Volunteers have played an important role in The Floating Hospital’s history, beginning in the summer of 1875—just nine years after its founding—aboard the Emma Abbott, our first ship clinic. That summer, 17 volunteer physicians provided medical aid to 22,820 children and their parents, who eagerly boarded the ship not only for nourishment and entertainment, but for relief from their overcrowded city tenements.
Ever since, volunteers have brought invaluable resources, enthusiasm, expertise and community connections to The Floating Hospital. They’ve helped us amplify our impact and have significantly contributed to the well-being of the families we serve—whether they were musicians, puppeteers and magicians who entertained passengers while they waited to see a provider, or college students helping a robust staff of 70+ doctors, nurses, social workers and occupational therapists. The days were long and the work—serving nearly 1,500 passengers daily—was exhausting. Volunteers were essential.
Today, in our land-based clinic, volunteers deliver aid in myriad ways as we have evolved and expanded our services. Nowadays, you’ll find like-minded folks from other non-profit organizations, individuals, corporations and various business sectors all helping us better serve our patient families in large and small ways.
One such helper is Project Sunshine, a non-profit organization that brings play and activities directly to pediatric patients in hospitals. For the past decade, it has brought its brand of sunshine to our clinic, leading a monthly crafts day with kids in our teaching center. Dr. Meghan Miller works with the organization on play themes that align with our scheduled programming.
“Project Sunshine volunteers are engaging and extroverted—patients love them! They come with their own lessons and even bring premade “Sunshine” craft kits for [caretakers] to play with the children at home.”
Floating Hospital vice president of development Laura Evans heads our corporate and donor volunteer program, planting the seeds she hopes will grow into a lasting relationship.
“Volunteers tend to arrive not knowing what to expect,” she says. “By the time they leave, they are touched by our work.”
One such example is our Women’s Wellness pop-up clinic, a twice-a-year self-care event for women who rarely have time or resources to focus on themselves. This beloved community event combines vital medical services and screenings with pampering and fun activities. It’s a whole-clinic affair that requires numerous external partners, suppliers, donors, staff and volunteers to plan and execute.
Evans organized multiple groups to help with tasks at each phase of the event, matching preferences, experience and availability with need. Meera Patturajan from the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association volunteered not only her time, but her opinion about the importance of the work.
“Normally, we don’t have the chance to do things like this,” she said. “We’re in offices in front of computers, right? We haven’t had this kind of hands-on experience. We’re learning new skills and interacting with people—giving back and learning.”
The Floating Hospital benefits from the spirit of volunteerism all year around and especially in its marquis event, Candy Cane Lane, a five-day holiday-themed wonderland during which staff and volunteers offer up games, crafts and activities, as well as gifts and donations of much-needed winter clothing.
Last year, 62 volunteers and TFH staff members welcomed 770 families in the colorfully decorated clinic. Floating Hospital community liaison Janckfre Arevalo perhaps spoke for all the volunteers when he said, “We were honored to share love and joy with the families. The experience reminded me how grateful I am for every little gift life offers.”
