The week of April 18 is Volunteer Week. As director of volunteers at Butler Health System, I would like to publicly acknowledge all of the men, women and candy stripers who so tirelessly give of their time and talents to enhance the health and life of the patients of the Butler County community.

In this day and age, when all of us have many other commitments in our lives, these men and women take time to give back to our community, and they should be recognized for their honest and sincere commitment to "paying forward" to their neighbors.

The high schoolers who volunteer as candy stripers are to be commended as well. As we all know, high school pulls our children in many different directions. There always is some type of practice or extracurricular activity. But these kids have decided to share their lives in this very meaningful way and therefore make a difference in their neighbors' lives.

We celebrate all of the Butler Health System volunteers and candy stripers and their unwavering commitment to our patients.

We celebrate them and we honor them for their support, dedication and commitment to the health system and the people of the county.

We are grateful to have them as a part of our Butler Health System family, and we thank them this week for sharing their lives with us.