Volunteer at Heart

When Glenda Riddle retired from retail, she actively pursued new opportunities to meet people and try new things. She began by inquiring about the Silver Elite club at Bailey Medical Center – a free program for seniors 60 and older offering monthly health seminars and in-hospital perks. Glenda walked into the lobby at the hospital to fill out the application when she noticed a flyer for the volunteer program. The idea of volunteering struck a chord with her. “I wanted to volunteer,” she says. “I always have!”

When she interviewed with Volunteer Coordinator Tina Williams, she emphasized her retail experience, thinking she would be volunteering in a gift shop. However,  a new venture also meant an opportunity to learn new skills and a new field. Glenda works one a day a week in the administrative offices. “I was in retail – I didn’t know anything about health care,” she says of her first days volunteering at Bailey Medical Center. “I’ve learned so much since I’ve been here. I love it. I wish I had been in health care instead of retail!”

Volunteering at Bailey Medical Center has given Glenda more than just an opportunity to learn a new industry; it has brought amazing people into her life – the people who work in the hospital every day. “They are the most caring and friendly group I’ve ever seen,” she says. “They are especially caring about everything that happens here.”

When she is not volunteering or attending Silver Elite events with new friends, Glenda is enjoying her retirement with her husband and traveling in their RV.  The people and her job bring her back to Bailey every week. Her advice to anyone thinking of volunteering at Bailey is simple. “It doesn’t matter what they did before,” she says. “They could come right in and fit in!”

If you would like more information about volunteering at Bailey Medical Center, please email Tina Williams at Tina.Williams@baileymedicalcenter.com.