Lori Gilbert: Volunteering side-by-side is special gift for Stockton mother, daughter
The
She does it on a regular basis by donating her time to
At the organization's recent Volunteer Recognition Luncheon, Costa and Fox were honored for 2,000 hours of volunteer service, the only mother-daughter team to achieve that mark.
"That was exciting. I was real proud of that," Fox said.
Fox began volunteering at
"They took care of my husband for about six months," Fox said of Donald, her late husband of 48 years. "I put my name in to pay them back for the way they took care of my husband."
Fox had done clerical work throughout her career, her last stop with a fraternal insurance organization called
From answering mail to writing notes of thanks to helping at
When Costa retired from a salvage metal and recycling company, friends she'd met through various chambers of commerce offered suggestions where she could donate her time.
"I knew I wanted to volunteer somewhere," Costa said. "I retired
Mostly, Costa does data input and helps with mailings. Like her mother, however, she pitches in wherever there's a need, including making gift baskets for families at the holidays or for nurses in recognition of Nurse Appreciation Week, which ends Sunday .
Her biggest job is inputting information for the organization's Tree of Lights, a major fundraising event held every December. People donate for lights to honor loved ones, and the lights are strung on a tree at
It helped account for 500 hours of service in her first year at hospice.
"You had as many hours in your first year as I had in my first seven," Fox said.
Like her mom, Costa wanted to give back to Hospice because of how it had helped her loved one.
"When I first came here, the nurse who took care of him was still here," Costa said.
Costa, 64, and her brother, James, grew up seeing their parents give of themselves.
"She was secretary of that for a number of years," Costa said. "That's how she was so active with so many clubs doing so many things."
"When he was retired, all the kids in the neighborhood would go to him to fix their bikes or fix this or fix that," Costa said. "He'd loan out his tools and never cared if he got them back.
"My parents were always helping people, helped family with money or whatever they needed."
Mother and daughter also volunteer at
Costa has put in significant hours four years. Fox has been a steady presence, so much so, that hospice nominated her and she earned a
But one of Fox's proudest achievements is Diana, and introducing her to the joy of volunteering for hospice.
"I wasn't sure she'd like it or even do it," Fox said. "She's a pretty strong young woman."
"Stubborn, in other words," Costa laughed.
"I didn't know if she'd like it, but in another sense, I knew she would because of the people," Fox said. "I love hospice. People here, to me, it's just like a family. I'm going to cry. It's been that way ever since I started. We've all become so close. It's just nice."
Costa found that, too.
"Almost every time you come into work, one of the regular staff people always says, 'thank you for what you do.'"
With health and family issues sidelining two members of the fund development department, Costa is about to fill in and will likely be working full time for a few weeks.
Her hours will soon exceed her mother's, but it's not a competition.
Volunteering at hospice is just something that brings mother and daughter joy.
Contact reporter
___
(c)2019 The Record (Stockton, Calif.)
Visit The Record (Stockton, Calif.) at www.recordnet.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Kemp signs ‘caregiver morphine’ bill in Valdosta
Berks County residents surprised to find out their elderly neighbor was Watergate burglar James McCord
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News