Honor Roll

Photography by James Moore and Ozarks Healthcare

Former educators raise their hands to volunteer

There are many people who make Ozarks Healthcare run smoothly, from doctors and surgeons to nurses and support staff of every description. Not the least of these important servant leaders are the many volunteers who step up to give of their time in support of the hospital and the people it serves. 

Volunteers tend to share several common traits including a desire to give back to the community and a gift for connecting with people. Many of Ozarks’ volunteers hold something else in common as former educators and education administrators. Insight Magazine caught up with some of these selfless individuals to learn of their passion for volunteering during life’s second act.

Carla Groom
Reception Desk

As one of eight children, Carla Groom grew up caring for others, from volunteering to babysitting to serving as a candy striper in her native Southern California.

Once into her teaching career — which spanned nearly 30 years in fifth grade, third grade and kindergarten — Groom was often on the receiving end of volunteerism as parents helped out in her classroom or during school events. Moving to West Plains in 2009 gave her the opportunity to return the favor in her new community. 

“I was blessed to have people volunteer their time, talents and energy over the years, and now it’s my time and turn to give back to others,” she said.

Today, Groom spends a few hours a week at the reception desk where she finds herself helping out in a variety of capacities. A self-described “gopher,” she delivers food trays and flowers and helps people find where they’re going. Once again, she benefits as much as she invests in her role.

“Volunteering really gets your eyes off of yourself,” she said. “It really makes you thankful for your health. I’ve had some significant health issues in my life, but you look around and go, ‘How lucky and blessed am I?’”

Randy Griffin
Shuttle Driver

With the exception of one year as a substitute teacher after college, Randy Griffin served the same high school — his West Plains alma mater — for his entire 28-year teaching career. In 2014, he gained a new vocation, that of a hospital volunteer. 

“My wife, Judy, works inside shuttling people in wheelchairs, and I work on the outside shuttling people from their cars to the building and building to their cars,” he said. “There are so many anxieties and emotions at the hospital. A lot of people are coming to see their loved one for the last time, and some of them are crippled and need help. 

“It’s also encouraging to see some of my former students recognizing me, even though most of the time I don’t recognize them. It’s been fun.”

Griffin so enjoys his weekly four-hour assignment, and he seldom misses an opportunity to recruit more people to the volunteer corps. 

“Occasionally someone says, ‘Man, you’ve got a cushy job.’ And I say, ‘Yes, I do,’” he said. “I hand them a card and say, ‘If you’ll contact my supervisor, Maria Woodruff in the volunteer office, we can set you up for the same cushy job.’ I’ve had one or two takers.”

Rose Ann Riley
Gift Shop

In 33 years serving the R7 School District, Rose Ann Riley spent 25 of them as board treasurer, keeping tabs on the district’s finances. Her role in the Ozarks Healthcare gift shop doesn’t quite rise to the complexity of her career gig, but she approaches it with the same passion and commitment.  

“I take care of customers. I help them with their shopping and checking them out at the register,” she said. “It’s a fun job because you’re interacting with people, the patients, families and employees. You meet a lot of really nice people.”

Riley, who’s volunteered for about a decade, never tires of the work because she never knows who she’ll encounter that day. 

“We get people in here who have patients in the hospital and often they are very distraught. They just need someone to talk to,” she said. “There are a lot of people who will come in and tell you what’s going on with them and you get the chance to listen.

“The No. 1 thing that makes a good volunteer, in my opinion, is you have to love people. You have to be able to interact with people with a positive attitude and be helpful.”

David Kirk
Shuttle Driver

In 2011, David Kirk left the classroom where he’d spent 31 years as a K-8 teacher and principal for the slower, quieter life of a retiree. He lasted six months.

“I got bored,” he said. “I had some friends at the hospital who talked me into coming over and seeing what they were doing.”

Kirk dabbled in assignments at first, but once the hospital introduced a shuttle system, he knew he’d found his calling. 

“I enjoy meeting people and driving them around and just visiting with them, getting to know them,” he said.

Kirk especially liked the occasional reunion with former students he’d meet on campus. He also discovered many former students on staff, including one who nominated him for Volunteer of the Year five years ago, which he won. 

“It really made my day, because this is out of hundreds of volunteers,” he said. “I felt very privileged to have that honor.”

Health problems have sidelined him lately, but as 2024 approaches, Kirk’s got a firm resolution to resume his role. 

“Volunteering your time at the hospital is very, very rewarding,” he said. “I would recommend it very highly to anyone who wants to give back to the community.”

Mary Mulford
Gift Shop

In addition to possessing the attributes of a good volunteer — compassion, people-centric, servant mentality — Mary Mulford had another good reason for joining Ozark Healthcare’s volunteer program in 2008. 

“At the time, it was the only place I knew of to volunteer,” she said. “That, and my husband, Frank, was a chaplain here. That’s why I chose the hospital.”

Mulford spent 41 years in classrooms from Florida to Missouri and credits her time in front of students with developing skills that have transferred easily to volunteering. 

“When I started in education, I was a bashful person. I had to learn to come out of my shell some,” she said. “That really helped me to be able to volunteer and to meet and greet people. Believe me, I don’t think I could have done that 50 years ago.”

Mulford’s volunteer experience included stints with the registration desk and surgery center before landing at the gift shop. 

“I just enjoy being able to visit with people,” she said. “Before I started volunteering, I just felt like I wasn’t really making a difference in the lives of others. If you want to make your life worthwhile, volunteering is one way to do it.”