SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - No one knows his way around Sanford quite like Don Gaarder. That’s because the 89-year-old has been walking these halls for 30 years, volunteering his time to help make sure your trip to the doctor is a little less stressful.
“I tell people where to go, but I do it nicely. I appreciate the opportunity to keep doing what I’m doing; I might not quit at 90, we’ll see,” Gaarder said.
“Volunteers just really help with making a welcoming environment,” Sanford Health volunteer coordinator Bekah Aisenbrey said. “It’s a big campus, so a lot of our volunteers help them find their way around.”
When he’s not volunteering or golfing, he is visiting his wife at the Good Samaritan Society in Sioux Falls every day. They will celebrate their 67th wedding anniversary this August.