GBMC Volunteer Gives Her Time & More

“It's hard to imagine a greater American than Will Rogers, the humorist whose clever quips and unerring moral compass helped ease the nation during hard times before his death in 1935. Rogers had an enlightened view of aging for his day: ‘Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.’ He understood that with age comes assets -- wealth if you're fortunate, but wisdom, too -- and perhaps the best chance you'll ever have to make a difference in the world.”¹

GBMC’s own volunteer and philanthropist, Joanne Flesher, is doing just that. After retiring from a career, which included a 12-year stint in the administrative office of another local hospital, Joanne had no plans to slow down. She has volunteered at GBMC’s Corner Shop for two years and serves as secretary of the Volunteer Auxiliary Board.

Joanne and her husband, Al, have lived in Baltimore, since he took a position at the Glenn L. Martin Company after working at Boeing in Seattle and serving in the Air Force. That was in 1962. They liked the area, so these two high school classmates from Pittsburgh decided to stay.

Over the past 20 years, Joanne has been a patient at GBMC on many different occasions. After a major surgery, last year, she credits the GBMC team in helping her successfully battle cancer, “GBMC helped me so, in the last year, that I wanted to provide for other oncology patients to be helped like I was. This is a really neat place.”

According to GBMC Foundation President, Doug Smith, it was no surprise that Joanne became a member of the Elizabeth Duncan Yaggy Society, the group whose members have provided for GBMC in their estate plans. “So often, we see people who first give their time as volunteers, and then step forward to give again. It means the world to us that we have the support of our cherished volunteers,” Smith says.

The soft-spoken Joanne summed up her giving inspiration, “When I arrive at GBMC for my volunteer job, I look around and I think -- ‘This is my hospital.’ ”

¹Retirement: From Leisure to a Legacy by Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., June 2006.

GBMC Foundation
6701 North Charles Street
Baltimore,MD 21204
443-849-3303 | Fax: 443-849-3739
E-Mail: JJeppi@GBMC.org