An Army of Volunteers

The motor that drives Queen of the Valley Hospital Foundation is its volunteers. Without the men and women who donate their time and energy to everything from attending board meetings to arranging centerpieces to parking cars, the Foundation wouldn’t exist—and quite possibly the hospital wouldn’t, either.

Just how broad and deep volunteer support for the Foundation is comes into focus every two years when it’s time for the Napa Valley Designers Show House. This exciting event is one of the biggest fundraisers for the Foundation, but also the most demanding. In addition to the co-chairs, committee members and dozens of others who work with the designers to create a must-see environment, each Show House requires legions of docents to serve as combination guards and guides for every day the Show House is open.

This year was no exception. The 2000 Show House’s three-week run, from April 30 to May 21, required filling fully 650 docent slots. That’s in addition to the people who handled tickets, ran the boutique and lunchroom, parked the cars, and took care of the million and one other responsibilities that pop up in a project of this magnitude.

Lorraine Yates, staffing chair for the Show House, estimates that at least 600 different people worked on some aspect of the event. “What's so wonderful is that people want to do it,” she says, “because they want to be a part of it. And after they’ve done it once, they want to come back and do it again the next time.”

The Show House isn’t the only Foundation event that requires volunteers. “Truly, the volunteers are the backbone of all the special events the Foundation puts on,” says Jim McKeever, who chairs the Foundation's Special Events Committee. “I’m continually amazed at how generously people offer their services.”

For example, “Day for the Queen,” with its wide range of activities—golf and tennis tournaments, fashion show, barbecue, auction, dancing—requires the work of as many as a hundred people. “Reach for the Stars,” the brunch and fashion show celebrating cancer survivors, depends on volunteers not only to model the fashions, but to take care of just about every other aspect of the event. In addition, dozens of Foundation supporters work at the Napa Valley Wine Auction and the Transamerica Senior Golf Championship every year.

One man who’s a fixture at Foundation events is Foundation trustee Gary Garaventa. Why does he give so much of his time? Gary answers with a question of his own. “How can you repay what Queen of the Valley Hospital has done for this community?” he asks. “The best way I know is to help out the Foundation and volunteer.”