Jerry Fleeger, a volunteer at the VA hospital sits in his cart as Fleeger as been avolunteer at the hospital for 11 years.

BUTLER TWP — Volunteering for the Butler Veterans Affairs Medical Center comes naturally to many residents. They want to give to those who gave.

The VA medical center is one of the largest volunteer-friendly organizations in Butler County with 641 adult and youth volunteers who contributed more than 47,000 hours of service last year.

The center houses an adult day care program and two 60-bed units, one for the domiciliary that helps substance abuse patients and one for community living.

Doctors, nurses, therapists and administrators also have offices in the facility on New Castle Road. About 19,000 veterans visit the center for outpatient care each year, totaling about 120,000 visits. A large focus at the center is behavioral health and suicide prevention.

One of the primary areas in which volunteers help is the adult day care program, according to Paula McCarl, voluntary service specialist.

The adult day care program allows participants a few hours of interaction with their peers, access to doctors, eye appointments or therapy. This allows the participants' caregivers a chance to catch up on tasks they might not be able to do while caring for their loved one.

Volunteers help by escorting day care participants to various appointments or by simply interacting with them over a game of checkers.Other areas where volunteers help include escorting residents to areas of the center, driving, outpatient care, office work and yearly special events.Members of such groups as the Boy and Girl Scouts, the VFW Auxiliary and ROTC volunteer for positions and special events each year, such as the national Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week, which was held Feb. 8 to 14 this year."They come from all walks of life," said Dave Virag, voluntary service and public affairs officer, of the volunteers at the medical center.Virag noted though some professionals would like to volunteer in their own fields such as nursing or dentistry, policies will not allow it. But those volunteers are welcome to help in other volunteer areas.The VA Medical Center provides lunch for volunteers as well as any uniforms that are necessary for their areas of service.Volunteers are about half women and half men, many of whom are veterans themselves. Most are about 70 years old and above, McCarl said.Jim Riemer of Butler has been volunteering there for 18 years with hours totaling 6,493.After a work injury left him paralyzed, the U.S. Navy veteran went to the medical center for physical therapy and learned about the services it provides.Riemer began volunteering by helping out in the accounting department. From there, he spent time with prosthetics patients and spinal cord patients, handing out canteen books periodically. Canteen books are like coupons that buy small items in the medical center's store.Riemer serves on the Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service committee and coordinates the Veterans Wheelchair Games. He also is involved with the Keystone Paralyzed Veterans of America.Now he spends one to two days per week visiting with spinal cord injury patients."You get involved (when you) start talking to them," he said. "They're (patients are) all special — you can't pick one out."

Jeremy "Jerry" Fleeger, 79, of Butler has volunteered for the VA Medical Center since his older sister died in 1998.She was a World War II veteran and battled cancer at the VA Medical Center. After her death, Fleeger asked VA officials if he could help."They said I could volunteer," he said.So he went in on a Monday to take a tour and learn about volunteer opportunities. After the tour, he told his guide, "I'll see you next Monday."The guide then said, "You can come in Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.""'OK,' I said, 'I'll see you Wednesday,'" Fleeger said.Soon, the center also needed Tuesday volunteers. So Fleeger now escorts patients and delivers newspapers around the center from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. four days a week."This isn't work," he said. "If I want to take a break, I take a break. This is all gratitude, like helping the little old lady across the street.""I look forward to coming here every day. Sometimes my legs are kinda tired, but I know I did something good that day," Fleeger said.

<B>Address: </B>New Castle Road<B>Number of volunteers: </B>641 adult and youth volunteers<B>People served: </B>19,000 veterans visit the center annually<B>Phone number: </B>800-362-8262<B>Web site: </B>www.butler.va.gov

Jerry Fleeger, a volunteer at the VA hospital pushes Walter Nock wheelchair as Fleeger as been avolunteer at the hospital for 11 years.

Jerry Fleeger, an 11-year volunteer at the Butler Veterans Affairs Medical Center, wears these volunteer pins.