by Emma Stone
Ann Thigpen, a longtime Lincoln Parish resident who now lives in Monroe, was honored October 18 at Northern Louisiana Medical Center’s annual Fall Luncheon for achieving over 6,500 hours in community service.
Thigpen began her teaching career in Colorado Springs, Colorado, before finding her way to Louisiana where she taught until retiring in 2003. That’s when her heart for volunteering at NLMC began.
“When I retired from teaching, the first thing I wanted to do was volunteer at the hospital,” said Thigpen. “I filled out an application and started immediately.”
She was assigned to work in North Louisiana Medical Center’s gift shop and was eventually promoted to manager after working there for two years. Now, this is Thigpen’s 20th year volunteering.
“Working with all the gift shop volunteers made reaching these hours a fun and enjoyable experience,” said Thigpen. “It was never about getting the hours, but about making our gift shop the best it could be and being able to meet the needs of our hospital families and shoppers.”
At the Auxiliary Club, those who earn volunteer hours are given pins in 500-hour increments which can be attached to their blue volunteer jackets.
Each year, they meet in October to honor those who are excelling at completing hours while helping the community.
Tami Davis, Director of Marketing and Business Development at NLMC, works closely with Thigpen and raves about her work ethic.
“Ann is an asset and has been the day she walked in,” said Davis. “She handles merchandise, keeps gift records, day-to-day operations and scheduling other volunteers.”
Thigpen is now only about 40 hours away from reaching the 7000-hour milestone.
“She is just an amazing person to have on your team, and we are just so proud she is a part of ours,” said Davis.
For Thigpen, she urges everyone to volunteer.
“I would like to encourage anyone who is retired or has time on their hands to come join us in the Hospital Auxiliary,” said Thigpen. “We are a caring organization who want to give back to the people of Lincoln Parish. You don’t have to have any special skills, just a caring heart and a desire to help others.”
In addition to Thigpen’s milestone, a number of other volunteers were also recognized for their dedication and hard work at NLMC (see the program below for list of honorees).
