Volunteer still going at 95

When Rose Cronin's daughter signed her up to be a member of Seton Health/St. Mary's Hospital auxiliary in Troy at the age of 66, she didn't mind.

Recently widowed, Mrs. Cronin decided that volunteering would be a good thing to help others and would keep her busy.

That was 29 years ago. Since then, Mrs. Cronin, now 95, has logged 79,000 volunteer hours.

Busy days

"I leave the house at 9 a.m. and get home around 5 p.m. I love it," Mrs. Cronin declared.

She runs a monthly raffle as an ongoing fund-raiser, bringing in thousands of dollars each year for the hospital auxiliary.

"I volunteer because I love to be with people," she explained. "The hospital atmosphere and the people that work there invigorate me. When I am not there, I think about it and miss the staff. They are like family to me."

Gift for business

Mrs. Cronin began her volunteer work in 1978 as a sales clerk in the gift shop. She knew what to do: She had attended business school, and owned and operated a grocery store from the late 1930s through the 1950s.

Familiar with clerking and sales, she expanded the gift shop's inventory. Soon, she became director of the shop.

She retired from full-time service there in 2002 -- at the age of 90 -- but she didn't retire from volunteering and has no plans to stop.

Slowing down

Mrs. Cronin admits that it's becoming a bit harder to be on her feet for long periods of time.

"I have had to slow down a little," she said. "My knee has been bothering me, and I do have some arthritis."

But she is determined to keep on volunteering for as long as she can.

"It really is wonderful to be a volunteer," she noted. "You'd be surprised at how much fun we have. You meet all kinds of people every day. I just wish I had more time and more years left to give."

(For information on volunteering at Seton Health/St. Mary's, call Anne Marsolais at 268-5505.)

(5/24/07) [[In-content Ad]]