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An Angel Among Us
Written By: Jenny King | Issue: 2016/11 - November
There are angels among us and you just can’t see their halos.
Take, for example, Linda Arnold.
Linda and her husband Charlie moved to Highlands full time about 13 years ago. Her parents were quite civic minded, so Linda always understood the importance of community service. After retiring, she immediately immersed herself in giving to others by volunteering at the Eckerd Living Center in Highlands.
When her mother had to be placed in a nursing facility in Birmingham, Alabama, Linda observed how short-staffed they were and helped where she could. She saw the impact volunteers could have, so it was a natural fit for her to give her time to the staff and residents at the Eckerd Center. She started by helping the staff serve dinner and over the years it evolved from going once a week to being there all day Fridays. Now, as a volunteer member of the Activities Team she’s become “an angel,” according to one staff member.
“I read to them, I facilitate a program called Moving and Grooving, I help serve lunch and after lunch I lead the Bingo games,” she says. “Oftentimes, if one of the staff members isn’t able to come to work, they’ll call one of the members of the Activities Team to the floor, so I’m the only one available to lead activities with the residents.”
She is frequently asked how she can volunteer at a nursing home.
“Given the amount of time I spent at my mother’s facility, it wasn’t hard for me to jump right in,” she says. “I explain that when you work there, you get to know the residents. They become people with names and families and you build relationships with them and with the staff.”
Arnold can’t praise the staff of the Eckerd Living Center enough.
“Every single staff member, down to housekeeping, knows these residents and interacts with them,” she says. “ The administration does such a great job of hiring people who care. It makes it so easy to
volunteer there.”
It’s a mutual feeling. The staff members are quick to praise Arnold’s dedication and energy and as one says, “I don’t know what we would do without her.”
