Volunteer Spotlight – Sue Whitaker
Sue Whitaker has seen a lot of things change in healthcare in 37 years as a hospital volunteer, but one thing that hasn’t changed is her desire to brighten the day of folks who may be going through a tough time.
As a volunteer at the information desk at Phoebe North, Sue is often the first person a visitor or a patient sees at the hospital. She is determined to make a great first impression, greeting everyone with a warm smile and a kind word. “We’re what they see first,” Sue said. “I try to make them feel welcome.”
That desire to serve others is a part of her daily life in many ways. “I like to give back because I’ve certainly been given to,” Sue said. She was born in Bainbridge and was married to Eli Whitaker for 54 years before he passed away in 2016. She has 2 children, 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. She’s active in her Baptist church and enjoys gardening and line dancing.
Sue was a school volunteer while raising her children. She then spent 7 years as a nursing home volunteer before becoming a volunteer at the front desk of what was then Palmyra hospital in 1980.
Back then, Sue says she did everything from making coffee and delivering flowers to patients’ rooms, to carrying luggage and comforting anxious patients and their families. Her duties are little less varied now, but you’ll still find her right behind that same desk serving others with that same smile. Meeting people and bringing some joy into their lives is what she enjoys most about volunteering at Phoebe. “It’s just a blessing,” Sue said. And Phoebe is blessed to have Sue as one of our longest-serving and most dedicated volunteers.