YWCA recognizes local nun for lifetime of service, caring
Published: April 19, 2007
One of Sister Betty Veenhuis’ past kindnesses gave her a call this week.
The call was from the wife of a man who had been hospitalized 10 years ago. The woman remembered the nun’s caring for her husband, and she asked the sister to check on a friend who’s in the hospital now.
“It was one of those humbling experiences, that you were able to help them in their life and they remember it,” said Veenhuis, who is Borgess Health liaison for patient visitation, mission and values.
Sister Veenhuis of St. Joseph, 69, also is the 23rd recipient of the YWCA Lifetime Woman of Achievement Award.
The award is given to a woman who has demonstrated a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the well-being of the community, state or nation, and has a record of accomplishment, leadership and positive role modeling, according to the YWCA.
The Kalamazoo native grew up on the city’s north side and remembers riding her bicycle from her home on Paterson Street to St. Augustine High School. Veenhuis, a tomboy, thought about becoming a physical-education teacher and loved to play tennis, softball and other sports.
She grew up with two brothers and a sister in Kalamazoo. Her father worked for Eaton Manufacturing and her mother was a homemaker before taking a job at Schensul’s Cafeteria.
Veenhuis was 18 when she was invited to join the Sisters of St. Joseph.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Nazareth College and a master’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Veenhuis spent 10 years in elementary education in Chicago and Taylor, Mich.
Her duties today include visiting patients, working with patient representatives, bringing communion to Catholic patients and assisting employees.
She said working in a hospital is a “sacred trust.”
“Suffering is part of life,” Veenhuis said. “Are there days when I feel overwhelmed? Yes.
“It’s tough to see a teenager come in after a motor-vehicle accident who isn’t going to make it.”
But, she said, “You see those little miracles, too.”
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