News

Paul Rupprecht
Volunteer - Hospital Guide
The Importance of Caring - my journey into volunteering

When Paul Rupprecht was still working as a pharmacist, he recalls one specific instance in which he rushed to the hospital at 2 a.m. to prepare a special solution for a woman who had a heart attack. Every time he saw her after that, she remembered him as the man who saved her life.

Rupprecht loved being able to help people during his career, and when he retired, he wanted to continue doing so. That’s why he started volunteering at Columbus Community Hospital as a guide. He began eight years ago, and he’s still going strong.

“Volunteering at the hospital brings me back to the hospital environment,” he said. “It is a privilege to work with talented people who choose to volunteer.”

Rupprecht received his Doctor of Pharmacy from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and spent his career working in hospitals and clinics. Now that he’s back in a hospital as a guide, he’s able to help people find where they’re going.

His job is exactly what it sounds like: When people come to the hospital’s information desk, the attendant asks them if they know where they’re going. If they don’t, Rupprecht (or another guide) shows them the way.

“When people come to a hospital, they are often concerned and stressed,” he said. “In many situations, we can be helpful to them. Having been a hospital patient myself, I know what a friendly face and a kind word can do.”

“I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘I’m afraid of hospitals,’” Rupprecht continued. “I work as a guide so I can be in direct contact with people all the time. I can help them face a simple procedure that they might be afraid of. There’s a million ways that you can help when you’re volunteering at a hospital.”

Now that Rupprecht is fully retired, he has had much more time to focus on his hobbies. He particularly enjoys hiking on mountain trails, cooking and gardening. An avid outdoorsman, he never turns down an opportunity to go hunting or fishing.

“I can’t hike like I used to,” he acknowledged. “The highest I ever got was 14,100 feet. It was really fun to do that.”

He and his wife, Peg, have two children — one who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, and one who lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming. At home, Rupprecht does all the cooking, and he pulls many of the vegetables he uses from his own garden.

“I like to can pickles,” he said. “I make a really good dill pickle that I grow in my own garden. I like to give them as gifts, and I get a kick out of having people enjoy them.”

Rupprecht is also passionate about his homemade jalapeño poppers — the appetizer made with jalapeño peppers and a cream cheesy filling. Just like with the pickles, he likes to gift his poppers to friends and family members to “spice up” their lives.

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