Retired nurses Ruth Betty and Gail Carpenter enjoy several aspects of volunteering at UK Chandler Hospital. And their passion for it was recently written about in a University of Kentucky news article that can be found at http://bit.ly/1A1e24B

Together, the women have volunteered for more than 30 years, spend their volunteer time delivering mail and flowers to patients, helping families navigate the vast UK Health Care building maze and providing a listening ear to those they encounter.

“I always liked helping and being with folks,” Berry said in the UK article.

The health care professionals – who are also friends and former colleagues – say that volunteering keeps them connected to the health care profession they once worked in and volunteering keeps them active. Plus, “Going into a room in pediatrics where a child is alone, and opening up the mail for them and spending a few moments with them — those are precious moments just to be able to talk to them,” Berry said. “They might not have family member there all day.”

To read more about the women and to see a video of them sharing their joy of volunteering, visit http://bit.ly/1A1e24B.

To learn more about volunteering, visit http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/volunteer.

ruth_and_gailphoto credit: University of Kentucky