Much like the thrill of driving a go-cart, Omega Neely finds that a day of shuttle driving at PVHMC is hardly work. As a volunteer associate, Neely is one of nearly a thousand respected members of the Pomona Valley Hospital community. / photo by Courtney Droke

by Mark Vidal
photography by Courtney Droke

It is just after eight o’clock in the morning at Hillcrest retirement community in La Verne. Ruth Nickels has finished a session of water aerobic exercises and is ready to seize the work day ahead.

Documents near her computer, neatly piled two feet high, await Ruth’s office arrival. Dressed in her neatly pressed burgundy uniform, Ruth gets into her car and drives to the same place she has been faithfully driving to for the past 40 years, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. And to this day, she has never seen a paycheck.

“I feel like I get more than I give,” Ruth shares with a smile. At 93 years old, Ruth has witnessed many changes take place at Pomona Valley since first volunteering in 1968. “The hospital was great back then, and it’s even better now,” Ruth says, recalling the reason she started volunteering in the first place.

After being treated for an enlarged heart at Pomona Valley Community Hospital, Wally Nickels, Ruth’s son and former La Verne College student, passed away at the age of 28 in April 1968. Seven months later, still grieving, Ruth began serving as a volunteer at the hospital in appreciation of the satisfactory care her son received. “I wanted to give back, really for the good that volunteering can do for others. It makes you feel good helping someone out. It gives you a lift,” Ruth says. And it was that lift that kept Ruth going, going for four decades and becoming a valued member of the PVHMC family, which, like Ruth, has a rich history.

Growing with the community

What began in 1903 inside a two-and-a-half story house amidst a community of citrus farmers, has now flourished into a 450-bed multi-specialty medical center and one of the largest not-for-profit teaching hospitals in the eastern Los Angeles and western San Bernar­dino counties.

“A lot like the University, the hospital has had to meet the needs of the growing community in the last 100 years. And it has done just that,” says President Stephen Morgan of the University of La Verne, a volunteer himself.

Since the early ’90s, Steve has served on the board of directors at PVHMC as volunteer chairman. The board is comprised of attorneys, mayors, teachers and business people from the community who collectively work together to establish hospital policy and address issues concerning the entire PVHMC community. Steve is a firm believer in volunteerism.

“Volunteers dramatically increase our ability to provide services to those in need. From the smallest deeds to the largest, volunteers make a huge difference,” says Steve. And there is no question that PVHMC’s volunteers make a huge difference every day.

“The very essence of nearly 1,000 community members giving nearly 150,000 hours annually of their precious, personal time says a lot about this Hospital’s importance to our community. We make a difference, and it is through the hundreds of volunteers and their leadership that we continue to make a difference,” President and CEO of PVHMC Richard Yochum says.

As a 100 Top Hospital, PVHMC continues to garner national awards each year, including the 2009 Outstanding Patient Experience Award (OPEA) and the Maternity Care Excellence Award from HealthGrades, the country’s leading independent healthcare ratings organization. In addition, Consumer Reports Magazine ranked PVHMC in 2009 as the fourth-highest rated hospital in the Los Angeles Country area.

Since its modest inception, the Pomona Valley family has grown to a staff of more than 650 physicians and 3,200 employees. But perhaps it is the near 1,000 volunteers, one-third of the entire hospital staff, who are responsible for the successes from which the PVHMC community benefits.

In 2008, volunteers gave 110,000 hours of free service, which amounts to $1,115,000 in savings to the hospital. Lindsey Medina, volunteer coordinator at PVHMC, says it would take 53 extra full-time employees to do the same amount of work that volunteers produce. But volunteers do much more than provide financial benefits. “Volunteers provide the human side of the hospital, the listening and emotional support,” Lindsey states. “They treat the well being of our patients.”

A sense of fulfillment

Lorene Connor has been volunteering at the hospital for 10 years. It was only after a family member battled with cancer that she decided she wanted to volunteer in The Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Cancer Care Center, where she has been serving the last four years. “You see happy people here,” Lorene says, walking around the serene atmosphere in the cancer center. Located off site, about half a mile from the main hospital, the cancer center provides a relaxing and tranquil environment complete with a therapeutic waterfall and motivating messages displayed along the walls.

By the look on her face, one can tell how proud Lorene is to be part of the center. “You get patients here who just want to talk, who just want you to listen, or maybe they just need a hug. Being available for these people gives me the ultimate feeling of fulfillment. It’s very rewarding,” Lorene says, trying to hold back tears. “I could not do my job with out volunteers,” Martha Osborne shares, a nurse who works in the cancer center with Lorene. “I call them the healers because they heal the spirits of our patients.”

