Lake County Council on Aging

(440) 205-8111
8520 East Ave, Mentor, OH 44060
9:00-4:30 Monday-Friday

Robert Austin

2013

Robert Austin has had a great impact on the many organizations with which he is involved, and on the many community members he touches.  As a retired supervisor for General Electric, Bob uses his experience in organizational leadership and management to benefit Hospice of the Western Reserve in many volunteer roles.  He has volunteered in many clerical and administrative roles, assists with evaluations and competencies, mailings and phone calls.  He readily makes himself available when the need for help arises!

It is his service over the last 8 years in the inpatient unit, David Simpson Hospice House, where Bob has really made an impression on the countless patients and their family members who are going through a stressful and painful time.  He sits vigil with them, providing comfort and compassion during a trying time.

Every Friday morning, Bob comes to Hospice House and bakes over 12 dozen cookies, donating all of the ingredients, using his mother’s and grandmother’s recipes.  The homey smell of cinnamon and sugar fills the air and drifts down the halls, and Bob delivers the cookies with a warm smile and a kind word to patients and family members who cannot come out of their rooms.

Bob has worked alongside other GE employees, to refurbish Camp Cheerful, a summer camp for children with special needs.  He has volunteered at the Holden Arboretum for 18 years, St. Gabriel Parish for over 30 years, and at Painesville United Methodist Church for over 15 years.  In 2011, Bob was honored as a SunNews Direct Energy Volunteer.

Bob’s service and support for his community is a true blessing.  He uses his strengths and talents to improve the lives of people in Lake County and beyond.