Norm Tice is no stranger to volunteerism. His mother set the example. As he observed her passion and commitment as a hospital volunteer, he decided to honor her legacy during his own golden years.
“I told her when I retired I would do it also because of how she benefitted from it all those years,” said Norm, who began his service to Ascension Via Christi in Wichita, Kansas, 15 years ago. Even before that, he volunteered for 15 years as his son’s Boy Scout troop patrol dad for their camping trips. “I learned as much from the boys as they learned from me,” he said.
Norm and his wife, Edith, have dedicated their retirement to serving patients and their families through Ascension Via Christi’s Volunteers, Partners in Caring ministry.
“We had to do something after we stopped working to avoid sitting around,” said Edith, who has volunteered for 14 years, just a year less than Norm. “One of my talents is hospitality and making people feel comfortable in situations, which is why I love volunteering.”
For Norm and Edith, it’s not just about putting in hours to stay busy. Both agree that they are fulfilled and enriched by their volunteer experiences.
“My favorite part is interacting with people and meeting nice people on mail deliveries,” Norm said. “I also deliver patient mail and flowers, and I love how they light up when I announce they’ve got mail.”
The Tices are among the more than 1,000 members of Ascension Via Christi Volunteers, Partners in Caring.
“They are selfless, faithful and dedicated,” Susan Delling, Director of Volunteers at Ascension Via Christi, said of the couple, who collectively have accumulated more than 15,000 volunteer hours over the past 15 years.
They each volunteer twice a week. One day you may find Edith in the joint replacement unit serving as a coach to post-surgery patients; on another, she’s at the Ascension St. Francis Information Desk greeting and directing folks. She also crochets and knits “pink hats” to give to breast cancer patients and survivors.
You can catch up with Norm delivering mail and greeting patients, cashiering at the Ascension St. Francis Gift Shop, or picking up and delivering food to the Dear Neighbor Ministries, a ministry of the Congregation of St. Joseph.
Both are Partners in Caring Board Members. Norm serves as President, while Edith serves as Vice President of Revenue.
