COUPLE'S TEAMWORK HELPS MEDICAL CENTER WORK

Perhaps Linda McVay sums it up best: "This place couldn't function without the Franklins."

The place is St. Francis Medical Center. Marilyn and Raymon Franklin are two of the hospitals most dedicated volunteers. McVay works in the hospital's personnel department.

The Franklins are a husband-wife team of 48 years. They volunteer each week at the hospital, deftly finishing tasks with humor and gusto.

Raymon retired on a Saturday from ABF Trucking, and the couple began volunteering at St. Francis that Monday. One of their four children, daughter Rayma, works at the hospital.

The Franklins began their volunteering tenure in patient care, but soon moved into helping administration, public relations, human services, support systems and other departments.

They can be found Xeroxing materials, stuffing envelopes, sorting papers, collecting tickets or dozens of other jobs.

Marilyn has amassed better than 3,600 volunteer hours. Raymon has an impressive 3,200. He also drives the van for same-day surgery on a part-time, as-needed basis.

The couple work most Monday mornings and then return to the hospital later in the week when the need arises. Basically, they're on call. Some weeks they work four hours; other weeks the hours may top 20.

"We just enjoy helping them out. We come whenever they need us," said Marilyn with a smile. "They're very nice to us."

Some people question why the Franklins would put in all those hours without getting paid.

"That's not the scope of being helpful," said Raymon.

Every time you see Marilyn, Raymon is right behind her.

"Sometimes I don't have an identity," he chuckled. "I'm her shadow."

Raymon is the kidder.

"April First rolls around once a year, and I had half of them looking out the door for a hot air balloon," he laughed.

They plan to continue volunteering as long as their health holds out.

There are 516 adult volunteers and 66 junior volunteers at St. Francis. But the Franklins are certainly two of the most dedicated, agree many of the staff members.

Connie Laurentius, who works in administration, has worked with the Franklins four years.

"To put it in a nutshell, they're my lifesavers," she said.

No matter what the job is, they get it done efficiently and cheerfully. As a result, the couple are in demand in the hospital.

"They work very well together," said Laurentius. "They're like a fine-tuned machine. I don't know what we'd do without them."

Pat Miller, coordinator of volunteer services, said, "We think they're wonderful, without a doubt. They give so many hours here and are so dependable."

The Franklins are very pleasant people who always have a smile on their faces and a "good morning" for everyone, she said.

"We really look forward to their visits," said Miller. "They relate so well with everyone."