Hospital volunteers show love and support for Wilmington’s veterans

Military veterans receiving inpatient care at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington receive a special hello every Monday. Gerry Burns and Frank Weisgerber are volunteers who visit veterans in their hospital rooms to deliver get-well support.

But it’s more than this, too. Burns and Weisgerber are part of Veterans’ Rounding, a volunteer team that offers thanks and empathy from people who wish to honor those who serve. Weisgerber is a U.S. military veteran himself, while Burns honors his family’s military legacy. They know that when vets are faced with medical challenges, it can be uplifting to receive encouragement and a “thank you for your service” from someone who truly understands.

On Veterans Day, Burns and Weisgerber bring red, white and blue blankets that were knitted and crocheted by the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center’s GRAD volunteer group. With each visit, they deliver a card thanking their brother- or sister-in-arms for their service. And most importantly, they always bring open hearts and a willingness to listen.

Offering support to those who serve

The Veterans’ Rounding program, which exists in several Novant Health medical centers, extended to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in 2022. A team of 10 volunteers is devoted to visiting veterans receiving care in the 40,000-square-foot hospital on two days each week.

Weisgerber, a six-year Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War, and Burns, whose father fought in World War II and whose two brothers served in Vietnam, are Wilmington residents and long-time hospital volunteers who met through the program. The two volunteer as a duo, visiting as many as 30 veterans each Monday. Kapica Davis, one of the hospital’s volunteer program coordinators, identifies veterans from a question on each patient’s intake form.

Some patients are eager to chat and share stories about their time in the service; some are not. Some are asleep, and the duo leaves the card for them to find upon waking.

“It’s all about just meeting with them,” Weisgerber said. “They’re very appreciative that people care.”

A listening ear

Weisgerber said they’ve met with people who have served in the military for 20 or 30 years and others who were drafted for two. Regardless of the experience, Weisgerber and Burns always offer a listening ear.

“Sometimes I’m at a loss for words; Gerry’s never lost for words,” Weisgerber said with a chuckle. “We kind of feed off each other.”

Their banter and sense of humor is quick and easy. While they both currently reside in Wilmington, they share a common history as New York natives. And both have clocked thousands of volunteer hours at New Hanover Regional Medical Center, with Weisgerber even earning the Presidential Lifetime Volunteer Service Award. To date, he has contributed more than 4,400 volunteer hours.

The connections run deep

Burns, who formerly volunteered in the medical center’s surgical pavilion, jumped at the chance to be part of the Veterans’ Rounding program when Davis asked him. Burns quickly realized that he and Weisgerber found their talks with veterans to be fulfilling.

“After a while, I realized that I was getting a great deal of self-esteem from the work I was doing, just from visiting people,” Burns said. “I just feel soulfully enriched.”

Sometimes, Burns said, when a veteran is feeling “down in the dumps,” he’ll tell a joke to lighten the mood.

“When we walk out of the room, Frank and I, we have a feeling,” Burns said. “We look at each other and say, ‘That was a very good visit.’”

Burns said sometimes, even when patients struggle with a neurocognitive disorder, a story about military service can bring back memories with clarity. He recalls one time when he told a patient with dementia a story about his nephew, Brian, who is a Marine. At the conclusion of the story, the patient let out an enthusiastic “Oorah!”

“That's one of the things that makes this program so successful and so meaningful, is that those military experiences and the sacrifices that the veterans made to serve our country run so deep,” Davis said. “When their health is not in tip-top shape, having somebody come and thank them for what they've done, it really hits a chord.”