God's Gifts: Near-blind parishioner receives award for her volunteer work

By Kenny Keane, Globe staff repoter
Posted November 28, 2002

BOONE - How does one react to the prognosis of losing the sense of sight? Would it be to feel sorry for one's self and just give up on life? Questions like this are hard to answer unless the scenario is experienced first-hand.

For Nancy Hadaway, a parishioner at Sacred Heart Church in Boone, the answer to her impending blindness is to accept it and go on living life to the fullest.

"I'm a determined person. I am not going to sit in my room and grow old," said Hadaway, who is also a resident of Eastern Star Nursing Home in Boone. "I keep the blind people together here at the nursing home. We have meetings once a month. My job is to get the people lined up to come to these meetings."

It is because of these efforts and her desire to stay active that Hadaway received the Governor's Volunteer Award earlier this fall. She was nominated by the Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB) to receive the award for her outstanding contribution of volunteer service to the state of Iowa.

According to Betty Hanson, DeafBlind specialist at the IDB, when determining who to nominate for this award, they look for someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty of helping their fellow person. She said Hadaway fit that criterion because she always wants to push for something more.

"Nancy is very highly energetic and enthusiastic," Hanson said. "Her motivation is to ensure that people have adequate information to make informed choices for a better quality of life.

"She has organized all kinds of get-togethers and informational meetings. When she calls the people together, it isn't just to talk about how terrible life can be or maybe show pictures of grandkids. It's about, 'what is the information out there,' 'where can I get it,' and 'what is it that I can do with it.' She really organizes some very powerful support groups."

Hadaway, who will turn 84 next month, said she enjoys the meetings because of the fact that she is going blind also. She has instructors from the IDB come to the nursing home for special in-services from time to time.

"They bring up magnifying glasses, and they bring up other gadgets like wristwatches that will buzz when the time is right," she said. "We learn little hints and tips of what to do and how we can live our lives by ourselves. We try to learn how to accept it and use it."

Sometimes accepting a life of blindness and the idea that special aid is needed to go on with life is difficult, and Hadaway said she is a stubborn person anyway. However, she looks past that in order to help others.

"I have one lady who sits in her room. She comes to the meetings, but she won't get anything that'll help," Hadaway said. "Most of these aids are free of charge. You can get a tape that they refer to as 'the library,' and you can sit down and just listen to an entire book.

"I'm kind of stubborn. I'm not going to accept those aids yet, but when I need them I will. I make myself do things, and that's what's important. I stress that to them."

Hanson stressed the importance of the volunteers recognized by the Governor's Volunteer Award. She said they are absolutely vital in providing quality services to Iowans.

"Without our volunteers, there would not be good programming out there," Hanson said. "These people step in where service providers have to step out. We can get things started, but we really need people like Nancy to take the reigns and go from there.

"Without her or any of these volunteers and all those hours that they put in, blind people wouldn't have support groups. Children wouldn't have reading programs through the schools. The ill wouldn't have people coming by for home visits. It just goes on and on."

Hadaway said that her faith has continued on as well and that it has played a big part in her life and her role as a volunteer.

"I think my faith has done a lot for me because I'm a stubborn person," she said. "I do try to do what God wants me to do. I've always just volunteered myself.

"When people had a death in the family, I always went to be with them. I'd put on a clean dress, and I'd say, 'Okay kids, you and dad are on your own. I'm going over there. They need help.' I've just always been that kind of a person. God gave me that gift."