LIZ KIRKMAN

Hospice volunteer, Elizabeth “Liz” M. Kirkman, is one of those people who just does what needs to be done, no questions asked. She became a special events volunteer in 1992 after the death of her mother. She enthusiastically assisted in the fundraising specialty area and was nominated for the Board of Trustees of The Hospice Foundation. Kirkman now serves as chair of the special gifts committee.

This hospice ambassador advocates the services of The Hospice of the Florida Sun coast at every opportunity. Kirkman volunteers at health fairs and other outreach endeavors as a member of the agency’s speakers and community outreach bureau. In 1995, she became a patient/family support volunteer. Since becoming a volunteer, Kirkman has documented more than 4,000 volunteer hours.

Her contributions include accommodating any out-of-the-ordinary needs, such as sitting at the bedside of a dying patient, recording the poetry of a patient whose last wish is to see his words published, spending time with a child whose sibling is a hospice patient or running errands throughout Pinellas County. As a member of the board of trustees of The Hospice Foundation, she is able to convey the needs of patients and their families in such a way that the community is inspired to participate in raising funds to provide hospice services to those in need.

From the time she first volunteered for a hospice fundraiser until now as the volunteer with the most community service hours, Kirkman has developed a leadership style that causes others to want to emulate her. Her experiences with patients and families have strengthened her resolve to ensure that all people in Pinellas County know about hospice programs and services available at the end of their lives. In spite of her own health issues and that of her husband, Kirkman has maintained her ability to ensure that the needs of patients and families on her assigned care team are met. Additionally, she visits other volunteers that are ill or having difficult times.