With New and Familiar Faces, Friends of Strong Volunteer Program is ‘On the Rise’

Friends of Strong reflects on the silver linings of a tumultuous two years as we celebrate National Volunteer Appreciation Week and look forward to continued growth of our much-loved volunteer program which hosts hundreds of volunteers from the greater Rochester area each year. Read more about our program and meet several of our most faithful volunteers.

Chance Encounter Leads New Group of Friends to Donate 3000+ Teddy Bears

Several skilled and generous ladies from Fairport’s Legends at Whitney Senior Apartment Community were among the first to donate hand-sewn face masks via our pop-up donation center back in March 2020, and before long that chance encounter in the earliest days of the pandemic led to this new group of friends stepping up to keep our long-running teddy bears initiative—which provides comfort and support to pediatric patients throughout Strong Memorial and Golisano Children’s hospitals—going strong. 

Friends of Strong Welcomes New Volunteer Program Manager

A familiar face to our volunteers throughout the past four years, Karen Keating is our newly appointed Volunteer Program Manager, overseeing many new beginnings and enhancements to our volunteer program. She will be joined by existing and new colleagues, Nance Lazarek and Cory Dagen, as they work together to support our evolving volunteer programs.

Our Therapy Dogs Show Us Their Best with Fifth Annual Wall Calendar Fundraiser

Our ever-popular Pet Therapy Dog wall calendar—2022 edition—is now available at the Friends of Strong Gift Shop. Featuring our ever-growing pack of 19 "celebrity" pups who provide uplifting comfort and engagement to patients of all ages, this adorable calendar benefits patient- and family-centered care initiatives throughout Strong Memorial Hospital.

Pandemic Perseverance: How Our Volunteers are Making an Impact

As we look toward National Volunteer Week 2021, Friends of Strong reflects on a remarkable year of perseverance for our community, and for our volunteers. The pandemic has led to countless changes in our community, and the absence of more than 1,300 smiling volunteers we’re used to seeing in the Med Center is among the most significant. Since COVID-19’s first emerged in our community, Friends of Strong has worked hard to redesign our volunteer program to provide additional training and protocols to safely welcome back our crew of enthusiastic volunteers.