PMMC volunteer honored for 20 years of service

POTTSTOWN -- A 20-year volunteer at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center was recently honored as part of the hospital’s observance of National Volunteers Week.

Val Udell, 91, became a PMMC volunteer in 1988 and has since logged 7,500 hours of service. The Upper Frederick resident has volunteered in the mailroom, the pharmacy, the reception desk and in medical records.

He also heads a team that every six weeks assembles 700 admission packets for incoming patients.

A retired high school teacher, Udell maintains a two-acre property and also volunteers at Fellowship Farm and at the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, where he coordinates monthly trips to wildflower sites.

According to Sharon Steinmetz, manager of volunteer services, PMMC donated 39,893 hours of service in 2007. Teen volunteers contributed an additional 7,950 hours of service.