VOP Voice - December 2016

December 2016

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Webb, Andy

Volunteer of the Month:
Andy Webb

December's Volunteer of the Month is Andrew (Andy) Webb of Roland. Now in his third year of service, Andy volunteers at Bethany Life in Story City, where he says it's his passion to make sure seniors in their last chapter of life get the dignity, respect and love they deserve.

Andy grew up in Holtville, California, before his family moved to San Diego when he was in fourth grade. He finished high school there and went on to attend San Diego State, where he met his future wife, Margie. Andy earned a bachelor's degree in social sciences and a master's degree in special education, along with the equivalent of a master's degree in both school administration and theology. 

Andy married Margie in 1970 and the couple had two children, Karen and James. He spent 12 years working in public education as a teacher and principal before he felt the Lord calling him into the ministry. He served as an assistant pastor for four years in Modesto, California, before becoming the senior pastor of the Oakland Avenue Free Methodist Church in Orangevale, California, where he worked for 27 years.

After retiring in 2012, Andy and Margie moved to Iowa to be close to his son's family. In addition to serving as a Volunteer Ombudsman, Andy also serves on the Roland City Council and is a 41-year member of Kiwanis. In his spare time, Andy enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with his five grandchildren.
Birthday cupcake

Volunteer Anniversaries

The following volunteers are celebrating their two-year anniversary in December:

  • Lois Bartelme – Windmill Manor (Coralville)
  • Kot Flora – Lantern Park (Coralville)
  • Jerry Hampton – Lamoni Specialty Care (Lamoni) and Southern Hills Specialty Care (Osceola)
  • Al Hart – Wesley Acres (Des Moines)
  • Merron Hart – Wesley Acres (Des Moines)
  • Maria Montoya – Rockwell Community Nursing Home (Rockwell)
  • Jo Ann Prince – Valley View Village (Des Moines)
  • Doug Sutter – Urbandale Health Care Center (Urbandale)

The following volunteers have served with us for three years:

    • Linda Clark – Panora Specialty Care (Panora) and The New Homestead (Guthrie Center)
    • Joan Milburn – St. Francis Manor (Grinnell)

    Man at computer

    Continuing Education Opportunities & Events


    Statewide VOP Conference Call
    Minutes from November's VOP Conference Call on the Managed Care Ombudsman Program have been posted online.

    Save the date for our next statewide VOP Conference Call on Jan. 18, 2017, at 2 p.m. We plan to host the conference call on a second date/time to be announced next month. Watch for more details.

    Happy Holidays
    		 Calendar due date

    Monthly Reports Due

    This is a friendly reminder that monthly reports for November should be submitted if you have not already done so. Online reports must be completed by Dec. 5. Contact your VOP Coordinator for technical assistance.

    we need you

    VOP Recruitment: Can You Help?

    Are you a member of a church or civic organization? If so, we would love to hear from you. We would like to connect with your church or group leaders in order to share some information about the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and our volunteer opportunities. We can provide a presentation, send an article for a newsletter or bulletin or send brochures to distribute. We also have press releases you can share with your local newspaper, and would love to assist you in writing a letter to the editor or with any other ideas you may have to get the word out and recruit more volunteers. Please send your ideas to volunteervop@iowa.gov.