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IOP's Dunn recognized for selfless effort by Chris West Public Relations In recognition of his generosity, selflessness and altruism, one Institute of Psychiatry employee continues to rake in the awards for his accomplishments.  On April 23, Aaron Dunn accepted the 2002 Direct Service Volunteer Award from Gov. Jim Hodges. The award is open to South Carolina volunteers who have excelled in providing direct one-on-one service to an individual or group.  But this is only the tip of the iceberg when describing Dunn.  Hailing from Kershaw, S.C., Dunn left the small, rural community in 1978 to pursue a college degree. Making his way to the then Baptist College (now Charleston Southern University), he graduated in 1982, earning a bachelor of science degree in business management. Dunn then went to work for his first mental health organization and a passion was born. He would spend the next eight years working for Southern Pines Hospital in North Charleston. In 1990 Southern Pines was acquired by Charter Hospital and with the mass migration of workers to other health care facilities, Dunn was approached by two physicians who were coming to continue their work at MUSC and thought that he should follow. Dunn was reluctant.  “Coming to MUSC at first was overwhelming,” Dunn admitted. “I felt like I was going to be a little fish in a big pond simply because of the size of the university. I really didn’t think I was going to like it and it took three to four months for me to adjust.” Dunn began his career at MUSC as a therapeutic assistant on the second floor of the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP). Around that time Charter Hospital instituted an appealing new program and returning to what was familiar, Dunn headed back to the North Charleston hospital. The return visit would be short-lived lasting only six months before he realized he missed the work he was doing at MUSC. In May of 1994, Dunn was contacted by Rock Hill Hospital to come to work in marketing and to provide crisis intervention. It was here that Dunn realized that he lacked in mental health education and decided to return to school. He entered Andersonville Baptist Seminary where he received his master’s degree in clinical counseling. Now armed with a new degree, Dunn returned to the familiar ground of the IOP and began the legacy that he continues today. Within the IOP, Dunn is the outpatient utilization management coordinator. But he also commits 24-hours-a-week working in the floor units as a teacher’s assistant.  But it doesn’t end there. Back in 1984, Dunn began working with Hotline, a 24-hour phone support service provided by the IOP that offers access to peer counseling for adults in crisis. As a phone counselor, Dunn addresses calls regarding drugs, alcohol, suicide and depression, working the night shift from midnight to six a.m., only then to come straight to MUSC to fulfill his obligations in the IOP.  Dunn admits that his longest stint manning the phones of Hotline was an uncanny 18 hours while covering shifts over a Thanksgiving weekend. Dunn took calls from Thursday morning until almost Friday morning. “As of January, I logged more than 21,000 hours at Hotline,” Dunn said. “It was a matter of finding something I believed in and I stayed with it. But after a rash of suicides at Summerville High School, it was decided that we needed a similar phone-access line for teens in crisis. And under the umbrella of Hotline and with help from the Trident United Way, Teenline was spawned.” Teenline is a similar service to Hotline, only the voices on the other end of the phone are teen peers instead of adult counselors. “We oversee 80 to 90 teens at a time. They must be second semester sophomores and they are managed by a team of adult supervisors.”  It was Hotline volunteer coordinator, Cathy Scaramella who would nominate Dunn for the Governor’s volunteer award.  “Aaron has been with us a very long time and has never lost the sense of commitment that he brought with him in the beginning,” Scaramella said. “He is caring, compassionate and dedicated to the line and has always gone above and beyond what is asked of him as a volunteer.” “I submitted Aaron for the award based on the sheer number of years he has given to Hotline and in that he maintains a deep belief in helping those who need it and he takes that belief into all areas of his life. He’s pretty incredible and I felt he should be recognized for it.”  But what Scaramella may say while Dunn humbly doesn’t is that he was integral to developing the committee of adult supervisors who help teenline counselors establish their own counseling techniques and oversee their work. Again, going above and beyond what is asked of him.  And it still doesn’t end there. “I also volunteer for the American Red Cross Emergency Disaster Service Team,” Dunn said. “I was called to service to help assess victims of Hurricane Floyd. I performed screenings for people who lost their homes and who needed shelter, food and clothing.” But Dunn will tell you, that through all of his giving, this last commitment is his most important. “I have been a youth leader in my church since 1985. I teach Sunday school to a high school-aged group of teens, I sing in the choir and serve as a deacon,” he said. “My faith is my driving force and is responsible for who I am and what I do. My upbringing was full of adversity and all the hard luck stories you could think of. At that time in my life, my pastor was very influential and it was then that I gave full trust to my faith. That has led me to try to impact people simply by being the best possible person I can.” Dunn adds the Governor’s volunteer award to a long list of accomplishments and recognitions. In 1984, Dunn was recognized as the first employee of the year at Southern Pines Hospital. In 1986 he was featured as an Outstanding Young Man of America for his leadership within his community. In 1991 he was awarded the teacher’s assistant of the year at MUSC of the youth division in the IOP. In 1997 he was granted the Community Service Alumni of the Year Award at Charleston Southern University. He was featured in the Who’s Who of Lexington in 1999 and was nominated five times for the Golden Rule Award, which he finally received in 2000. Yet through all of his giving, Dunn admits that his work is far from over. “I really take pride in my faith and the fact that I am a Christian,” Dunn said. “So I guess when I am about 80 and I decide to retire, I would like to perform foreign missions and take my help abroad. I have friends in Indonesia so maybe I could start there.” Through all of the busy days and hectic schedules, Dunn does reserve one small piece of his day for himself. A short, 30 minute “quiet time session devoted to reflection, prayer and worship.” And finally, that is where it ends.