The cancer center has always been close to the hearts of volunteers. In 1998 the Auxiliary Department, completely run by volunteers, donated $1,000,000 of raised funds to assist the newly developed Cancer Center. The Auxiliary is a not-for-profit organization established by volunteers who serve the hospital and its patients. Since 1937, volunteers have participated in fund raising activities for the hospital’s most vulnerable patients, sick babies, whose families cannot afford to pay their medical expenses. Additionally, the Auxiliary donates funds left over at the end of the year to help pay for new hospital equipment.

Former Auxiliary President, Nancy Zunde, a breast cancer survivor, has been volunteering for 10 years. Nancy not only received treatment for breast cancer at the hospital in 1989, but her late husband was treated for throat cancer, open heart surgery and pancreatic cancer, which took his life in 1998. Since his passing, Nancy has been giving back to the hospital in appreciation of the care she and her husband received in the past. She has served two terms as Auxiliary President. Presently, she serves in the volunteer office, drives the volunteer shuttle and substitutes in the surgery waiting room. “My goal here is to serve others with excellence,” Nancy modestly proclaims.

It takes a big-hearted character like hers with a desire to serve others to make a great volunteer. But, at PVHMC, it is nearly the standard.

The chosen few

The hospital does not pick up just anyone off the street to come and volunteer. “We want to make sure people who volunteer have the right motivation. We look for the right person who we know will make a great volunteer,” Lindsey says.

La Verne resident Omega Neely drives the associate shuttle from the hospital to the cancer center. After getting her pacemaker checked at the hospital in 2008, she noticed a sign asking for volunteers. “Now that I was retired, I wanted to find something to do rather than just sit at home and vegetate,” Neely explains with a hearty laugh as she navigates through the associate parking lot. Like Omega, many volunteers have practical reasons for donating their time, such as simply wanting to keep busy. However, there are also those individuals who, for some reason or another, decide it is their calling to take on some of the most delicate of life situations.

Maxine May is a volunteer chaplain who often deals with end-of-life situations. “The majority of my work is speaking with patients who are terminally ill and families who are gathered around a loved one who is about to be taken off life support,” Maxine explains. A job that would take a toll on one volunteer is for another a rewarding experience. “When things look hopeless, I want to show people how to find hope again. I find my work very rewarding,” she affirms.

But every once in a while she comes across a situation that hits close to home. “I recently dealt with a lady my age with severe nerve damage and little use of her arms and legs. Her story impacted me because she had no family and said she was going to have to take care of herself,” Maxine recounts. She eventually helped her discover all her options.

“Our volunteers are good people. Just being themselves and by simply telling others in the community they volunteer at PVHMC gives the hospital a good name,” Lindsey says. And, in return, the hospital takes good care of its volunteers, treating them as equal to other paid associates.

Lindsey explains that volunteers are referred to as associates because they have the same requirements as the rest of the staff. Volunteers go through the same basic orientation and training; they have to learn all the hospital emergency codes, they all have to comply with their schedules, and all are summoned to work and serve others.

On the perk side, volunteers are offered the same hospital privileges that regular staff members benefit from, including recognition luncheons, discounts to the cafeteria and discounts to theme parks.

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center is one out of only a handful of hospitals that has remained independently sustained and not-for-profit. In its continuing efforts to meet the needs of the community, it has recently opened up Pomona Valley Health Center at Claremont, which features an urgent care center, family medicine, sleep disorders center, digital imaging center, occupational health services and a physical therapy and rehabilitation center.

Indeed, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center’s commitment to the community takes a great effort, but a large part of that effort comes from those happy associates dressed in purple like Ruth, Lorene, Nancy, Omega and Maxine, who some call helpers and others call heroes.

“I’m no hero. Just a comfort,” insists Lorene.

To become a volunteer, contact the PVHMC Volunteer Department at 909-865-9669.

Big scanning machinery and big hearts are the prescription for healing at the Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Cancer Care Center at PVHMC. Lorene Connor has been volunteering at the hospital for 10 years and at the Cancer Center for four. / photo by Courtney Droke

Correction
In the Winter 2010 issue, Ruth Mickel’s last name was inadvertently misspelled in the story ”Volunteers help heal at Pomona Valley Hospital.” Ruth Mickel is the longest running volunteer at Pomona Valley Hospital, having started in 1968. She is a resident of Hillcrest Homes in La Verne.

