Page 10 - Discover Fall 2022

Who Cares They Do! CONTINUED
Nurse, and was replaced by Tami Akin,
who retired in 2020, at the beginning of the
COVID pandemic. MOC services were
necessarily suspended during that time,
but after a decline in the transmission rate,
they resumed. Naturally, this required the
adoption of safety precautions, especially
when providing meals.
Neither church has elected to continue
using a parish nurse, so the duties of running
MOC have recently been assumed by JoAnn
Ackermann
of RCC, and
Becki Fuzi of
TEP. JoAnn
coordinates
Bedford
County, and
Becki is in
charge of
Franklin
County.
As the
lake area
population has grown, the need for Care
Leaders has necessarily increased. There are
now 40 Care Leaders, who serve 692 families
with the help of 166 volunteers. In the past
3 years, there has been significant turnover
in the ranks, as well as a 38% increase in the
number of Care Leaders. Therefore, MOC
has a lot of new faces, so JoAnn and Becki
are very busy ladies, and they could use even
more help.
One of the challenges that they face is to
make sure that their volunteers understand
that MOC is designed to provide temporary
help, and direct their clients to more long
term solutions if needed. This ensures that
the volunteers are able to address the needs of
their neighbors without being overwhelmed.
8 Discover Smith Mountain Lake FALL 2022
That said, some volunteers do elect to go
above and beyond what is asked of them, but
they do so completely at their own discretion.
Originally, MOC Care Leaders would
contact parishioners in their assigned areas
twice a year by phone, but with the advent of
technology, it is now often done via e-mail,
text, and electronic cards. These regular
contacts are designed to remind folks about
MOC, as well as to check up on people who
may need them. They are now in the process
of strategizing
for expanding
MOC services,
updating lists of
parishioners, and
using creative
new means of
expanding public
awareness of
MOC.
Naturally, many
volunteers have
discovered that acts
of service to others can be their own reward.
They tell stories of how they have been
touched by their experiences. In one case, a
very nice lady suffered a fall, which resulted
in fractures and other injuries. Her Care
Leader went to the hospital with her, paying
her subsequent visits later on, even including
an overnight stay. She kept in contact with
this lady’s family, keeping them up to date
on her condition. Several other Care Leaders
sent her get well cards while she was in a
rehabilitation facility.
In another case, a gentleman with a
memory condition was taken to the hospital
because of his behavioral issues. Because his
wife doesn’t drive, MOC volunteers provided
her with transportation to the hospital, and