DONNA RAPCZYK
Donna Rapczyk, RN, received this year’s Distinguished Community Service Award from our Community Relations Department for her volunteer efforts in 2014. This award is given annually to the SBUH staff member who performs the most community service in a year.
Donna provides monthly blood pressure screenings to the Mall Walkers, a Stony Brook program run by Community Relations. Each month, 60-80 senior citizens gather at Smith Haven Mall to get their blood pressure checked, hear a presentation about a health-related issue, and enjoy each other’s company.
Donna recounts this encounter with one of the Mall Walkers. “Recently, (a gentleman) just sat there and told me all about his volunteer work.… He just wanted someone to talk to and I was happy to do it.”
Donna is no stranger to community service herself. As a child, she volunteered with her family at the soup kitchen at St. Hugh of Lincoln Church. She then began providing community service on her own, starting with Habitat for Humanity while she was in high school.
Through the years, Donna has continued to raise money for various causes by participating in a variety of races, triathlons and a polar bear plunge. She says that it’s “fun to give back. It brings joy to your life.”