When it comes to Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s compassionate care for patients, some treatments are less clinical and more relational. 

The Spartanburg Regional Foundation recently funded six new “cheer carts” for the healthcare system’s Volunteer Services department. The cheer carts were given a facelift with a new, vibrant look and feel. The carts include books, coloring sheets, word searches, crossword puzzles, personal hygiene items, socks, reading glasses and fidget toys.  

Volunteer Services Manager Jill Dugaw said the grant is having a great impact.  

“These carts are tools that help our volunteers connect and start a conversation,” Dugaw said.  

Charlie Regalbuto, 20, is a new volunteer with Spartanburg Regional and said she has enjoyed getting to know patients and caring for them. She is also setting her sights on a healthcare career, so volunteering at Spartanburg Medical Center has been a helpful experience for her while attending college.  

“They’ve all been so excited,” she said of the patients she visits to hand out comfort items. “So many people love receiving a gift. We gave one man a book, and he said he wanted to hold onto it because it touched him so much that he received something from another person.” 

The fleet of cheer carts is currently in use at Spartanburg Medical Center, Spartanburg Medical Center – Mary Black Campus, Pelham Medical Center, Union Medical Center, Cherokee Medical Center and Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care. 

“I just appreciate that the Foundation saw such value in these carts,” Dugaw said. “We’re all working on the same mission.”  

To learn more about the Spartanburg Regional Foundation’s philanthropic giving, visit RegionalFoundation.com.  

To learn more about volunteering with Spartanburg Regional, visit SpartanburgRegional.com/Volunteer.