical Center include assisting the nursing staff and patients, working in the gift shop, performing clerical duties, and organizing special fundraising events. Volunteer positions offer flexible hours including nights and weekends.
For more information or to volunteer, please call Denise Whitley, Coordinator of Volunteer Services, at (201) 854-5011.