A Star Volunteer: RuthAnn Culp
Villager RuthAnn Culp has been a volunteer since she moved to CKV in 2017, rising rapidly to join the “500 Club,” an impressive group made out of volunteers who exceed 500 service hours in a given year. These star volunteers get a special accolade every April during our Volunteer Appreciation Day, when the team gives back to those who serve others so faithfully all year long.
RuthAnn has excelled in several volunteer opportunities on campus, including bus trip attendant (to assist residents), delivering mail and packages, and scheduling salon appointments. What is closest to her heart, however, is a yarn worth telling. On Monday afternoons, you will find her knitting with the residents at Brookside Memory Care Residence. RuthAnn brings her knitting tools: yarn, knitting needles, etc. “It gives the residents something to do, one stitch at a time.” Not everyone who joins her knitting group is an avid knitter, but RuthAnn says getting involved and trying is all that matters.
In addition, RuthAnn has been part of the village’s Knitters and Crocheters Group since she moved to CKV. She works on items for Lutheran Social Services and creates hand-sized crosses for Pastoral Care to give away. During the holidays, she crafts hats and scarves for the Christmas trees around campus that collect cold-weather accessories for donation. She always has a stash of baby blankets and prayer shawls at the ready, just in case someone needs one. RuthAnn prefers not to delve on the significance of her volunteer impact, humbly noting, “it doesn’t seem like much…but nothing satisfies me more!” RuthAnn has received heartfelt thank you notes and says, “it makes you feel good, knowing the work goes a long way.”
“Volunteering is very special to me, because it’s a way to give back.” RuthAnn worked at Carlisle Hospital and Hanover Hospital for a total of 50 years, with wonderful volunteers assisting her. In 2009, RuthAnn selected CKV’s Wellbrook Adult Day Services for her husband while she still worked. She relied on CKV and trusted our caregivers. As it often happens, her husband eventually needed long-term care, and moving him into Mission Point at CKV was the logical transition.
RuthAnn loves to stay busy. Volunteering is one way to do something above and beyond the typical day’s routine and it gives her the opportunity to meet people. “Having the opportunity to volunteer is the least I can do for all that Cross Keys Village has given to my husband and to me.”