Watch the replay of our first Patient Support Volunteer Virtual Summit.
Volunteers who made a significant impact this year were recognized and appreciated during the first Patient Support Volunteer Virtual Summit, held on April 24. If you were unable to join live, you can watch a recording on YouTube.
More than 415 people attended this first-ever event, and 671 registered. Feedback has been pouring in and the overall consensus is that the summit was full of inspiring and eye-opening information. Many guests walked away with a completely new outlook on the scope of our programs and outreach and are motivated to deepen their involvement. Responses to a quick survey at the end of the event have rated the event on average 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Some of the immediate participant feedback included the following comments:
“This Summit has been REALLY great! Very inspiring and touching. And informative! I learned about other programs (like Hope Lodge). It was also wonderful to see the volunteer award winners and hear the video stories. Thank you for all you do!!”
“The presentation I just heard was very interesting and the testimonies of some people were truly shocking, like Tiana's. I did not know about other programs as wonderful as Ever You or Hope Lodge, and it is very good to know that they exist to be able to give timely information to whoever needs it.”
“I was not looking forward to the conference on my one day a week off. Left the golf course and my friends and made it just at 3 for the start. Have to admit I was totally impressed. Had no idea all the programs the ACS operates or facilitates. It was worth my attention and wish I could do more.”
Thank you to the event organizers, speakers, and volunteers who made this event a success!
Award winners honored during the event included the following.
Nationwide Patient Support Pillar Awards
Two award winners were recognized during the Patient Support Volunteer Virtual Summit and had been recognized previously at the National Volunteer Leadership Summit, held in January, in Atlanta, GA.
2023 Patient Support Volunteer Award For Excellence
Carol Smith, Wyoming
The Patient Support Volunteer Award for Excellence recognizes an American Cancer Society volunteer who has made an incredible impact on the lives of people with cancer and their families through one of our mission-driven patient support programs.
Carol Smith began her volunteerism with ACS in 2008, when she began a 10-year run as a local Relay For Life event lead in her hometown of Lander, WY. However, Carol is best known for bringing the ACS Road To Recovery program to Fremont County, a rural area in Wyoming with more than 39,000 residents. With the majority of the county considered rural, area residents must often travel more than 60 miles one way to get to their cancer treatment. To help address these issues, Carol began working with the American Cancer Society in 2018 to launch the Road To Recovery program in Fremont and helped build up the program to where it is today. Carol actively promotes the Road To Recovery program across the county through volunteer fairs and other community events, church activities, local doctor’s offices, and in the local media. She is also a volunteer driver herself!
2023 Lane Adams Quality of Life Award
Eleanor Walker, MD, Michigan
The Lane Adams Quality of Life Award is reserved for those unique caregivers who lead in their areas of expertise and make a significant impact for people with cancer, as well as their families and communities.
Dr. Eleanor Walker is a radiation oncologist and serves as division director of Breast Services in Radiation Oncology at Henry Ford Health in Detroit. She led the implementation of the ExcITE program at Henry Ford, which provides individualized exercise programs for any cancer patient or survivor as well as access to Henry Ford fitness facilities. In 2021, she was awarded a $250,000 grant from Pfizer and the American Cancer Society aimed at reducing prostate cancer disparities in Black men. She led a team focused on providing education to both the community and to providers, visiting churches, community centers, and even car dealerships to provide assessments and screening. In total, 382 men were screened for prostate cancer. This year, Dr. Walker will be a keynote speaker at the Detroit Discovery Ball, highlighting the transportation barriers that many patients face.
ACS CARES
Three award winners were honored.
2023 Student Standout Leadership Award
Georgia Kern, South Carolina
The Student Standout Leadership Award recognizes an ACS student volunteer who has made an impact on the ACS CARES non-clinical student program within the first three months of volunteering.
2023 Community Volunteer Award
Rose Bourassa, California
The ACS CARES Community Volunteer award recognizes an volunteer in their unique role as navigation supporters offering information, resources, and shared lived experience to those affected by cancer.
2023 Health System Champion Award
Medical University of South Carolina, Hollings Cancer Center
The ACS CARES Health System award recognizes the achievement of the health care team champion(s) who lead the team to this pilot program.
Hope Lodge
Three award winners were honored.
2023 Margot S. Freudenberg National Volunteer Group Award
Delta Mu Mu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi, Georgia
The Margot S. Freudenberg National Volunteer Award is presented annually to a volunteer group in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Hope Lodge program.
2023 Margot S. Freudenberg National Volunteer Individual Award
Ellen Elam, Texas
The Margot S. Freudenberg National Volunteer Award is presented annually to a volunteer in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Hope Lodge program.
2023 Margot S. Freudenberg National Volunteer Rookie of the Year Award
Madison Pope "DJ Ness," Georgia
The Rookie of the Year award recognizes an American Cancer Society Hope Lodge volunteer who has made an incredible impact on the Hope Lodge program within their first year of volunteering with the program.
Reach To Recovery
Two award winners were honored with the 2023 Outstanding Volunteer award which recognizes an American Cancer Society Reach To Recovery volunteer who has made an incredible impact on the program by continuously going above and beyond. They were:
Christina Green of Missouri, and Julia Stegeman "In honor of Blanche Williams" of Kansas.
Road To Recovery
Twenty award winners were honored in total for the Road To Recovery program.
Five award winners were honored with the 2023 Rookie of the Year award which recognizes an American Cancer Society Road To Recovery volunteer who has made an incredible impact on the program within their first year of volunteering with the program. They were:
Aleks Rabrenovich of California; Jerry Bevacqua of Hawaii; Mike Donohoo of Wisconsin; Rod Morton of North Carolina; and Ron Lay of Pennsylvania.
Five award winners were honored with the 2023 Pacesetter of the Year award which recognizes an American Cancer Society volunteer who has completed the highest number of Road To Recovery rides this calendar year in their region or state. They were:
Bob Johnson of Missouri; Julie Thomas of California; Sandra Waguespack of Louisiana; Yoko Momohara of Washington; and Judy Brim of Kentucky.
Seven award winners were honored with the 2023 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award which recognizes an American Cancer Society Road To Recovery volunteer who has made an incredible impact on the program by continuously going above and beyond. They were:
Carol Smith of Wyoming; Cynthia Wilson of Florida; Dana Gruber North Carolina; Kevin Schmidle of New York; Lon Kruger of Nevada; Rob Rickenback of Connecticut; and Tom Beres of Ohio.
Three award winners were honored with the 2023 Partner of the Year award which recognizes an American Cancer Society Road To Recovery partner who has made a significant impact on the Road To Recovery program. They were:
Advent Health, The University of Kansas Health System & The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and Pohanka Automotive Group of Salisbury.
