As visitors walk through the lobby of the 514 N. Prospect building, they will see long-standing Campus Greeter Florence Metcalfe smiling behind the information desk every Tuesday. Florence has been a Beach Cities Health District volunteer for 30 years and has donated more than 7,000 hours of her time!

During her volunteer shift, Florence answers questions, provides directions and more importantly brightens everyone’s day. As people come through the door, they receive a welcoming greeting and when they leave, they get a smile, a “thank you” and sometimes a joke!

Florence started her life in England in a beautiful little village called Chalfont St. Peter near the Queen’s home of Windsor Castle. She was working in the office of the British Navy when she met her husband. They eventually moved with their children to Canada and then on to the South Bay. When Florence’s job in the accounts payable department in the South Bay Hospital came to an end she decided to volunteer.

Florence will soon celebrate her 90^th birthday and continues to live life to the fullest. On some Thursday evenings she plays bingo and every Friday she line dances at Torrance’s Moose Lodge. Even though she can’t manage the full turns of all the 42 dances, she fully dances five of them, keeping her body in shape. On the weekend, she spends an hour walking with her son down to Seaside Lagoon and back. With her son and family living directly behind her house and her daughter and three children living nearby in Torrance, Florence keeps busy all week. 

One of the reasons Florence loves volunteering is because of her co-volunteer Bob Cashion. “Bob is a blessing and keeps me going. Spending my Tuesday mornings with him is the best things that happened to me.”

Clearly the feeling is very mutual as Bob adds, “Florence is a people watcher. She has a great sense of humor; we giggle a lot and get along famously. She is the highlight of my Tuesday; she’s the reason I come in on Tuesday morning.”