Stan Nahrgang
Donor Spotlight
Walk into Waterloo Regional Health Network’s Queen’s Blvd., site on any given Wednesday and you’ll likely see volunteer Stan Nahrgang’s smiling face ready to greet you and guide you on your way.
The 78-year-old started volunteering at the front desk three years ago after holding a volunteer position on the hospital’s Board of Trustees for nearly a decade. Aside from sharing his time, he’s also generously donated financially to the hospital since 1985.
WRHN Foundation sat down with Stan for a Q&A* to learn more about his connection to the hospital and his passion for volunteerism and philanthropy.
*Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Q. I understand you have a special connection to WRHN @ Queen’s Blvd. – formerly St. Mary’s. Can you tell me about what this Hospital has meant to you over the years?
Yes! I love to tell people that this is where I met my wife, Donna, for the very first time.
Donna was born at what was then St. Mary’s on Nov. 18, 1947, and I was born there a week later. Turns out our time in the nursery overlapped a bit, so we were in there together as babies – maybe even side-by-side, who knows? Years later, our two children were born there, so we have a lot of memories at this WRHN site. Our grandchildren were born at WRHN @ Midtown (formerly Grand River) so we have a connection there as well.
Donna and I are celebrating our 59th wedding anniversary in December. And I guess you could say that our story began at what’s now known as WRHN – 78 years ago.
Q. That’s such a lovely story! It’s clear that you have an emotional connection to WRHN and a long history of supporting the hospital. What prompted you to become a volunteer?
I started becoming more involved with the hospital as I approached retirement age. I was looking for a way to not only keep myself busy, but also to continue to help people. In 2022, I started volunteering at the front desk and greeting visitors as they walked in, and I knew from that first shift this was what I wanted to be doing – and where I wanted to be.
Q. What do you see as the best part of your role as a volunteer?
There are two best parts.
The first is getting to chat with different members of our community and helping them get to where they need to be in the hospital. I’ve met so many interesting people – patients, visitors, WRHN team members, you name it. Everyone has a story if you’re willing to listen.
The second best part of volunteering is the people I get to work with. We call the Wednesday volunteer group the “Dream Team.” I met really great people through volunteering at WRHN, and now I’m privileged to call them all my friends.
Q. You made your first donation to this Hospital 40 years ago and have been giving ever since. Why do you feel it’s important to support local healthcare?
My father taught me from a young age that it’s important to support others in our community and to give back – not only giving your time as a volunteer, but also helping financially if you’re in a position to do that. I remember being as young as eight years old and wanting to donate to various charities.
I give to WRHN Foundation because I know there’s a big need for new specialized equipment, and that's something that we, as a community, have to support and help pay for. Funding from the provincial government only goes so far, so, there’s a big need there.
Q. Do you have a message for others in the community who may be interested in volunteering or donating to WRHN?
The great thing about donating to the hospital is that you can support whichever care area has special significance to you – cardiac, cancer, pediatrics, whatever you choose – so your donations are more meaningful to you and they also go a long way to help our community.
As for a message to potential future volunteers, I’d say: If you like helping people, I encourage you to get involved. We can always use more volunteers.
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