News

Mary Lou Wacha
Volunteer - Healthpark Medical
Office Building Front Desk & The Gift Shop

After Mary Lou Wacha’s husband died in 2016, she grew very lonely. She stopped leaving her house for anything but the most essential needs, because she felt like there was nothing for her in the outside world.

Then, one day when she was walking out of the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation room at Columbus Community Hospital, Wacha saw a sign: “Volunteers needed.” Something clicked inside her, and she decided to take a leap of faith and apply to be a volunteer at the hospital.

She says it was the best choice she could have made.

“Now, I am out of my house,” she said, “enjoying socializing and bringing smiles to patients’ faces when they otherwise may be hurting, or just generally having a bad day.”

Wacha volunteers at the Healthpark Medical Office Building front desk, helping patients and visitors find their way to appointments. “The patients are very appreciative of the help, which brings a smile to my face,” she said. “It’s just amazing when I work in that building. There are times when I can have seven or eight people by my desk and we’re having a conversation about something.”

Conversation comes naturally to Wacha. She will tell a patient or family member to have a good weekend when they’re leaving the building, and then they’ll turn around, come back to the desk and start talking to her. “I guess I’m good at gab,” she said.

Wacha also credits her volunteering with improving her health issues. She has diabetes, and now that she has been spending more time with people, her blood sugar levels are stabilizing. “I felt better about myself, so I would eat better,” she said. “I had a better attitude about things.”

A native of Columbus, Wacha graduated from Columbus High School and attended Central Community College. While she has worked for many area businesses, her favorite was a job at Sharp’s Outfitters, helping people kayak, tube and canoe down the Niobrara River.

“Nothing can beat a hard day’s work of lugging tubes, canoes and people out of the river,” she said, “meeting people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, then settling in front of a campfire watching the night sky.”

Wacha and her husband had four children, and she now enjoys the company of eight grandchildren. She loves attending her grandchildren’s events, reading, camping, kayaking and spending time with her beagle, Tater.

In addition to volunteering at medical office building front desk, Wacha also logs some hours at The Gift Shop. “The employees are very patient when they come into The Gift Shop on their lunch and I’m having a hard time ringing up a sale,” she said. “Employees are always willing and eager to dive in and help if you are having a problem with helping someone. I’ve never worked anyplace like this — people are so patient.”

In just a short time, Wacha has gone from lonely and depressed to thriving as a volunteer. “Now I live by the motto, ‘Be the reason somebody smiles today,’” she said.

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