Maple Grove Volunteer Part of Crew 52
Jerry Lehan is no stranger to volunteering. At Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, the 71-year-old Maple Grove man can walk the walk.
“I was in the hospital three nights, and I walked out on a walker,” Lehan said of his experience of having both knees replaced in 2014. “It’s not as bad as people think.”
One of Lehan’s monthly volunteer jobs at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital is to meet with patients who are considering joint replacement surgery or those who are recovering from the surgery. Lehan can alleviate fears and share his experience with the procedure and recovery process.
“It does really enrich your life knowing that you’ve affected some people or [are] helping people along the way,” said Lehan of his volunteering work.
It’s a valuable service Lehan can provide to the hospital.
“With his experience being a patient, he has a little bit different insight, and he can really speak personally about what it means to be a patient, and so he can help make things easier for others,” said Amy Homstad, volunteer services manager at Park Nicollet Foundation.
It’s why Lehan is perfectly suited for another volunteer role: Crew 52. Starting Saturday, Lehan will suit up for his role as a Super Bowl volunteer on Crew 52.
“I know with all the excitement that’s going to happen downtown; I want to be a part of it. I want to see it,” said Lehan.
He’s one of 10,000 Super Bowl volunteers selected to serve as goodwill ambassadors for the state.
Park Nicollet Health Services is proud to have at least seven of its volunteers chosen for the gig.
“I know that is what Minneapolis was looking for is people who could really represent our community well,” said Homstad. “Our volunteers do that on a regular basis here, and I know they’re going to do that for the city as well.”
Lehan knows he’ll be stationed at Nicollet Mall for his three shifts, including one on game day.
“I’m looking forward to it. Just to see where I’m going to be, and what I’m going to be doing.”
Even though Lehan’s Minnesota team won’t be playing in the big game, Lehan has plenty of experience bringing his best game to volunteering.
“Be excited about the whole experience, that’s the whole thing, because they’re going to be excited, so we have to be just as excited as they are,” said Lehan.
The Super Bowl volunteers applied and were selected months ago, but Park Nicollet Health Services can always use volunteers. Visit Park Nicollet for more information on how to become a volunteer.
