Meet Baptist Volunteer of the Year Willie Johnson
Willie Johnson has graciously given 14 years of service as a Baptist Hospital Volunteer. His compassionate spirit has impacted the lives of our patients, guests and team members. His service and compassion make a difference in the hearts of many, and he recently was awarded the 2024 Baptist Health Care Foundation Hollinger* Volunteer of the Year Award.
*Hollinger Awards are presented to individuals, families or organizations that have exhibited exceptional generosity and community leadership through gifts of their time and/or financial support. The award is named in memory of long-time supporters of Baptist Health Care, Pick and Alberta Hollinger. The couple has left a lasting legacy through their generosity, selflessness and desire to help those less fortunate receive access to quality health care.
Willie embraces our culture and provides service to our patients who need us. His integrity as a great volunteer speaks volumes.
He was born and raised in Pensacola but found out about our volunteer program while volunteering at a nursing home 14 years ago. He met with Kathy Sherman, volunteer services manager, who gave him the very first volunteer position directly serving patients on the floor.
Willie goes to rooms and walks in with the same message each time:
“Hi, my name is Willie Johnson, and I’m a volunteer at Baptist. I’m just seeing if you need anything.”
Those two sentences changed the lives of many for the better. Willie loves to listen, help, and serve others. He reads Bible verses to patients. He prays with them, prays over them, and prays with their family members.
Willie has always been of service to others. He served in the U.S. Army for 23 years and retired as Seargent First Class working as a patriot missile crewman. He has traveled worldwide—from basic training in Oklahoma to his first duty station in Korea to El Paso, Texas, Germany, and many places across the Middle East. His time in the military helped him want to serve others at Baptist after he retired.
Because he was often deployed overseas away from family during holidays, Willie always volunteers on Thanksgiving and sometimes at Christmas. He does not want patients to feel lonely and forgotten during the holiday season.
When you ask Willie why he loves volunteering at Baptist, he answers, “I meet different people each time, and I love on them and listen to them. I have the time to sit there and let them speak to me. At times, people are upset when I walk in the room—angry, scared, or just vulnerable from being in the hospital. But by the time I am done listening or letting them speak to me, their whole demeanor and mood has changed.”
Willie volunteers on the 4th and 9th floors at Baptist Hospital. He has met many patients over the years, but one particular person is memorable. She’s now a friend of his family. He met this patient when her husband was ill, and she took a wrong turn and entered the employee breakroom 13 years ago.
In his own words, Willie shares the story:
“13 years ago, my son was a Volunteen at Baptist, and I was waiting on him in the employee breakroom. A lady came in through the door, and I asked her how she was doing. She seemed upset and asked me, ‘Do you really care?’ I said, yes mam, I do care. Her husband was in the progressive care unit, and she was worried. I prayed for her and then walked over to the room and met her husband. Then I prayed with both of them. I gave them both healing scriptures, and she put them all around the room. We developed a relationship with their family. We began to see each other in the community and did activities together. My son and I would visit with them. Eventually, her husband passed away, but we still checked on her and maintained that friendship. Now that lady is 83 years old and has dementia. She is still active, but sometimes she does not remember my wife and me. But she’s met everyone in my family – my children, grandchildren, aunts, and even some cousins. Years ago, she taught us about bicycle trails in the community. She’s nearly 29 years older than me, but she would lead the pack, and I’d be huffing and puffing in the back for a long time.”
Willie and his wife, Sharon, also volunteer in other community settings—hospice care, the prison, their church, Charity Chapel, and the children’s ministry. Their volunteerism strengthens their bond, and they love giving back to others. Together they have seven children and eight grandchildren. Willie volunteers all over the community in other ways too, including time serving in his church, children’s ministry, hospice care and in the prison.
“We both have a good time caring for people,” Sharon said. “We enjoy sitting and reading to people, praying for them. If someone needs something, one of us can stay with the person in need while the other takes action.”
Willie believes in what the apostle Paul told others about esteeming others better than how we esteem ourselves. His core motto is to uplift others.
Willie lives out our Mission of helping people throughout life’s journey. He has certainly gone above and beyond for so many patients and their families over the years. He has the love of God in his heart for others.
Willie has contributed to the success of our mission by volunteering more than 2,771 hours, giving hope, love, and comfort to our patients.
Thank you, Willie, for being a part of our vision and living our values. Thanks for all the joy you give back to others at Baptist and throughout our community.
Become a Baptist Health Care volunteer! There are many ways to donate time and service to our patients and community members. Visit our Volunteer page for more information.
