CLAREMORE, Okla. — Going to a hospital can be daunting and sometimes the news you get there isn’t always good. But, there are some women at a local hospital who will be sure to bring a smile to your face.
“The pink ladies” are all volunteers at Hillcrest in Claremore.
The women volunteer their time for a couple of hours every Tuesday. Three women we spoke to have volunteered at Hillcrest for decades, and they are all in their 90s.
Betty Oldham says she’s always loved being in a hospital setting. She moved to Claremore in 1986. She worked at one hospital for 10 years, then worked at Hillcrest for 17.
“I have the Cart and we go around all the waiting rooms and make sure that there’s current magazines,” says Oldham.
Nola Freeman moved to Tulsa with her husband in 1956. She has a different background. She worked for the government as a flight secretary.
“I am the one that tells people where they need to go,” says Freeman.
And Esther Tanner moved to Tulsa to go to business school and worked in banking after graduation.
“I call it terrific Tuesday,” says Tanner. “I am at the desk, in the heart lab area.”
Betty will be 91 in June. Esther will be 91 in April. And Nola turned 92 in December. All three women from three different backgrounds, have one thing in common.
Their love for volunteering.
“I just love it,” says Oldham. “I just love the hospital setting, and being able to go around and see all the different departments,”
“The ladies I work with, the people here… they’re wonderful, just wonderful place to be,” says Freeman.
Betty has volunteered at Hillcrest in Claremore for 17 years, Nola for 21, and Esther started volunteering with her husband in 2004.
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