Coming Full Circle - Leo Wood, Volunteer

Each year, we set aside time in April in celebrate and honor our CVPH Volunteers. More than 200 hardworking and caring individuals contribute over 25,000 hours of service annually here. Their contributions of time, energy and expertise make our organization better, enhance our patients experience and help our people. They support our mission to work together to improve people’s lives. Please join us during National Volunteer Week in thanking our friends and colleagues for all they do.

You could say that Leo Wood has come full circle, returning to the Volunteer Department after being part of the CVPH team for 35 years.  Leo started at CVPH as a volunteer in the late 1980s believing it would be a good first step to becoming employed by the hospital. He was right.  A few months after his first volunteer shift, he was hired in Nutrition Services and five years later, transferred to Patient Transport.  He spent the next 30 years in Transport and has many fond memories of his time with that team.

But after retirement, Leo found he missed interacting with people and knew he needed to stay active to stay healthy.  An avid gardener, there was plenty to do during the spring and summer months but the winter was long. “I missed the people and needed to stay busy so I decided to volunteer.”

As luck would have it, the Volunteer Department had just created a new Wayfinding position charged with helping customers and guests find their way through CVPH’s sprawling campus.  His experience as a Patient Transporter made him a natural for the new spot. “I know my way around, that’s for sure,” he said.

Naturally friendly and outgoing, Leo puts his customers at ease as he escorts them to their destination. They may even get a little bit of background about the hospital from the CVPH veteran.  “I’ve seen a lot of changes here, some good and some not so good. But the people here are some of the best,” he added.  

Volunteering offers Leo the opportunity to contribute to his community, stay active while setting their own schedule. “I take much of the summer off – I just have more to do but then I come back. It’s a great thing.” 

Community involvement is important to the entire Wood family, Leo points out. His wife, Lucy, still works in the operating room as a scheduler but volunteers as a Eucharistic minister.  “It’s good to help out,” he said.

Thinking about becoming a CVPH Volunteer? Click here to learn about volunteering opportunities at CVPH.