(SHREVEPORT, Louisiana) – A group of volunteers at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center is going above and beyond to help patients and anyone entering the hospital in need of assistance. They are the Pink Ladies.

Whether it’s bringing a patient a cup of coffee, helping someone find their way around the hospital or providing a comfy pillow for chemo patients, the volunteers work tirelessly to help brighten someone’s day. And they are easily recognized by the pink vests they wear.

“Our volunteers support our ministry in many ways and in various departments,” said Paige Cox, manager of Cara Center, Child Life and Volunteer Services with CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System. “They are often the first warm face you encounter to assist as you navigate your hospital visit.”

Paige said volunteers also help support special programming, such as milkshake days and pet therapy, in the Cancer Treatment Center.

“Other areas of volunteering are offered in our pharmacy, Breast Center and Kids Clinic, to name a few,” she said.

Volunteer Lynn Lee has been a Pink Lady for five years.

Sitting at her desk, Lee said she mostly gives directions to people needing to find their way around the hospital.

“People come in and they have no idea how to get to where they’re going,” she said. “We smile, be as nice as we can and try to assist in any way.”

About 50 to 60 volunteers make up the Pink Ladies, most of whom are retired, Lee said. There are currently several male volunteers, but they are simply referred to as volunteers.

Volunteer Mary Camden is a retired teacher.

“I taught for 35 years, so I was trying to think of something to do after retiring,” she said. “It took me a year. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about the Cancer Treatment Center. So, in January, I decided I was ready.”

Volunteers can be found in different areas of the hospital, in the Cancer Treatment Center and at the Breast Care Center, Camden said.

“In the cancer center, we greet the patients and take them back for their exams and we also check all the supplies,” said Camden, a breast cancer survivor. “We make sure all the snacks are replenished.”

Camden also helps put together care bags.

“When someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, they receive a care package,” she said. “We give them some things that will help them along their journey.”

The Pink Ladies can also be found in the gift shop.

“We refill the supplies and help people with checking out,” Lee said. “We go in and we fill the shelves and assist the person who works there.”

The volunteers also receive donations from church groups and other organizations.

“We have a church that makes these pillows and we put them in baskets out in the waiting room,” Camden said. “We also take them around sometimes to ask patients if they need a pillow while they’re doing treatment. They can put them behind their neck or behind their back.”

Camden’s breast cancer diagnosis is what eventually led her to volunteer with Pink Ladies.

“The people who were Pink Ladies were so compassionate and when you’re going through something difficult and even when you’re just going for a mammogram, for somebody to greet you with a smile makes a difference,” she said.

Lee’s reason for volunteering was because she wanted to give back.

“I prayed about it and I asked God to find me a way to give back. This came up and it was like an answer to prayer,” she said. “But I get the blessing more than being able to bless other people because we have some of the sweetest, most kind people that come in, especially to the cancer center.”

Camden added, “When they look at you and you can make them smile, you think, ‘OK, I brought a little happiness to their life.’”