Susan Keller has been volunteering at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside for 25 years, dedicating almost 29,000 hours to the Compassionate Listener program. Keller visits patients ranging from stroke victims to babies in the neonatal intensive care unit and offers her support while nurses carry out their duties. She believes volunteering makes a difference in someone's life and wants to ensure that patients feel they are not just a number, but a person. Keller finds interacting with patients exhilarating, and volunteering has become a vital part of her daily life. She started volunteering when her girls began school, and she had extra free time.
Photo Credit: Clay Banks