Volunteers total 150 years of service to Kenmore Mercy
by JILL SCHMELZER Ken-Ton Editor

Audrey McCarthy of Amherst, Freida Kapsiak of Kenmore and Gerry Petko of the Town of Tonawanda have all donated 50 years of volunteer services at Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

It's been 50 years and counting since three area women sat at the first tea of the Junior Board of Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

Freida Kapsiak, Audrey Mc- Carthy and Gerry Petko, all original members of the Junior Board, were acknowledged at the Kenmore Mercy Hospital Volunteer Services Recognition Reception on July 26 for their long-term commitment to helping the hospital. Together they total 150 years and more than 24,400 hours of community service.

"I don't realize it's been 50 years," said Petko. "I really should be thanking the hospital."

Petko can be seen regularly at the facility, sometimes every day, other times just once a week.

Fellow volunteers in attendance at the reception noted Petko's friendly personality and ability to work well with everyone. She is chair of the Ways and Means Committee, which raises funds for the hospital each year.

"The most rewarding part is making a success of my sales and donating the money to help (fund campaigns at the hospital)," Petko said.

Kapsiak noted that she joined in 1957 because her husband wouldn't allow her to work.

"I had to get involved somehow," she said, noting she volunteers in the gynecology clinic assisting unwed mothers.

"Now I choose my doctors based on if they will go to Kenmore Mercy Hospital," she said.

Together Kapsiak and Petko facilitated the funds for the first building in the emergency ward.

All three said the camaraderie they have gained from the experience has been more than enough thanks for their hard work and dedication.

"We are all very close," Kapsiak said. ""We've made many friends."

When the trio first started volunteering, McCarthy said, "We even came in one weekend, stripped the wall paper off the walls (by the coffee shop) and repapered it."

The coffee shop was originally ran solely by volunteers but has since involved hired staff to help run it.

The Junior Board, which is now named the auxiliary, used to have social outings, including dinner dances and luncheons.

McCarthy was the first member of the Junior Board to earn 1,000 hours of volunteer time. Now all three are well above that milestone number.

In the beginning, McCarthy, 82, said she would work at the coffee shop nearly every day.

"My husband once told me if I wanted to work that hard, get a job," she joked, noting she volunteers about once a week now. She helps in the pharmacy and transporting physical therapy patients.

"We are the only three originals left," Kapsiak said, noting the work keeps her busy.

All three shared the same sentiments that in the past 50 years, volunteering at Kenmore Mercy Hospital has been a wonderful experience.

"I've had a very good life, and I feel volunteering and living service is my way of being repaid," McCarthy said. "I feel I am getting a return for what I'm doing."

She noted she had hip surgery two years ago at the hospital, which recently received recognition for its excellence in care in the Knee and Hip Surgery ward.

"I told (the doctors) make sure you do a good job so I can make 50 years (of service)," she said. "I'm still there, and hopefully, I'll be there for a while longer."

During the volunteer reception held at Classics V Banquet Facilities, the friends received gold pins, a bouquet of flowers and a clock, symbolizing the time they have given to Kenmore Mercy.

"I think (volunteering) is the greatest thing someone can do," Petko said.

e-mail: jschmelzer@beenews.com