Volunteer Amelia Sullivan cares for a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Erlanger hospital.
Carol McCamish has logged about 3,000 hours as a volunteer at Memorial Hospital.Volunteering Among Demographic GroupsIn 2012:• Women volunteered at a higher rate than did men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics.• By age, 35- to 44-year-olds were most likely to volunteer (31.6 percent); 20- to 24-year-olds least likely to volunteer (18.9 percent).• Teens (16- to 19-year-olds) had a volunteer rate of 27.4 percent.• For persons 45 years and over, the volunteer rate tapers off as age increases.• Among the major race and ethnicity groups, whites volunteered at a higher rate (27.8 percent) than blacks (21.1 percent), Asians (19.6 percent) and Hispanics (15.2 percent).• Married persons volunteered at a higher rate (31.9 percent) in 2012 than did those who had never married (20.7 percent) and those with other marital statuses (21.3 percent).• The volunteer rate of parents with children under age 18 (33.5 percent) remained higher than for persons without children (23.8 percent).• Individuals with higher levels of education engaged in volunteer activities at higher rates than did those with less education. Among persons age 25 and over, 42.2 percent of college graduates volunteered, compared with 17.3 percent of high school graduates and 8.8 percent of those with less than a high school diploma.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsVolunteering Among Demographic GroupsIn 2012:• Women volunteered at a higher rate than did men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics.• By age, 35- to 44-year-olds were most likely to volunteer (31.6 percent); 20- to 24-year-olds least likely to volunteer (18.9 percent).• Teens (16- to 19-year-olds) had a volunteer rate of 27.4 percent.• For persons 45 years and over, the volunteer rate tapers off as age increases.• Among the major race and ethnicity groups, whites volunteered at a higher rate (27.8 percent) than blacks (21.1 percent), Asians (19.6 percent) and Hispanics (15.2 percent).• Married persons volunteered at a higher rate (31.9 percent) in 2012 than did those who had never married (20.7 percent) and those with other marital statuses (21.3 percent).• The volunteer rate of parents with children under age 18 (33.5 percent) remained higher than for persons without children (23.8 percent).• Individuals with higher levels of education engaged in volunteer activities at higher rates than did those with less education. Among persons age 25 and over, 42.2 percent of college graduates volunteered, compared with 17.3 percent of high school graduates and 8.8 percent of those with less than a high school diploma.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic
Amelia Sullivan of Chattanooga has earned the title “lead cuddler.”
One of Erlanger hospital’s most prized volunteers, the 70-year-old Sullivan has earned the distinction by soothing babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. A retired registered nurse and business owner, she has volunteered at Erlanger for the last 16 years.
“I look forward to Thursdays when I can comfort a baby, help a nurse with patient care, encourage a parent, or contribute to some need in NICU,” she says. “We learn to feed babies who nipple well, give baths, change diapers, take temperatures, swaddle and comfort, run errands and whatever else that needs to be done.”
Since the War of 1812, Tennessee has been called the “Volunteer State,” earning the nickname because volunteer soldiers from Tennessee, serving under Gen. Andrew Jackson, were noted for their valor during the Battle of New Orleans, a key U.S. victory.