JANE ANTONUCCI:

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RICHMOND - As a volunteer with Charity Hospice Inc. in Wintersville, Jane Antonucci doesn't think anything she's done merits public recognition, but Cathy Cich, the organization's founder and administrator, does.

As a matter of record, Cich calls Antonucci "the most loving and giving person" that she knows.

And she's at no loss to cite many reasons why.

Antonucci will be honored at the 2009 Herald-Star Community Star dinner set for 6 p.m. Thursday at Froehlich's Classic Corner in Steubenville.

Antonucci has served the organization in various capacities, according to Cich, including as a board of trustees member and treasurer, as a patient care volunteer and as an office helper to name a few.

"Charity Hospice has grown in leaps and bounds because of the unending, unselfish giving of this remarkable woman," Cich wrote in nominating Antonucci for Community Star recognition.

"Jane has made a beautiful blanket for every one of our patients yet refuses to accept any form of monetary reimbursement for any of her efforts. Patients and families have treasured the blankets she has made," Cich said, pointing out that in three years' time, that has amounted to more than 400 blankets, most of them personalized to suit the patient in some way, either in design or color, for example.

"She has worked numerous hours in our office, designing and making our patient care informational books, brochures and countless items that better our service and care. Patients and families whom she has served as their volunteer have adored her," Cich wrote.

Antonucci also has prepared meals for families who have been so busy serving their loved ones that they have no time to do so themselves, Cich added.

"It's all those little things that she has done that have made us different. It's that warm, fuzzy feeling. She is that ray of sunshine that walks through the door," Cich said in lavishing praise upon Antonucci, who resides in Richmond with her husband, Rich, owner of Celebrations in Steubenville. The family also includes daughter Carla Marx, son-in-law Jack, and their two grandsons, Jack Marx, 10, and Ben Marx, 5.

Antonucci dismisses the limelight but said she embraces the work of Charity Hospice, whose mission statement is to create a unique homelike environment where specialized care is provided to meet the holistic needs of terminally ill patients and their families. It serves patients in Jefferson County, southeastern Harrison County and southern Columbiana County.

Whatever she does for Charity Hospice in a volunteer capacity is a way of giving back, according to Antonucci, who has been on the receiving end of having hospice's help, the first time when her father, Harry Baker, died.

She said her exposure to the dying-at-home concept left her feeling awkward, not knowing what to say or do, so relief came in the form of hospice volunteers who brought dignity, normalcy and a caring ease to the situation.

"I didn't know how to handle it or what to say," Antonucci said in dealing with an end-of-life situation, also in the cases of other family members, including her mother, Virginia Baker; her in-laws, Carl and Mildred Antonucci; and sister-in-law, Betty Antonucci.

But it would ultimately inspire her to become involved with hospice.

What she does now as a volunteer mirrors the help she received, according to Antonucci, who among other things prepared a prayer book of meditations to bring comfort to patients and their families.

She expressed her own thoughts about being a patient care volunteer in a special booklet she prepared, one that incorporates the experiences of other volunteers, too.

"Three times with our parents, I have experienced the caregiver's role. I know the stress of the situation. I know that feeling of relief when someone comes in your home with understanding, comfort, love and honesty as the Charity Hospice staff brings. I know the appreciation felt by the family. And I know I want to be a part of the team who enters into that situation to help families through a very difficult time," she wrote in the booklet.

"In my volunteer role I have been witness to very endearing moments between a patient and spouse. To be allowed to see that commitment is humbling for me. Another time, I arrived at a home and the spouse said they were so happy to see me right then that I received a kiss and a hug. With one patient, we listened to music or I read from the Bible, both of which relaxes and gives quality of life. Sometimes I am just there to listen to a patient's life stories, some bringing laughter while others bring tears, but I love to hear them," she continued.

"We all know volunteering is rewarding and being a part of someone's journey to the next life is a special way to contribute and to serve others."

(Kiaski can be contacted at jkiaski@heraldstaronline.com.)