{"id":132843,"date":"2024-07-16T20:27:03","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T00:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=132843"},"modified":"2024-07-16T20:27:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T00:27:03","slug":"amazing-grace-carr-st-lukes-sacred-hearts-oldest-volunteer-ever-turns-97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=132843","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Amazing Grace\u2019 Carr: St. Luke\u2019s Sacred Heart\u2019s Oldest Volunteer Ever Turns 97"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When as a teenager Grace Carr set out from a small town in coal country to become a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, World War II was still raging. The year was 1944, and she has been with Sacred Heart ever since.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-image-carousel  su-image-carousel-columns-3 su-image-carousel-has-spacing su-image-carousel-has-lightbox su-image-carousel-has-outline su-image-carousel-adaptive su-image-carousel-slides-style-default su-image-carousel-controls-style-dark su-image-carousel-align-none\" style=\"max-width:500px\" data-flickity-options='{\"groupCells\":true,\"cellSelector\":\".su-image-carousel-item\",\"adaptiveHeight\":true,\"cellAlign\":\"left\",\"prevNextButtons\":true,\"pageDots\":true,\"autoPlay\":3000,\"imagesLoaded\":true,\"contain\":false,\"selectedAttraction\":0.007000000000000000145716771982051795930601656436920166015625,\"friction\":0.25}' id=\"su_image_carousel_69f3d640ec1fd\"><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item\"><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr3-Nurse.jpg\" data-caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1365\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr3-Nurse.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr3-Nurse.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr3-Nurse-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr3-Nurse-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr3-Nurse-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr3-Nurse-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr3-Nurse-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item\"><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr-2-Cadet.jpg\" data-caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1696\" height=\"2047\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr-2-Cadet.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr-2-Cadet.jpg 1696w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr-2-Cadet-249x300.jpg 249w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr-2-Cadet-848x1024.jpg 848w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr-2-Cadet-768x927.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr-2-Cadet-1273x1536.jpg 1273w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr-2-Cadet-300x362.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1696px) 100vw, 1696px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item\"><div class=\"su-image-carousel-item-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr1.jpg\" data-caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr1.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Carr1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><script id=\"su_image_carousel_69f3d640ec1fd_script\">if(window.SUImageCarousel){setTimeout(function() {window.SUImageCarousel.initGallery(document.getElementById(\"su_image_carousel_69f3d640ec1fd\"))}, 0);}var su_image_carousel_69f3d640ec1fd_script=document.getElementById(\"su_image_carousel_69f3d640ec1fd_script\");if(su_image_carousel_69f3d640ec1fd_script){su_image_carousel_69f3d640ec1fd_script.parentNode.removeChild(su_image_carousel_69f3d640ec1fd_script);}<\/script>\n<p>For the past eight decades, she has either trained, worked or volunteered at the hospital, now St. Luke\u2019s Sacred Heart Campus, a journey of many years and memories, both personal and professional.<\/p>\n<p>Carr (nee\u2019 Malloy), who turned 97 on July 4, still volunteers each Wednesday at the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>She says she keeps coming back because, \u201cIt\u2019s my alma mater, and I love this place!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At age 17, Carr left her family home in Freeland, in the coal region of Luzerne County, to join the profession that is considered the most trusted in the world. She was the first nurse in her family but not the only one.<\/p>\n<p>And she has never looked back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs long as I can remember, I wanted to be a nurse,\u201d she said proudly. She graduated from the Sacred Heart School of Nursing in 1947, got married, started a family and never thought of leaving the hospital at Fourth and Chew Streets in downtown Allentown.<\/p>\n<p>During her schooling, she served as a Nurse Cadet, a government trainee role within the U.S. Army, for which she was paid $15\/month in her first year, then $20\/month during her second year and $30 in her final year. The government also paid her tuition to the School of Nursing, on the condition that she, and other Cadet Nurses, work for a public organization like Sacred Heart, she recalled.<\/p>\n<p>As a newly minted RN, she worked nights on the medical-surgical floors, soon growing a family. All five of her children, and nearly all of her grandchildren, were born at Sacred Heart. Her daughter, Grace Loring, trained at the School of Nursing, then worked in the pediatric ward for 35 years before retiring.\u00a0 Two of her sisters followed in her footsteps, training and working at \u201cThe Heart,\u201d as it\u2019s affectionally called.<\/p>\n<p>Carr retired at age 62 to take care of her ailing husband and started volunteering in 1993 after he passed away. She has logged more than 6,000 hours as a volunteer, always on Wednesday, taking specimens to the lab, escorting patients to tests and procedures and delivering water and flowers to patients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrace is fantastic,\u201d says Volunteer Engagement Specialist Beth Fogel, who has known Carr for 20 years. \u201cWe call her Amazing Grace. She loves to talk about the history of the hospital. She\u2019s such a joy to talk to and has a great sense of humor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carr carries a supply of sweets in her pocket when she\u2019s at the hospital, nibbling them during her shift and sharing them widely with her fellow volunteers.<\/p>\n<p>She lives in a three-story house in Allentown, and when not volunteering, she enjoys reading, sewing, visiting with family and keeping up her home.<\/p>\n<p>She came to the hospital on a recent Wednesday, driven there by her daughter, Grace Loring. Though Carr wasn\u2019t scheduled to volunteer because she was recovering from a recent foot surgery, she was keen on telling her tale of dedication to the institution\u2019s patients, physicians, nurses and fellow volunteers.<\/p>\n<p>One of her most memorable patients was the newborn son of a fellow nurse in the nursery. \u201cHe\u2019s now my son-in-law,\u201d she says with pleasure. \u201cWho knew that would happen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace Carr has no plans to close this chapter of her life anytime soon. Instead, she hopes to continue serving the hospital as its oldest volunteer ever, an integral part of its 100-plus year history of caring for the community\u2019s sick and injured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeeping busy keeps me going,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll keep coming back here as long as I\u2019m able.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1872,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.slhn.org\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/www.slhn.org\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1721261742402000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1IR88Cb1kz2KbOnITp5vBp\"><strong>St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites.\u00a0 With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.\u00a0 In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school campus.\u00a0 It also operates the nation\u2019s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 52 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 500 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke\u2019s, a member of the Children\u2019s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.<\/p>\n<p>SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s\u00a0<em>five-star<\/em>\u00a0ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.\u00a0 It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades\u00a0<em>Top Hospital<\/em>\u00a0and a Newsweek World\u2019s\u00a0<em>Best Hospital<\/em>.\u00a0 The Network\u2019s flagship University Hospital has earned the\u00a0<em>100 Top Major Teaching Hospital<\/em>\u00a0designation from Fortune\/PINC AI 10 years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.\u00a0 In 2021, St. Luke\u2019s was identified as one of the\u00a0<em>15 Top Health Systems<\/em>\u00a0nationally.\u00a0 Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the\u00a0<em>Most Wired<\/em>\u00a0award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. \u00a0The Network is also recognized as one of the state\u2019s lowest-cost providers.<\/p>\n<p>Information and images provided to TVL by:<br \/>\nSam Kennedy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When as a teenager Grace Carr set out from a small town in coal country to become a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, World War II was still &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=132843\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\u2018Amazing Grace\u2019 Carr: St. Luke\u2019s Sacred Heart\u2019s Oldest Volunteer Ever Turns 97<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132844,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Grace-Carr.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=132843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/132844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=132843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=132843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=132843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}