VOLUNTEERISM IS IN HER BLOOD

You can find her busily working in the gift shop or delivering pharmacy supplies at St. Francis Medical Center. Fran Rediger of Cape Girardeau enjoys her life of service.

This energetic hospital volunteer has amassed more than 5,347 hours of service since joining the auxiliary in 1992.

Two mornings a week, Donna Magwitz works side by side with Rediger in the gift shop. The two are readying a second gift shop in the new Healing Arts Building. Magwitz has nothing but kind words to say about her longtime friend. They co-manage the gift shop.

"She's extremely loyal and dependable. She always goes the extra mile," said Magwitz. "She feels like it's not just her duty to volunteer, but a privilege. She enjoys doing it and that's reflected in all she does."

Pat Miller, volunteer manager at St. Francis, said Rediger is a true asset to the auxiliary.

"Her constant dedication to St. Francis Medical Center is always evident in her enthusiasm to serve wherever asked," said Miller. "She has recruited many new members and works tirelessly on behalf of the auxiliary."

But her desire for service isn't limited to the hospital.

She has volunteered for Community Counseling Center and worked as a Paddle Wheeler, greeting boats that dock on the river. She has delivered Meals on Wheels as a member of Centenary United Methodist Church. She's also quite active in church and is a member of Chapter JN of PEO.

For the last two years, she worked as a puppeteer for the "Kids on the Block" program through the Regional Arthritis Foundation, which is headquartered at the hospital.

Marti Sturm, regional arthritis center coordinator, said Rediger can really relate to the children through the puppets.

"Fran is very empathetic and understanding, and that comes through in the puppet show," said Sturm.

The puppet shows are geared toward third graders, and they help building awareness and acceptance of such differences as arthritis, said Sturm. More volunteers are needed to gear up the puppet shows once again.

Rediger's rapport with children comes from her years in the classroom. She worked a dozen years as a teaching assistant at May Greene School.

She and husband, Harry, raised a family of three girls and one boy. Today, they are close to their five grandchildren.

When she retired, Fran Rediger broadened the scope of her volunteerism.

"I really enjoy it," she said. "I like working with people. It also feels good to help others."

She volunteers so many hours a week, Rediger admits it's almost a job.

Volunteerism runs in the family. Her husband, Harry, has an exhaustive list of community and public service. Her mother, Ruth Markle of Seward, Neb., taught her early on the value of volunteerism.

"All the time I was growing up she was very active in all sorts of things. She's 80 years old today and she still does Meals on Wheels and volunteers at her hospital," said Rediger. "I guess it's in my blood."