Community Hospice volunteer and Turlock resident Inez Lewis has been awarded with a Daily Points of Light award for her outstanding service and dedication to the organization and the people it services.

Lewis’ involvement with the non-profit didn’t begin as a volunteer, but rather as someone receiving the benefits of the organization.

“I had never even heard of Community Hospice until my husband got sick and I saw the poster one day at his doctor’s office,” Lewis said.

During her husband’s terminal illness, Lewis got to experience first-hand the work Community Hospice does for the patients and for their families.

“They came in when my husband was ill and took care of him,” Lewis said. “They were wonderful with him and helped me.”

The mission of Community Hospice is to provide compassionate and quality care to patients at they near the end of their lives. They provide medical care, therapies, psychological and spiritual counseling for the patient and their families. They can also help with bereavement services and grief counseling. Much of this work is done by volunteers.

“Our dedicated volunteers are the heart of our organization and help us fulfill our mission each day,” said Lupe Perez, Community Hospice’s Director of Volunteers. “We are grateful for the support and dedication Inez has shared with our organization and are elated she received such a prestigious recognition.”

Sometime after her husband’s passing Lewis came across an information booth for Community Hospice at an Earth Day event and felt the calling to give back to the organization that had been so helpful to her and her husband.

Lewis has spent the last 11 years volunteering for Community Hospice in many different capacities including: visiting patients, providing support at the Community Hospice Alexander Cohen Hospice House and traveling the Central Valley to educate community members on resources offered by Community Hospice. 

“I like volunteering because I get to know people I would not have otherwise ever met,” Lewis said. “I just let them talk and sometimes I do come home and cry, but it’s very satisfying to know I may have made it a little easier for someone.”

The Daily Points of Light Award, created by the administration of President George H. W. Bush, honors one individual or group each weekday that has made a positive impact in their community.