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Linda Bender
Volunteer - Guide
The Importance of Caring | my journey into volunteering

Linda Bender is a very, very busy woman. When she's not watching Husker football and volleyball games with friends, she's embarking on Pinnacle Bank bus trips and trying her luck at gambling establishments.

For her, it's all about having fun - and that's one of the reasons why she decided to become a Columbus Community Hospital volunteer. "I wanted to join the hospital for helping and friendship," she said.

Bender grew up in rural Lindsay, Nebraska, as one of 10 children. "In that area, at that time, everybody had large families," she said. "My oldest sister was married before my younger brother was born. We lived on a farm, we had all kinds of animals and we had to do chores."

She attended St. Bernard School until it closed, then transferred to Holy Family School in Lindsay. She and her husband, Marvin, were high school sweethearts - he went to school in Humphrey, and she was in Lindsay.

They were married for 48 years before Marvin passed away from cancer in 2015. They have two children - Tracy, a veterinarian, and Cory, an engineer - and two grandchildren.

During her working years, Bender was an employee at BD Medical in Columbus. "I worked a lot of different jobs during my time there," she said. "For my last job, I was an inspector. I liked working there. It was a friendly place."

Bender retired in 2007, and after Marvin died in 2015, she knew she needed to keep herself busy. That's where Columbus Community Hospital came into the picture.

As a hospital information desk volunteer, Bender helps visitors and patients find where they're going. "I went in to apply to be a volunteer, and that was the position that was open," she said. "And I haven't moved from that position since then! I like it because I get to see a lot of people. The time goes by really fast. It gives you a good feeling to greet everybody. I enjoy bringing smiles to the people who are entering the building."

Because she's a woman who likes to keep busy, Bender has especially appreciated Pinnacle Bank's traveling group. Through that organization, she's been to Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; and Nashville, Tennessee. She also still has lots of friends from her time working at BD Medical who like to travel with her. And this past fall, she and some family members traveled to Wisconsin Dells to see the beautiful fall leaves.

When she's not volunteering or away on trips, Bender likes gardening and spending time in the great outdoors. "I enjoy going out with friends to eat and just plain enjoy their friendship," she said. "I do all my own lawn work, so I'm also busy around the house."

And she loves cuddling with her Shih Tzu, Mitzi. "She's more of a homebody, so we spend a lot of time around the house with each other," she said.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities available at the hospital, visit columbushosp.org.