Jean Kaufman remembers the way her mother’s face would light up as the birds came. She noticed that, even through a plate of glass, watching the fleeting birds and hearing the echoes of their melodious chirping radiated a joy throughout her entire room at Haven Hospice.
“We put a bird feeder and bird bath outside of her window, and she was just overjoyed with seeing the birds each day,” Kaufman recalled.
This sweet memory is what inspired her to become one of the many volunteers at Haven Hospice who help carry on its mission throughout the 18 counties it serves.
Kaufman has made it her personal mission to bring the same joy her mother found to all of Haven’s patients. She has placed bird feeders and bird baths at each of the four care centers and keeps them stocked with birdseed at all times.
“I’m in awe of her dedication,” said Courtney Quirie, director of volunteer services at Haven. “She’s made this commitment to helping Haven maintain something that may seem so simple, but people don’t realize it’s the little things like this that bring such delight and joy to patients and their families. It really is commendable.”
As the poultry chairperson for the local 4-H Club, Kaufman has become a local expert on birds. She also wrote a book, which can be found in the library at the E.T. York Haven Hospice Care Center in Gainesville, about the various native bird species that Haven’s patients might see outside of their windows.
“Even outside of the bird feeders, Jean is just a good, amazing person,” Quirie said. “She is an example of the volunteer who everyone wants – every organization wishes someone like that will walk through their door.”
It is her immeasurable passion for birds and volunteering that awarded Kaufman the title of Haven Hospice Volunteer of the Year 2011. But, it’s the patients themselves who motivate Kaufman to continue her donations.
“I know a woman who didn’t want to enter hospice care because she didn’t want to leave her birds at home,” Kaufman said. “But then when they reassured her that there would be birds at Haven, she willingly came to where she needed to be. Things like that keep me going.”
But keeping up with all of the feeders quickly grew to be an expensive task for Kaufman. After reaching out to the Alachua Audubon Society, the organization not only gave her advice on what type of seed to buy and where to place the feeders, but it also raised $850 to help pay for the seed.
Because $30 in birdseed only last two weeks, help from the AAS has been a blessing, Kaufman said. It also donated two pairs of binoculars to Haven, so the patients can get a closer look at the birds outside of their windows.
“Patients will come to the front desk at the care centers and say, ‘My bird feeder is empty, I need it filled,’” Kaufman said. “It really brings them joy, and I enjoy seeing their happiness.”
Kaufman has put in bird feeders, bird baths, hummingbird feeders and even two Blue Jay houses. From Cardinals to Chickadees, a colorful assortment of singing friends can be found outside the windows of Haven Hospice.
Anyone interested in donating to the birdseed fund can contact Helen Warren, president of the Alachua Audubon Society at (352) 214-7755.
To learn more about Haven Hospice and to find out about volunteering, visit www.havenhospice.org.