How do we meet the needs of our Residents? Many parts of the Body of Christ are involved, which includes the Little Sisters, employees, AJJ, volunteers, and family members. Many churches and businesses are very generous to us. We have many organizations and groups that come to volunteer, and even have companies that are able to send their employees to volunteer. We are also fortunate to have so many people volunteer on a regular basis.
One volunteer we would like to spotlight is Jim Hahn. Jim is 94 years old! He is familiar with us as his cousin was a Resident at St. Joseph’s Home for many years. Jim and his wife would visit her often, and probably caught a few Cubs games on TV! Currently, Jim volunteers here twice a week. On Mondays, he attends, and occasionally leads our Book Club. On Tuesdays, Jim comes for several hours to visit with Residents.
Jim and his wife moved to Arlington Heights in 1949. Jim has ten children and many grandchildren. They have been parishioners of St. James Parish since 1949. Jim had been involved in the Religious Education program at St. James for many years. He also belonged to the Holy Name Society and the Knights of Columbus. He spent many years as a Cub Scout Master. Jim’s mother spent time at Maryhaven Nursing Home and after she passed away, Jim and his wife continued to visit with Residents.
Jim joined the Navy during World War II at the age of 18. He was part of the Construction Battalion and his first tour was in the Aleutian Islands (between Russia and Alaska). The Japanese had taken over three islands at this time. His task was to guard the ships with a machine gun! Later Jim attended Officer School and went to Northwestern University in Evanston, DePauw University in Indiana, and Duke University in North Carolina. In 1945, one of his friends was killed at the Battle of the Bulge, which left Jim feeling guilty for being on safe soil attending school. So, he requested deployment and was part of the Invasion of Okinawa! After the War, Jim spent a month in Tokyo, and realized the “enemy”, Japanese citizens, were really wonderful people.
After the War, Jim joined the family Tool and Die business. He left the family business after 14 years and started working at Northwestern University. Jim was a consultant for Ph.D. engineering students. The engineering professors would give the doctoral students an effect, and the students through experimentation would have to figure out the cause. He stayed at Northwestern for 56 years – until 2016! It is no wonder he sees problems as challenges.
Besides spending time with his family and volunteering, Jim manages to get a tee time in as often as possible!
Volunteer Spotlight: Jim Hahn