Robert Riolo has dedicated over two years as a volunteer at Silver Hill Hospital. A patient here in 2016, Robert enjoys coming back and sharing his story and perspective with current Silver Hill patients. Learn more about Robert here.

National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate the millions of volunteers who donate their time to better their communities. Between September 2013 and September 2014, about 63 million people, or 25% of the population, volunteered at least once. The hours of service given in the last year were valued at $173 billion; the average value of a volunteer hour in the U.S. is $22.55 ($26.43 in Connecticut). 

For many people it’s hard to hold back a smile when you are greeted by a happy, friendly yellow lab looking for a pat on the head. Meet Hooper, one of the visiting therapy dogs at Silver Hill Hospital.

Frank Bordonaro created a weekly drawing group for the Adolescent Transitional Living Program, a residential program for teens struggling with psychiatric and addiction problems.

Volunteers are the backbones of our communities and the nonprofit world relies heavily on their time and many talents and now it’s time to honor them; it’s National Volunteer Week!

For decades, Silver Hill Hospital and its patients have benefited from the innumerable acts of kindness and creative contributions of volunteers from all parts of Fairfield and Westchester Counties. Volunteers seek us out from wherever they may be when they are thinking about ways to give back to the community—they come from college campuses, popular Internet sites like volunteermatch.org or other nonprofit organizations like the Good Dog Foundation or the United Way.

National Volunteer Week is about recognizing people who find imaginative ways to engage in their communities—and through their example, encourage others to do so. Millions of people in thousands of cities and towns across America have found a way to make the world a better place. Each year, by Presidential Proclamation, one week is set aside to collectively acknowledge their extraordinary contributions.

For well over a decade, we have offered a dog therapy program at Silver Hill for the very same reason: playing with dogs can help our patients feel better. But even more than that, with their unconditional love and complete acceptance, pet therapy dogs can help patients heal. It’s not an overstatement to say that there are real, tangible therapeutic benefits derived from our pet therapy program.