National Volunteer Week: Man May Hold Record For Most Volunteer Hours

Throughout April, HuffPost Impact has been featuring stories of extraordinary volunteers for National Volunteer Month. Today, in honor of a nationally recognized week in support of public service, we've gathered some of the most remarkable stories in the nation. Know about a volunteer whom we don't? E-mail us at [e-mail] with your story.

Donn Moss, a man from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, may hold the record for most lifetime volunteer hours: 47,000. He's volunteered at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center for 28 years, getting a ride from his wife, who works there as a nurse.

From MyFox8.com:

Moss started volunteering after he was in a car accident and was forced to retire.

"He was in a car accident and ended up having to retire. So he decided to volunteer in the department that helped him heal, the rehab department," said Susan Washabaugh, Director of Volunteer Services.

 

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Shane Fleming, a 22-year-old from Saskatchewan, has spent the past three years volunteering with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). The epileptic and autistic young man was having trouble focusing in school or finding work study programs that interested.

His love of animals made him a perfect fit with the SPCA. He now volunteers there four to five times each week.

The Star Phoenix reports:

Shane's duties include taking one dog at a time to the off-leash area and letting it run around for 10 to 15 minutes. When the weather is poor, he plays with them inside the shelter. He also takes the cats to their socializing room and watches over them as they run around. Shane's love for the animals is evident when he comes home asking if he can adopt a puppy, said Vivian.

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It used to take Ray Foos 10 minutes to get through the front door of his house after arriving home from work. He is disabled and in a wheelchair. Though he never asked for help, over 150 volunteers, including many children from the elementary school where he teaches, chipped in to build Foos a ramp and a veranda.

His girlfriend Beth was overwhelmed with the community response.

Comments

[jcd8822]

02:15 PM on 04/21/2010

WOW, this man is great. A friend use to track our hours for an organization at work. I never really thought about how they add up, but mine were not near what he has done.

My partner and I got involved with sending care packages to the service personnel in Afghanistan at the RV resort where we spent the winter. We requested they divide up the names for the summer so we could continue sending packages. We have five service personnel on our list that we now send to.

One of my sisters wanted to start doing the same. I told her to check with people at her church, bowling league or who are in her sorority, for names of people serving over seas. She runs the gift shop as a volunteer in the hospital in her home town and was able to get three names the first day.

There are web sites that tell what one can and cannot send in military packages overseas. It also addresses packing the boxes. I heard of one church group that sends nothing but home made items. Last winter one lady in our group knitted what I call "skull caps" that they can wear under their helmets during the winter. Another one always had oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies to place in the boxes.

[AristotlePA]

05:59 PM on 04/20/2010

I'm thinking of the local SPCA I happen to visit a year or two ago, I need to get to the point where I can afford free time first but seems the right cause for me. This guy found his own niche. Good for him.

[Crumbysmom]

03:02 PM on 04/20/2010

Inspiring!!!

[Douglas90723]

01:57 PM on 04/20/2010

I'm very burned out from my volunteering days.

Why? Having to put up with the power plays and out of control actions of other volunteers. It's just not worth it because volunteers usually cannot be fired.

[OLEGAR]

05:45 PM on 04/24/2010

I retired in 1991. At that time I joined our all volunteer fire department. In 2007 I received my 15 year service pin. A real surprise was the three other volunteers that received their 20 year pins!

Active training, taking care of and maintaining the station house and apparatus, record keepig and distribution of district handouts, and responding to both fire incidents and medical calls has been taking it's toll on my 70+ year old body. I will probably resign ( retire again! ) on my 20th anniversary and let some younger firefighters have the reins. I haven't ever kept track of the hours but when the alarm goes off anytime day or night we respond.

We also volunteer, twice a month, at the local nursing homes by bringing a musical group to entertain residents. What rewards ? The feeling of helping those who have a need.

[Kenneth Webb]

01:29 PM on 04/20/2010

I am not too keen on the idea of recording the amount of time you volunteer. It just doesn't feel right.

[MNKen]

02:27 PM on 04/20/2010

many organizations are required to log the hours volunteered at their sites. Various funding vehicles and grants require this info. Plus, my employer requires we do volunteer work to give back to the community, so I log mine for that reason.

[KIVPossum]

12:26 PM on 04/20/2010

My question is, did he retire, or is he on disability?

[drob20]

01:53 PM on 04/20/2010

Why in the world does that matter?

[KIVPossum]

02:39 PM on 04/20/2010

To me it matters a lot. If he's retired and doing this, then it is very noble and he has my admiration for the work he does. If he's drawing disability, he needs to ask the hospital to hire him and get off the dole.

A man that can work 1800 hours a year doesn't need to be drawing disability - from an insurance company or the government.

[WA-violins]

01:06 PM on 04/21/2010

Do you read? The article said he had to retire.

[helonias]

12:12 PM on 04/20/2010

Now there's someone who will get into the kingdom of heaven