ADA, Okla. – Volunteers at Mercy Hospital Ada are familiar faces who play a crucial role in patient care and brightening the lives of community members who visit the hospital. The current volunteer team shares a combined nearly 150 years of service at the hospital, and they’re hoping more community members will be interested in signing up once they learn more about the program.
Two volunteers share more than three decades of service between them. Shirley Boren has contributed 20 years of service at Mercy Hospital Ada, previously Valley View Hospital. Myrtie Clarke started regularly volunteering in 2011.
“When I was a young girl, my aunt was a volunteer with Valley View in the late ’60s. She passed from a heart attack at age 59 and when I attended her funeral, I noticed a group of people dressed in uniform who came to support my aunt’s family. I learned they were other volunteers from the hospital, and it made me want to be like those people when I retired,” Boren said. “After retiring from teaching and briefly caring for my ailing mother, I went to the hospital and asked to join the volunteer program. They got me paperwork, and the rest is history.”
Volunteers can commit to as little as eight hours a month or as many as 40 hours a week. They run the hospital’s gift shop, greet visitors at the front desk, help patients navigate the campus, help families waiting for their loved ones to come out of surgery or serve those receiving oncology services.
“It’s such a blessing for the volunteers who get to serve. We don’t expect recognition, but we do it because we love it,” said Boren. “The bonus is I’ve made many friendships over the years, it’s just a very rewarding experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
Myrtie Clarke started volunteering with Valley View for several years around 1980. After she retired full-time, she came back to do more volunteer work, encouraged by a friend who was already volunteering.
“I love the work we do at the hospital and especially the friendships we create with one another. It gives you a feeling of satisfaction to know that you are doing something for your community and hospital,” Clarke said. “The people you serve with and hospital staff care about you too. A lot of older retired individuals currently make up our team, but you are never too young or old, as long as you can get around a bit.”
Mercy Hospital Ada welcomes community members of all ages to sign up and offers a “volunteen” program during the summer so local youth can participate. The teens provide many of the services adult volunteers perform, and when they volunteer, they get a free meal in the hospital cafeteria. The volunteen program also provides hands-on experience for teens interested in pursuing a career in health care in the future.
The hospital previously had more than 50 volunteers, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, many were unable to return, leaving the program with only 13.
“Our 13 volunteers at Mercy Hospital Ada have contributed so many years of combined service to this community. Their dedication is inspiring, and we are blessed to have them,” said Eathen Graham, Mercy leader of the volunteer program. “The Ada community is made up of so many wonderful people, and we would love to welcome them to our team. We invite everyone to come be instrumental in patients’, visitors’ and co-workers’ lives.”
For more information about the volunteer program, contact Eathen Graham at 580-927-0688. Interested parties can also register here.
