On July 11, Stony Brook University Hospital held its annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn, where hospital volunteers were recognized for the countless hours they donate to the hospital. Many volunteers were presented awards for reaching service milestones ranging from 100 to 4,000 hours of service.
To show their appreciation, many hospital departments donated a variety of items that were given as door prizes to the volunteers. 
Burak Buyukbayraktar, from Nesconset, received the Junior Volunteer of the Year Award. He began volunteering in 2017 and has donated more than 100 hours of service to Stony Brook Cancer Center.
Burak attends Sachem North High School, where he is a member of the Junior National Honor Society and Cross Country Team. He enjoys mountain biking and is also involved in the Turkish Youth Ministry.
At the Cancer Center, Burak tries to make the patient experience the best it can possibly be and can often be found offering patients a hot cup of soup or a warm blanket, or playing a game of chess. Burak is also involved in community outreach and recently organized a clothing drive to supplement the Cancer Center’s Spring Clean for Cancer event.
When asked about Burak’s service, Linda Bily, Director of Cancer Patient Advocacy and Outreach, said that Burak understands commitment and accountability, and shares the vision to improve the lives of patients and foster community engagement while empowering patients. 
Monte Feiler, a resident of Farmingville, was awarded the honor of Senior Volunteer of the Year. He has been volunteering in the Patient Education Department since 2015 and has donated nearly 1,000 hours of service.
Monte assists with the training of new volunteers in the department and is often referred to as the "veteran for Patient Education." Most recently he was credited with assisting in the development of the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP). The program was designed to help older patients maintain their mental and physical function while in the hospital. Monte developed a data collection tool for the program and often does the data entry.
Monte had a career as a paramedic then a captain for the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) for 30 years. He is active in youth ice hockey as a game supervisor and has been a youth roller hockey coach. Monte’s wife is Mary Feiler, who is the Nurse Manager in Stony Brook’s Emergency Department.
Monte is described by Rose Cardin, Director of Patient Education, as having a kind, generous heart and a willingness to help others. He is an asset to the Patient Education team and a great representative for Stony Brook Medicine.
