By Tiffany Eng, Nephertitti Gray and Bianca Moorman
Volunteers around the world have one goal: helping others and giving back to the community.
For three local volunteers who give their time to the Roanoke Carilion Memorial Hospital, supporting others in need comes first.
“You’re supposed to raise people’s spirits,” said volunteer Linda Wade, who moved to the Roanoke Valley in 1962.
The number one rule to volunteering is attitude, the volunteers said. Being friendly and providing comfort are what these volunteers do on a daily basis.
“On Thursday, they’re my patients,” said Ron Ayers. He has been volunteering every Thursday with Carilion for the past five years.
Ayers said he takes great comfort in knowing that he is able to give back to the community that gave him so much. These volunteers understand that the patients admitted into Carilion appreciate all that the volunteers do each day.
From delivering flowers to providing food and snacks, Carilion volunteers are there to support the patients in any way necessary.
For more than 240 days, Ayers has been greeting and escorting patients into and through the hospital. As a greeter and escort, he has met hundreds of people with their own stories and adventures, he said.
Elizabeth Chisholm, who had a previous career as a social worker, realized that being a constant giver in the community was only natural. Having worked with Meals on Wheels, Chisholm was familiar with delivering goods to the Carilion patients.
Each day that a volunteer contributes their time, the hospital provides them with a free meal. Some of the more mature volunteers appreciate seeing the younger generation give up their time to help out, they said.
