Jan 5, 2017 3 min read

I had just finished the check-writing for our household’s year-end charity contributions when I asked myself, “Am I doing enough?”

Hopefully this process is not about resolving any “guilt” (especially if we waited until the last minute to send out the gifts) or trying to earn a better IRS tax deduction. Is that why we give?

A juicy word, eleemosynary, came to me via my smartphone’s dictionary app, something to add to any ambitious wordsmith’s vocabulary. Do you know what it means? Eleemosynary, an adjective, is defined as “generous, charitable, gratuitous, or philanthropic.”

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, especially those that focus on self-centered personal convictions to lose weight or exercise more often, feeble promises we either forget or fail miserably before the second week in January. However, two ways we might become a bit more eleemosynary in 2017 have a little to do with health and helping others, things about which you may not have thought: donate blood and volunteer at your local hospital.

It may be a stretch to interpret these activities as a part of personal wellness goals, but it is true. When you go to Central Blood Bank, you get a health screening, which includes monitoring your blood pressure, iron levels, pulse rate, cholesterol, etc. This should sound like a win-win proposition, where the giver receives substantial benefits, too.

The blood bank always needs to replenish its supply of whole blood, platelets, plasma and red blood cells. The phlebotomists (try using this word at your next hang-man tournament!) are outstanding at making the process as quick, easy, and painless as possible. Take it from someone who was absolutely petrified of needles as a child, but now has 255 and counting blood donations under his belt. These technicians know their stuff.

To make an appointment at one of the 22 Central Blood Bank community donor centers around the area, many of which are open on weekends and some evenings, call 866-366-6771.

Speaking of hospitals, volunteers are urgently needed to assist your local medical health care facilities. The opportunities are numerous: escorting patients, assisting with clerical tasks, staffing the gift shop, greeting visitors, delivering mail, etc.

I am particularly proud of the St. Clair Hospital Volunteer Program, which includes 435 senior and 150 junior volunteers, a team that contributes 90,000 hours of service a year.

My wife, Donna, and I, both escorts, get a lot of personal satisfaction helping people who are less fortunate than we are. By now, we are nearly expert “wheelchair jockeys.” At the hospital, you meet many wonderful people, the majority of whom are undergoing a (hopefully temporary) life challenge – surgery, treatment, observation, rehabilitation – and need “a lift,” literally and figuratively. It has to be said that we have found that “patients are the most patient,” and individuals with the most serious conditions are usually the most appreciative and display the sweetest dispositions.

In my opinion, the environment at St. Clair Hospital is one of warmth, caring and consideration. Volunteers provide an extra human touch for patients and visitors, and along with the highly competent and dedicated paid staff, provide the essential component of St. Clair Hospital’s mission to serve others.

So, are you ready to make a New Year’s resolution that amounts to something tangible?

Paul Fox

Upper St. Clair

Editor’s note: Fox, a retired Upper St. Clair music teacher and township resident, is a volunteer at St. Clair Hospital in Mt. Lebanon