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Four years away from their home in Thailand has meant prosperity, joy and success for the servers of the Lucky Elephant. From left to right: Jaruwan Mansrichan, Siriporn Varnaprux, Sanan Churebandit, Sujin Kanchanavatanakit, Nuthapol Boonyanant, Brian Boonyanant and Alex Vilaiwan. / photo by Courtney Droke

by Mark Vidal
photography by Courtney Droke

Imagine a meal with the Gods of Siam. Decorated elephants hold count in a space filled with the aroma of rich flavor from Thailand. The enchanting rhythms of Thailand captivate the ear, while visitors enjoy a glass of sweet Thai Iced Tea. All are seated beneath a teak wood-carved roof deck.

A gentlemen dressed in a purple silk shirt offers a plate of golden brown shrimp donuts. If guests of the Lucky Elephant forget they are in the middle of San Dimas even for a minute, Nick Boonyanant, co-owner, knows he has done his job.

Since the beginning, the goal has always been to bring the culture and authenticity of his native country to the local community. “People who live here know Chinese, Japanese and Italian [food], but many don’t know about Thai, so that’s why I bring them a piece of Thailand,” Nick cheerfully boasts as he points to Thailand travel brochures on the counter near the entrance.

A video depicting the people, culture and beautiful landscapes of Thailand continuously plays on a plasma screen at the dining room center. Although the concept of the Lucky Elephant is to bring Thailand to the people, it offers enough Thai teasers to entice guests to plan their next vacation to the beautiful country.

Offering more than simply Thai cuisine, Lucky Elephant is a gift shop complete with original souvenirs imported directly from Thailand. Everything from miniature tea sets, to elephant shirts and ties to handbags can be found for sale in the modest little gift shop — all at reasonable prices.

This sort of dining experience — rich in culture and art — is exactly what Nick envisioned from the start, along with business partner and wife, Pat Kanchana.

Pat is the owner of the Lucky Elephant. She previously owned and operated another restaurant in Covina called River Kwai Thai Cusine. Currently, Kanchana works as a full-time nurse, while Nick manages the restaurant. “He does a good job,” Pat says with a large smile. “I just stop by once in a while for moral support.” And it seems as though she chose the right man for the job. Nick worked in the hotel and restaurant business in Thailand for 25 years and owned his own restaurant in Tampa, Fla., for 10 years. But it took Nick and Pat to meet, fall in love and marry six years ago for them to eventually concoct what has today become a testimony of Thai restaurant success. However, the success story of the Lucky Elephant is not due to simply luck; strategic planning and dedication was a primary ingredient.

Several months before the Lucky Elephant opened its doors in September 2005, Nick began putting his artistic vision on paper. He developed the blueprints himself, which included the circular indoor roof deck made of tropical hardwood teak wood from southeast Asia, six even rows of tables and booths, and a petite bar in the rear center. Every chiseled artifact along the walls reveals hours of a skilled hand at work. Joking that it was he himself who spent hours carving all the wooden structures in the dining room, Nick describes how he took all the indoor measurements and traveled to Northern Thailand, where craftsmen sculpt and carve wood for a living.

It was there that current window borders and wall mountings were custom made before being shipped to their final destination in San Dimas. “You come here to enjoy everything Thailand; I want you to sit in Thailand,” Nick adamantly shares. It was important to him that every little detail of the restaurant reveals an authentic tie to Thailand, which goes for every piece of china used, and every hand that serves the food.

The Lucky Elephant is a regular family affair with seven waiters and waitresses, two appetizer preps, two stir-fry cooks and a single chef — all blood related or marriage related — and all of course, from Thailand. Chef Pim Kanchana is the sister of Pat and is partly responsible for the loyal cliental of the Lucky Elephant. She is the inventor of shrimp donuts, the most popular appetizer offered.

The food

Four large golden brown shrimp donuts come served on a plate with a sweet dipping sauce, essential for the perfect bite every time. A single purple flower accents the corner of the dish along with slices of cabbage. “People come here specifically for the shrimp donuts; they cannot miss them,” Nick shares. People come from all over to experience popular favorites such as the Pad Thai, which offers chewy rice noodles sautéed with chicken, shrimp, egg and bean sprouts topped with flavorful ground peanuts. Another favorite is the Two Friend Garlic Sauce, which contains broiled jumbo shrimp and chicken with sautéed mixed vegetables, and tender asparagus in brown garlic sauce.

As no Thai cuisine menu is complete without its curry selection, the Lucky Elephant offers Panang, which includes your choice of chicken, pork or beef with red peanut curry paste and coconut milk. The chef tailors the level of spice to every guest’s desire. Any one of their popular Thai Ice Teas or Thai Iced Coffees makes an excellent contribution to a delicious Thai meal.

