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HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Gwen Hoylman has given 16,462 hours of volunteer service back to the hospital where she has spent so much of her life.
Altogether, the 76-year-old Hastings woman has volunteered nearly eight years of full-time work at Mary Lanning Healthcare. And she shows no signs of quitting soon.
"I get a lot out of it besides giving back," Hoylman said.
Every other Wednesday, she works at the gift shop at the hospital, which is operated by the Mary Lanning Healthcare Auxiliary. Most cashiers at the gift shop are volunteers.
Hoylman enjoys meeting new people and seeing old friends during her shifts. She has had a lifelong connection with the hospital.
Hoylman was born at the hospital in its original building. She decided early in life to become a nurse and work at Mary Lanning, the Hastings Tribune (http://bit.ly/1E0inuF ) reports.
"It became my grand idea to do as a teenager," she said. As a teen, Hoylman had to undergo exploratory surgery and spent several days in the hospital. The hospital was so packed, she had to stay in the hall until a room could be found for her. She remembers the nursing staff being extremely busy.
"I really got to see what nurses did," she said. "That's when I decided I was going to be a nurse."
She went to nursing school at Mary Lanning when the program was offered at the hospital. She worked as an obstetrics nurse at the hospital for 42 years before retiring in 1999.
The week after retiring, Hoylman returned to the hospital, only to serve as a volunteer. She also knits baby caps for the nursery.
Buying the materials herself, Hoylman has racked up many of her hours knitting thousands of baby caps for the hospital to use.
While she has accumulated years of service, Hoylman says she isn't more important than any other volunteer at the hospital. Michelle Thomas, auxiliary manager, said that in January the auxiliary had 218 active volunteers with 49 life members, who made at least a $100 donation to the organization.
There are also 24 junior volunteers, who range in age from 13 through 18.
Some volunteers work from home to sew baby caps, like Hoylman, or other items such as walker bags and lap quilts. Others deliver newspapers to patients, help in the gift shop or snack bar, provide office help, decorate different areas of the hospital, or help during health fairs and blood drives.
"We depend on them to be here for those services," Thomas said.
Volunteers donate nearly 1,500 hours each month for an average of 17,000 hours annually. Weekly hours can range from two to 22 hours per volunteer. Thomas said Hoylman has gone above and beyond by helping with advertising to represent the auxiliary.
Hoylman said the auxiliary has made it easy to give back to the hospital that has been a cornerstone of her life in Hastings. The hours are flexible and other volunteers will step up if she isn't available for a scheduled shift.
"It's a great place to volunteer," she said. "Anybody who volunteers gets more back than they actually give."
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Information from: Hastings Tribune, http://www.hastingstribune.com
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