Diana Smithson Named Volunteer of the Year

By Nate Hinkel

 2011 Cancer Institute Volunteer of the Year Diana Smithson (right) with Janie Lowe, director of the Cancer Institute Department of Volunteer Services.

2011 Cancer Institute Volunteer of the Year Diana Smithson (right) with Janie Lowe, director of the Cancer Institute Department of Volunteer Services.

Smithson is a past auxiliary president and has served as chair of both of the auxiliary’s major fundraisers: Cooks Tour and Partners Card. Her involvement also extends to the Cancer Institute Foundation where she has been a member of the Gala for Life committee.

“As a senior vice president at Iberia Bank, Diana has a very busy job, but she still always makes time for the Cancer Institute and other organizations in the community. I’ve really never asked her for anything that she didn’t graciously agree to do,” said Janie Lowe, director of the Cancer Institute Department of Volunteer Services.

In 2011 alone, Smithson donated more 400 hours of volunteer service to the Cancer Institute Auxiliary, and her cumulative hours of service come to 2,000.

Other volunteers recognized at the auxiliary’s fall meeting for their cumulative hours earned over the course of their membership were:

Kenan Keyes – 4,000 hours
Marge Schueck – 4,000 hours
Marcia Darr – 2,000 hours
Ginanne Long – 2,000 hours
Gloria Redman – 2,000 hours
Carla Emanuel – 1,000 hours
Isabelle Monroe – 1,000 hours

More than 600 members strong, the volunteer auxiliary at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is one of the state’s largest volunteer organizations. From October 2010 through September 2011, Cancer Institute volunteers donated almost 68,000 hours of service, the monetary value of which is calculated to be approximately $1.4 million.

Volunteers serve in many capacities, including assisting patients in the waiting rooms, providing one-on-one assistance through the MVP (Most Vital Pal) program, performing live music in the atrium and staffing the gift shop.

Volunteers also assist with programs at the Auxiliary Cancer Support Center and UAMS Family Home, participate in special events such as cancer screenings and the annual staff breakfast, and work on fundraising projects.