Donna Harmon has been a dedicated volunteer for many years at the Reformed Presbyterian Home. She became involved in the RP Home when her father was receiving physical therapy as a short-term resident. He then resided for 5 years in McKee Place (personal care) and later the nursing community. As a volunteer, she helps to support our residents in their mental, social, and spiritual well-being and is an integral part of serving our mission.
We asked Donna what surprised her the most about volunteering at RP Home. Donna shared the following:
“by volunteering at RP Home, I was surprised how fulfilling it was to see the residents’ and staff’s smiling faces and to hear them say, ‘we’re glad you’re here’. I have a motto – I came to make you laugh, I don’t care if you laugh with me or at me, just so you laugh!”
When Donna is not at RP home, she is procrastinating on housework by shopping at the Dollar Store, Michael’s, Joanne’s and on-line. Also in her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, needlepoint and craft projects and drawing. Donna’s hidden talents are writing short stories and poetry. Donna describes herself as being talkative, helpful, considerate, generous, outgoing, and comedic.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Donna’s favorite thing about volunteering at RP Home is doing crafts, reading short stories, learning interesting and unusual trivia, and telling corny jokes. Donna states “most of all I enjoy listening to the residents tell me about the lives they have lived!”
Donna is an only child. She worked at H.J. Heinz Co. with her dad. She is retired from the Post-Gazette Newspaper Library and as a teaching assistant. The greatest challenge Donna had to overcome was surviving breast cancer. She fought breast cancer twice in ten years.
Donna married her husband when she was 19 and has been married to her wonderfully patient and helpful husband for 53 years. She recently celebrated her handsome son, and beautiful daughter-in-law’s marriage. She has an adorable chocolate dog (Cocoa) and an orange tabby cat (Charlie) both adopted from Animal Friends.
We asked Donna to share something about RP Home. She stated, “I wish people knew how compassionate and caring the staff are, taking pride in the everyday attention they provide their residents at RP Home.”
The residents and staff appreciate the hard work and dedication Donna brings to RP Home several times a week. If you would like to join Donna as a volunteer, please reach out to Julie Haley jhaley@rphome.org or apply on https://rphome.org/volunteer/.
It feel so good inside.
To hear all the kind words well said about my Aunt Donna.
As a teenager I always looked up to Aunt Donna for advice. She is such a wonderful ,Caring,out going ,loving person.Always there with her arms open to help & be there for others.
There is not enough words to say about her.She always carry a smile.we are so proud of you Aunt Donna