When a volunteer dons a pink jacket at Conway Regional a void is filled.
A volunteer fills a need for someone to return a wheelchair to a patient floor, help a visitor find a patient’s room, sell a new grandparent a memento in the gift shop or sometimes just listen while a grieving family member deals with a loss.
Service also fills a void in the giver’s life.

Shirlee Papesh of Conway binds small, individual bags of Jolly Ranchers, toffee or bubble gum cigars in the gift shop. The bags are the shop’s No. 1 selling item. And yet volunteerism for Shirlee is also “a good way to pass the time, meet people and listen to their problems.”
Shirlee moved to Conway from Marshalltown, Iowa, about 10 years ago when her husband was transferred to the Jenks Shop in Little Rock.
Pink coat family
Patients and visitors to Conway Regional may have trouble placing Sylvia Ward’s accent, but Arkansas has been her home for more than 50 years.
Neither Arkie nor Yankee, Sylvia is a native of Latvia. Her family fled to Switzerland to escape the Nazis in 1944 and landed in “the states” in 1949. She met her husband, Carrol, a native Arkansan, while living in Illinois and joined him in a move back to Arkansas in 1956.
Sylvia retired from the Target Distribution Center about 12 years ago and became a volunteer at Conway Regional after “the house was cleaned from top to bottom and I was bored.” 
When Carrol passed away in 2007, Sylvia’s volunteer life became even more important.
“I really don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have this hospital,” she said. “This has really helped me.”
Sylvia drives to Conway Regional from her home in Greenbrier three days a week to volunteer in the gift shop, volunteer office and the west lobby information desk. “The volunteers, the bosses, the nurses: they are just a great bunch of people.”
In some ways her story is the same as that of many of Conway Regional’s 110 volunteers:
“A lot of volunteers here are people like us without a lot of family,” said Jack Carrithers who volunteers alongside Doris, his wife. She added, “It’s a way of getting acquainted.” They retired from an insurance business in Springfield, Mo., about 11 years ago and now volunteer at a number of different jobs at Conway Regional from the information desk to the critical care waiting room and maintain the WHALE (We Have A Little Emergency) car seat safety program. Doris noted that in many ways the hospital volunteers are like family, helping each other in times of crisis.
“I volunteer because it gives structure to my life,” said Renee Hunter of Conway. After retirement, Renee struggled to complete the personal projects she had set aside, and “realized that I needed structure and purpose in my life.” She added, “If I had gotten the kind of appreciation from the bosses who paid me that I get now, I would probably still be working for pay. The hospital is so good about giving appreciation to its volunteers.” Renee is a former journalist and continues to work as a freelance writer. (She is a regular contributor to 501 LIFE.) She volunteers for the Conway Regional Health Foundation on a weekly basis.
Danielle Tippit, a sophomore majoring in pre-medicine at UCA, started volunteering at the West Lobby information desk in the evenings to learn more about health care. She has found several surrogate grandparents along the way. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of people. I love Miss Joyce (McKenzie). Doris and Jack are so sweet,” she said.
“I really enjoy the fellowship and company and the knowledge that I am doing something that really contributes,” said Leon Stout, 93, who drives 12 miles daily to volunteer as a courier. His duties include rounding up wheelchairs and taking them to patient floors and delivering extra patient food trays. Leon contributed more than 1,000 volunteer hours from 2007 to 2008 and is Conway Regional’s oldest, active volunteer.
“Ron and I moved here from Southern California and it was a good way to meet new people and be of service to the community,” says Jean Hieronymous, who co-manages the gift shop with Peggy Thompson. “I always wanted a gift shop of my own but I didn’t want to fill out W-2s or pay rent.” The gift shop is operated by volunteers only. A water color artist, Jean paints the glass walls and windows of the shop with festive seasonal images.
The volunteers redirect all the proceeds from gift shop sales into services that impact patient care at Conway Regional. In 2008, they contributed $65,000 toward patient care, including the purchase of a device that lowers the body temperature of patients during surgery, a blanket warmer, a physical therapy transport laser, a billiruben meter, and a vital signs machine.
Volunteers also fund the Patient Love Fund which helps patients who cannot afford medication and assistive devices. In 2007 alone, the volunteers contributed more that 20,253 hours of service.
The best thing about volunteering at the hospital, as Jack Carrithers says, is “there’s always room for one more.” For information about volunteering at Conway Regional please call 501.513.2293.

Giving back keeps sisters on-the-go

Folding and stuffing mailers, clipping newspapers for media packets and collecting tickets at Dazzle Daze may not seem like the most exciting work, but sister volunteers Georgia Green and Odessa Taylor of Conway call it joy.
Separated by seven years, sisters Georgia Green, 75, and Odessa Taylor, 82, are together and on the go as volunteers in the Conway Regional Marketing and Foundation Department.
“Best job I’ve ever had,” said Georgia.
“I just thank God every day for the strength to be able to work,” added Odessa, noting that they have remained free of serious illness.
They are always willing to share their blessings, often in the form of one of Georgia’s desserts or one of Odessa’s party mixes. Food and laughter lighten the mood when stuffing hundreds of letters is the task for the day.
“We feel so fortunate that Georgia and Odessa share their time and talent with our department as we work to tell the community about all the good things going on at Conway Regional,” said Lori Ross, corporate director of marketing and foundation. “They have been a blessing to our team and we’ve all become dear friends. ‘Georgia and Odessa days’ are much brighter than ordinary work days!”
Georgia and Odessa also stay active outside of Conway Regional.
Odessa works a few hours for Weight Watchers and Georgia is currently serving as a caregiver. Both volunteer at Salem United Methodist Church. In the past Odessa organized meals for retired ministers at the church.
Prior to retirement in 1982, Odessa worked 34 years at VA-Fort Roots (now called the Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center) and Georgia retired from JC Penney after 20 years.
Georgia and Odessa reunited in 1972 when Georgia and her late husband, Bud Green, moved back to Arkansas from Washington, D.C., to help care for her sick mother.
Since then, Georgia and Odessa have been inseparable. “We’re two peas in a pod,” says Odessa.
They grew up as part of a hard-working farm family in Faulkner County and those values, including a giving spirit, have stayed with them over the years.
“We love to do things for people,” said Georgia. “Our mother was a giver; she always had something to give when people stopped by, even if it was a jar of jelly.”