Best friends Mary Frances Hurt, 85, and Ruth Haas, 93, who’ve volunteered for more than 50 years, spread joy at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

In 1946, Mary Frances Hurt and Ruth Haas became neighbors and close friends.

The two women had relocated to Atlanta with their husbands and purchased homes one house apart in a Buckhead neighborhood.They bonded with a shared love for family (each had three children), yard work and helping others.

As their friendship grew, so did their service to others. They participated in community activities and volunteered in the medical clinic of an adoption program, weighing the babies and assisting the doctors. For decades, they worked with various organizations such as the Red Cross and local hospitals.

“I just enjoy it, and I feel like I am of service,” said Haas, 93, a registered nurse who volunteers weekly at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “It makes me feel like I’m still in touch with the medical world.”

Hurt and Haas are examples of volunteer spirit.

“You always are obligated to give,” said Hurt, 85, a native of Tennessee who also teaches Sunday school. “It’s very rewarding
when you’ve done something for someone else.”

People think they’re too busy to volunteer, but it only takes one time to discover how interesting and rewarding it is, Haas said. “It’s just a nice environment to be in,” she said.

In addition to providing postsurgical services to children at the hospital, Hurt and Haas remain busy working in their yards, contributing to church and civic activities and helping their children and grandchildren — each woman has two granddaughters.

“We aim to please,” said Haas, who recently renewed her driver’s license. “I’ll keep going as long as I’m physically able.”
— This article is a reprint from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.