Every dish is finely assembled, many offering a hand-carved butterfly made out of pure carrot. All servers at the Lucky Elephant know how to sculpt a butterfly in a matter of seconds. Sanan Churebandit, a server at Lucky Elephant, says it took him five minutes to learn.

The Lucky Elephant also has a generous selection of original desserts. A secret, yet popular dessert not offered on the menu is their fried ice cream featuring a thin fried crust over smooth vanilla ice cream finished with chocolate swirls and a cherry on top.

“We eat here at least once a month, sometimes more,” says Cari Carlesso of Covina. “We’ve been to many Thai restaurants in Santa Monica and around Pasadena, and this place is by far the best. The food is amazing. The décor is amazing.” Carlesso came to celebrate her father’s 80th birthday with friends and family and says every time she comes in, Alex takes good care of her.

“He’s the nicest person,” Carlesso says. “He knows everybody, and everybody knows his name,” Nick says about his nephew, Alex Vilaiwan, who has worked at Lucky Elephant as a server since the very beginning.

The Lucky Elephant is an ideal place to bring your date, a special friend and your whole family to enjoy real authentic food. The lunch special menu is offered between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. everyday and features 16 dishes for $6.95, all of which include the soup of the day, salad, eggroll and jasmine steamed rice, with the exception of the Pad Thai.

Lucky Elephant sits hidden behind Red Robin in a shopping center off the corner of Arrow Highway and Bonita, and while Nick hopes to generate better signage that is visible off the streets, customers are not exactly a scarcity. “We have regular customers who come back over and over who tell their friends, and their friends come back over and over,” Nick says, proudly looking over to his wife.

Nick says he named the restaurant the Lucky Elephant because, for hundreds of years, elephants have been a lucky symbol to the people of Thailand. “The elephant is smart. It is close to the people and is very helpful,” Nick says as he explains how the people of Thailand would ride elephants when fighting in battles.

The local community can consider itself lucky to live near a restaurant offering superb Thai cuisine and Thai culture.

The Lucky Elephant is located at 531 W. Arrow Highway, San Dimas, 909-594-4242.

A popular Lucky Elephant Thai cuisine dish: Pad Thai. / photo by Courtney Droke

A creative customer favorite appetizer: shrimp donuts. / photo by Courtney Droke

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Mark Vidal, Editor in Chief

When I was very young, Saturday evenings usually consisted of a road trip down Bonita Avenue, if you can call that a road trip. The destination? The good old Claremont Village. Mom, Dad and I would pile into the front seat of Dad’s single-cab Toyota pick-up and travel a good 10 miles from Glendora to Dad’s favorite hot spot: Rhino Records. What today seems like a short distance was to a 7-year-old back then a long and boring car ride. Dad would always tell mom the same thing as we drove through La Verne and into Claremont, “Wouldn’t you love to live here, Linda?” He had a thing for all the old houses surrounded by huge trees. Back then, I didn’t even notice the University of La Verne.

As we would approach the corner of Indian Hill and Bonita, Dad vanished inside Rhino Records, and later to Video Paradiso while Mom and I strolled around the village. It was usually a pretty quiet area with gleaming street lights casting great big shadows on the sidewalks. Most of the shops were closed except the popcorn stand inside the mini mall. That delicious, freshly popped popcorn was all I looked forward to whenever we took that drive down Bonita. Memories.

As an only child, most of my early childhood memories involve my two parents, since, after all, it was only us three living at home. I used to hate being the only child because I felt like our family was incomplete since everyone else my age seemed to have a brother or sister. But looking back now, being an only child has its perks.

There is no sibling rivalry, no toy sharing, no bedroom sharing and no competition. For me, my home was basically tailored to meet my needs and wants specifically. I can remember racing my Hot Wheels all over the house and parking them either on top of the coffee table or between the cushions on the couch before leaving for school. When I returned, every car was precisely where I left it. When I would build Lincoln Log cities in the middle of the living room, I never had to worry about someone messing with or destroying my amazing creations.

But probably the best perk of all was having the full-undivided attention of my parents. We really did everything together. From playing UNO with mom outside in the summer, to playing Mario Bros. with Dad on a rainy day, I was fortunate to have hybrid parents who were both my guardians and my playmates.

Now, as the end of my stay at the University of La Verne looms over the horizon, I can’t help but think of how blessed I have been all these years. Throughout my entire journey of growing up and getting through college, I have had my own personal support team always rooting for me and making sure I had everything I needed to get from point A to point B, even when I complained a little along the way. So thanks Mom and Dad for your love, support and all the great, simple memories.

Mark Vidal, Editor-in-Chief

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