Over the holidays, we’ve featured our 2023 Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award winners in Ballad Health News, as well as on Ballad Health social media. The award honors team members, physicians and volunteers who display the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community, as nominated by their peers. Here’s Nancy Randall, our ninth and final 2023 recipient.
Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their great service? Use the link at the bottom of this story to nominate someone for the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award.
Nancy Randall, a volunteer in Ballad Health’s Northern Region, has been defined by years of love and dedication to others. She has been an active member of Ballad Health’s pet therapy founding committee, and she has spent the last 10 years serving as a hospital volunteer with her registered and certified therapy dogs.
Nancy taught at Fairmont Elementary School for more than 20 years before taking early retirement to care for her critically ill husband. After he passed away, she began assisting with a school food program and then turned her attention turned to the one-of-a-kind pet therapy program at Holston Valley Medical Center.
Through the program, Nancy provides services to hospital patients, team members and visitors, as well as local college and universities students who need to de-stress during exams or times of crisis. In addition, she and her therapy dogs visit nursing homes and assisted living centers and countless community events, such as Ballad Health’s Camp Firefly for grieving children.
In addition, Nancy hand-made approximately 200 (pet-therapy related) seasonal pins for team members and some patients at Holston Valley Medical Center, requiring many hours of her time, and created candy baskets for each nurse’s station.
To standardize the pet therapy policies and procedures throughout Ballad Health, Nancy developed an orientation manual. She then passed the certification test to become a tester/observer for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, as all dogs must be approved by a national pet therapy organization. Notably, when a Ballad Health CEO in Wise County, Virginia, inquired about becoming a pet therapist, Nancy traveled to Norton to certify his dog.
Separately from the pet therapy program, Nancy initiated and led a program at her local church. After her committee there surveyed community needs, they took Pal’s Serve Safe class, renovated the church kitchen and taught all church cooks about safe food-handling procedures. Using team concepts taught to them by Pal’s, they developed cooking teams, cleanup crews and children’s teams to set up tables while learning correct etiquette and creativity. This increased church meal attendance every week and brought members of the congregation closer together with the shared projects in which they were participating.
In another example of her service to others, Nancy literally went the extra mile(s) when she learned that Ballad Health’s Kingsport volunteer manager was in a serious automobile accident in Connecticut. Nancy volunteered to drive to Connecticut to bring him home, as special equipment was needed as well as specific accommodations. Her service shines through in many ways.
More about the Servant’s Heart Award
The award was named in honor of Scott and Nikki Niswonger. Scott is a Greeneville businessman and philanthropist who is the chief benefactor of the Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City, and a member of the Ballad Health board of directors. The Niswongers have a long history of serving others throughout the region, with a strong focus on education highlighted by the creation of The Niswonger Foundation.
Nominate someone!
Do you know someone who has the heart of a servant and deserves recognition for their great work? If so, nominate them for the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award!
