DENVER — When you have an 8,000 hour lead on second place, you know you are a special volunteer. But a surprise party helps, too.
Polly Coleman, a former Denver7 Every Day Hero, was celebrated by friends and family this week as she reached both her 97th birthday and the 20,000 hour-benchmark for volunteering at the hospital.
Specifically, she has spent the majority of her 32 years there at the hospital's gift shop, where her daughter Dianne now volunteers. Her granddaughter also started volunteering at age 12 before climbing up to the hospital's Director of Service Excellence.
"Oh, that's very special. Yeah, that's very special," Polly said, when asked how special it is to work with her family. "I love what I do."
In the above story, you can see the moment Polly's surprise erupted as she walked in the door for just another day at the gift shop, and hear one of her secrets for a long, happy life (hint: it's a beverage).
To learn more about the Saint Joseph Hospital Gift Shop, which supports the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, you can head here.