IN Upper St. Clair Spring 2014 | Page 9

Morris –their presence to Veterans who may not have anyone to be with them in their final hour. Volunteers can speak, read or hold the hand of a Veteran and be a comfort to them. They are on call when needed and often stay longer than required – because they want to. Susan Rogers of O’Hara and George Coppola of Collier are two volunteers who graduated from the first class of NVDA training in August. Since then, they have been on two vigils each with dying patients. Coppola, a Vietnam Veteran, has extensive hospice experience with his mother and other loved ones in his life. He’s also known other Veterans who died alone and wants to prevent that from happening to anyone else. Rogers has a 92-year-old World War Two Veteran father who lives in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. She knows that if unable to be at his bedside should the time come, she’d like somebody to be there. Those who want to be on the NVDA team must first become registered VA Pittsburgh volunteers and train in the hospice or palliative care functions at the hospital before receiving additional NVDA training. All interested candidates will be evaluated through Chaplain Alan Morris, BCC, who can be reached at: Alan.Morris@ va.gov or by calling 412.822.1861. GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP Let’s Pick it up PA - March 1 to May 31 Join over 4 million volunteers in the nation’s largest annual community improvement program! Get involved in your community and register your event today! Registered events receive: Free cleanup supplies, such as bags, gloves and vests donated by PennDOT, the Department of Environmental Protection, and Keep America Beautiful (as supplies last). Free disposal during Pick It Up PA Days from April 12th to May 5th sponsored by the Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association, and participating landfills. To register, visit the Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania official website at www.gacofpa.org or contact Michelle Dunn at 877.772.3673 x113 or [email protected]. Continued on page 8 Upper St. Clair | Spring 2014 | icmags.com 7