Resident of The Village at Penn State, Lina Hood, and her husband Lam, have brought hope and security to thousands of individuals and families throughout Centre County. Through their volunteer work at the Centre Volunteers in Medicine, a free medical and dental clinic that provides care for those who need it, Lina and Lam have been helping the Centre provide COVID-19 vaccines since January.
“I grew up in the Centre County area and have a strong feeling for giving back to this community. Centre Volunteers in Medicine is such a valuable asset to people who are uninsured and for those who can’t afford to get medical or dental care. This year they started providing COVID-19 vaccines and created a vaccine clinic so I’ve been helping them with that,” Lina explains.
Since December of 2021, Centre Volunteers in Medicine has provided over 38,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots to individuals throughout the region. “And that number is continuing to grow,” adds Lina. As the clinic continues, Lina volunteers there two to three days each week, contributing two or three hours each day. “When we first started volunteering for the vaccine clinics, they were providing 800 to 1,200 shots a day,” she notes.
It’s been such a pleasant experience to volunteer and I’ll continue to enjoy it.
Lina, a resident at The Village at Penn State
While Lina has been helping the Centre roll out COVID-19 vaccines this past year, she’s been volunteering with this organization for over a decade. “I first began volunteering with them in 2004. My friend was volunteering there and she invited me along and I just thought it was such a fabulous organization and so needed in our community,” Lina reflects.
“Similar to other regions throughout the country, we have a number of people who are unemployed or can’t afford to have insurance to receive the medical care they need. They can get those services at the Centre. It’s just a fabulous place to volunteer and the doctors and dentists are wonderful people, and they are predominantly volunteers themselves,” she affirms.
Contributing hours upon hours of volunteering, Lina truly enjoys her work at the Centre. “I enjoy helping people who need healthcare badly. It’s a very positive place and the people there support each other and work well together,” she says.
In September of 2021, the Centre held a celebration to commemorate the honorable contributions of their volunteers. “There, I received an award for contributing over 1,000 hours,” Lina recalls.
“It’s been such a pleasant experience to volunteer and I’ll continue to enjoy it,” she adds. As Lina and her husband continue to volunteer at the Centre Volunteers in Medicine, they help bring essential services to their neighbors in need.
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