Volunteer Celebrates 90th Birthday at Florida Hospital DeLand

March 1, 2012 - PRLog -- DELAND – It was 1982 and Ronald Reagan was President. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is released and the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World opens to the public. In DeLand, Marguerite Nerge volunteers for the first time at Florida Hospital DeLand (then known as West Volusia Memorial Hospital). On that hot July day in 1982, Nerge had no inkling she’d still be volunteering at the hospital 30 years later and celebrating a milestone of her own while there.

On March 1, Nerge celebrated her 90th birthday just as if it were any other Thursday – by volunteering at the Florida Hospital DeLand Welcome Desk, as she does each week.

“When I signed up, I never dreamed I’d be doing this for 30 years,” Nerge said with a laugh. “This is my hospital family. I like helping where I can and I enjoy everybody here.”

Nerge reflected on her first day volunteering at Florida Hospital DeLand. She was supposed to receive three days of training in Messenger Services, delivering mail and flowers. However, the hospital was so busy that day, Nerge had to learn “trial by fire” and jumped in head first. When her shift was finished, her trainer declared Nerge fully-trained and told her she didn’t need the extra two days.

Nerge was born March 1, 1922 in West Virginia, but has been a DeLand resident since 1979. The great-grandmother to 27 children, she’s very involved in the community and belongs to several groups at Trinity Methodist Church, as well as crafting and gardening clubs locally.

“I think that’s why I’ve been around so long,” she said. “It’s because I stay so busy.”

# # #

Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler is a nonprofit with a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ. With five hospitals, Florida Hospital is the largest hospital system in Volusia and Flagler counties, caring for nearly 650,000 patients every year.