Making a Difference Down the Road
A few years later, Jan walked into Chelsea Hospital and asked how she might lend a hand. Surprisingly, there was no organized volunteer corps – but there was a small group of women who played cards and games with patients on Thursdays.
With Jan’s encouragement, they began taking on extra projects. Within a year, Jan became Director of Volunteers; when she left the post 18 years later, 240 volunteers were working all over the hospital.
Jan also jumped into the role of fundraiser, and was among the leaders and founders of the Hospital’s gift shop and its annual Spring Auction. She paid for supplies and sewed countless backdrops, tablecloths, napkins, upholstery and drapes to create splendid special events. She continues to be a loyal supporter and works behind the scenes to ensure that special touches support our patients, such as fresh flowers in our Cancer Center.
The Jan and Bob Lyons Family Foundation also purchased a chemotherapy treatment bay in honor of Bob, who lost his battle with cancer in 2004.
Jan says that having cancer treatment available in Chelsea is important, “so people don’t have to travel far for treatment.” She added, “Just like Bob, unfortunately, somebody has to sit in an infusion chair. And maybe we’ve been able to make another one available. He would like that.”
Jan is a member of Chelsea Hospital’s Acorn Group, which recognizes people who have included the hospital in their will. “It was an appropriate thing to do with the hospital being so close to my heart,” she says. “I feel good about leaving this money to a place that has given me so much.”
Jan says that her bequest is a gift not just from her finances, but from her heart. “I know that all these things make a difference down the road. Arranging a gift like this makes you feel good inside. I learned that from Bob.”
