2025 Good Samaritans Announced
ROME, Ga., April 21, 2025 – Four volunteers at Atrium Health Floyd have been recognized as Good Samaritans for their dedication and willingness to serve. April 20-26 is National Volunteer Week.
This year's honorees include Sis “Lavina" Akins, Heyman Hospice Care; Tom Harper, the gift shop at Floyd Medical Center; Linda Shafarow, the gift shop at Polk Medical Center and Kathleen Temple, Floyd Healthcare Foundation.
“These volunteers were selected for Atrium Health Floyd's Good Samaritan of the Year because they exemplify the heart of servant leadership," said Carolyn Falcitelli, director of Volunteer Services at Atrium Health Floyd. “As volunteers, they consistently give their time and energy throughout the year to support our mission and enhance the well-being of our community."
Sis Atkins
Akins has been volunteering at Heyman Hospice for about a year. She said the care her mom and dad received there played a role in her decision to volunteer.
“That's when I became aware they are an amazing group of people," she said. She visits the families when the patient is in the last phase of life.
“I just love the life stories, hearing those and being able to help them remember the good times," Akins said. “Hopefully, I am adding to their day and making it a good one for them."
Tom Harper
Harper said volunteering with Atrium Health Floyd seemed like a natural progression after he retired about four years ago. His sister, Amy Burgess, is a teammate at Heyman Hospice.
“I really enjoy giving back and just being around people," Harper said. “I think that is why I like the gift shop. I am pretty much a people person.
He said he does whatever is needed, running the cash register, doing the heavy lifting and just chatting with visitors.
His teammates say he has a servant's heart and is an indispensable part of the volunteer team.
Linda Shafarow
Linda Shafarow said she enjoys working at the gift shop at Polk Medical Center, where she has been selling items and interacting with customers for about a year.
“It's really nice getting to know people and interacting with them," Shafarow said. She works at the shop about two days a week.
“It's a nice break from sitting at home," she added.
Her teammates say her ever-present smile and unwavering helpfulness create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all those patients and visitors who come into the store.
Kathleen Temple
Kathleen Temple has been on the Floyd Healthcare Foundation board for a quarter of a century and serves as secretary. She said advocating about the important role Floyd Medical Center plays in the community is a big part of her mission.
“I believe in a strong hospital because strong hospitals are good for communities, and nobody wants to live in a community that doesn't have a strong hospital," Temple said.
Temple has two children, and both were born at Floyd Medical Center.
“We have always said in our family that if something happens, take us to Floyd," she said. “If Floyd were not here, a lot of the community needs would not be met."
Temple's teammates say her dedication, willingness to participate and sage advice are important to the foundation.
To learn more about volunteering at Atrium Health Floyd, visit https://www.floyd.org/careers/Pages/Volunteer.aspx
About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.