The Clinton/Lycoming Nurse Honor Guard is expanding its services.

The Nurse Honor Guard is a local group of nurse volunteers and is one of 125 similar groups across the United States. Members of the group are compassionate about nursing. They honor their sister and brotherhood of fellow nurses.

The guard attends funerals or memorial services of their fellow nurses who have passed and show our respect for our fallen nurse and respect for the profession.

The Nurse Honor Guard have recently started performing some living tribute services as well, to honor nurses.

The living tributes are much like honor services. Every service may be a little different. Members make each service personal to the honoree. A group of members of the nurse honor guard, usually 4-8 members, attend the service.

Dress for the services varies to represent how nurse’s uniforms have progressed throughout the years. Some members wear white uniforms, caps and capes, while other members wear professional attire with a white lab jacket. The Florence Nightingale pledge is read.

The guard always asks for fellow nurses attending the service to stand as well, to be honored. A last call to nursing duty is called out. When a fellow nurse’s last call is chimed, it is always such an emotional experience for everyone attending.

At living tributes, members ask the family to share the honorees yearbook and to share memories with the group. The guards have discovered that it doesn’t matter when someone has worked as a nurse, we share the honor of taking care of people, as we are healers.

The nursing experience is a shared woven thread in life’s tapestry that transcends time.

Services are usually a brief 5-10 minutes.

According to members, they have found that at living tributes the honoree loves sharing their memories with the guard and their families.

The services have been very well received by the families who share their pride for their honorees’ career with guard members. Just like any volunteer experience, often the volunteers walk away with much more than they anticipated.

Members of the nurse honor guard always take something away from the services. A fond memory rekindled, an increased love for our profession and a genuine knowledge that we are still serving our fellow nurses and their families.

If you are interested in having a living tribute service for a family member please call a member. You can make plans with Mary Kay at 570-377-0034 or Dawn at 570-220-9005.

Arrangements for funeral or memorial services can be made through the funeral home or directly by a family member to Mary Kay or Dawn.

The Clinton/Lycoming Nurse Honor Guard currently has 22 members strong and is growing.

If you are, or were a nursing professional, and are interested in joining the group please contact Mary Kay or Dawn. If you want to know a little more about what they do visit their Facebook page: Clinton/Lycoming Nurses Honor Guard.