10TV: 90-Year-Old OhioHealth Volunteer Helps Families of Newborns

For many new parents, having their first child together is one of the most exciting, yet busy and stressful experiences they face. At OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital alone, 6,000 babies are born each year, making the hospital one of the country’s busiest maternity hospitals.

Joanne White, a 90-year-old OhioHealth volunteer in Riverside Methodist’s nursery, is happy to help new families through the experience of having a newborn.

Some of her roles around the nursery include comforting the babies whenever parents are in need of a break, making sure the nursery is clean and helping nurses fold shirts and blankets.

"It just helps your mind,” White told 10TV reporter Stephanie Stanavich. “It keeps you, as I'd say, young, which I'm not young, but it does keep you young and you get to be with the babies."

When she’s not spending time in the hospital, White is busy at home crocheting hats to bring in for the newborns, a project she spends hours on. Parents often show their appreciation for White by giving her cards and writing her notes, which always bring a smile to her face.

“It makes me feel good that I can do something they enjoy,” White told Stanavich.

Riverside Methodist always enjoys welcoming volunteers like White to come in and help. For White, who has been with OhioHealth for the past eight years, volunteering is a way for her to stay busy and surround herself with good company.

To learn more about volunteering at OhioHealth, click here.