Bernie Laymon, of Dowagiac, is a 90-year-old retiree who volunteers her time at Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital. She currently pitches in with the hospital’s oncology department.

How long have you been volunteering at Borgess-Lee?
I have been volunteering at the hospital for 27 years, and I have been volunteering in oncology for 10 years.

How did you get started with volunteering?
My daughter used to work here, for around 27-28 years. Then she retired. When my husband and son died she wanted me to come here and volunteer so I would have something to do. My husband and I used to own Dowagiac Glass. We ran it for 40 years.

What did you first start out volunteering with at the hospital?
I started out in the gift shop, then I went to registration, then I went here to oncology?

What are some of the things you help out with?
I write down the times that they [patients] come in and when they leave. I mark down if they come in with a wheelchair or with a cane, and if they go to the treatment room or have a doctor’s visit or not.

How many hours a week do you volunteer there?
On Mondays, I work from 7:30 a.m. to noon. On Tuesdays, I work from 7:30 a.m. to about 2 or 2:30 p.m.

What is the thing you like most about volunteering at the hospital?
It keeps me busy and it keeps my mind working. These girls down here keep me young. I like working with the public and helping people.

Is there anything else with you volunteer with?
I have done a lot of things. I was on the 4-H advisory board for 10 years. I was on the Red Cross advisory for about 10 years. I was [with] the chamber of commerce for 29 years. I was a Sunday school superintendent for about 25 years, working with kids. I was in Civitan about 22 years working with the handicapped. I loved that.

What has always motivated to volunteer your time for all these services?
They have kept me busy. I am 90 years old now and I’m still working. These girls down here [at the hospital], they keep me young. They are all good to work with.

Is there anything you want to say to encourage people to volunteer at the hospital or somewhere else in the community?
I would recommend that anyone who has the free time to volunteer someplace. There is always somewhere they can volunteer, to help someone out. I don’t believe in sitting around at home and doing nothing.