Eileen Hardy has always been intent on helping others.

Perhaps it’s a natural instinct, guided by being one of 10 siblings. Maybe it’s willingness to give back to a place which looked after her and other family members in the past. Whatever the case, Tobey Hospital’s Volunteer of the Year has made a life out of giving back to her community. Southcoast Health made the announcement recently.

Hardy has been volunteering at Tobey for the past eight years, every Monday and Tuesday. She started off at the front desk, greeting visitors. When those hours changed, she transitioned to the recovery room.

These days though, Eileen spends her volunteer hours in the emergency room.

“I like being there,” she said. “Most people don’t. But there, you’re helping no matter what, whether it’s giving a patient a warm blanket, or helping nurses refill their station. Every little bit helps.”

She’s intuitive about her work, something the patients she visits appreciate. “Some patients don’t want to talk, and I understand that,” she says. “Others love to talk - they almost need it, to pass the time waiting for their exam results.”

Despite her interest in the location, Hardy found herself in the emergency room somewhat unexpectedly. As a desk volunteer, she had worked on a fundraising project for the family of a patient with leukemia.

Several ER nurses had worked with her on the project, and they quickly realized what they had on their hands. “They all started asking if I could volunteer in the ER,” she says delightedly. Now that they have her, the nurses don’t want her to leave either, frequently wishing that she could be in service 24/7.

Hardy and other volunteers often meet up for lunch, and go out independently of their volunteer work. She’s made a close group of friends including volunteers and nurses. “It’s good for me to have this. Otherwise I’d be at home all day. Watching TV maybe, or reading a book. Or maybe doing housework,” she says with a laugh. “It’s great for me to have something else to do. It fulfills me and it helps someone else.”

When she’s not volunteering at the hospital, she’s spending time with the rest of her family. Her niece’s children Olivia, 5, and Nathan, 1, see her at least once a week. “We try to do everything,” she says, whether that’s a movie night, going out for dinner, or going to see the Zoo Lights at Stone Zoo. I really enjoy that, I love being with them.”

Hardy grew up in Dorchester, but summered every year in Wareham. In the 1970s, her parents decided to make the summering permanent. Even as a child, Eileen was drawn into the medical field, at one point wishing to be a nurse.

Eventually, dentistry got to her instead. At sixteen, she started as a general assistant in a dentist’s office. She remained in the dental field for the next thirty years, working as a receptionist and office manager.

Nursing still called to her though, even in retirement. “I drove past Tobey one day, years ago, and I thought - I’d like to work there one day,” she says, eyes sparkling. “It’s funny how that one little thing ended up.”