'I get more out of it than I give': Volunteer is Arlington Heights hospital's hero

After retiring from a corporate career, Ira Fingerman is now a beloved, uber-active volunteer at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, where staff members say he's become a true staple.

The 71-year-old Fingerman volunteers an average of six to eight hours a day, four to five times a week, in the nutrition and food services department. In the last three years, he's racked up 3,175 hours helping greet people, serving food, cleaning tables and working in the physicians' lounge.

Fingerman “truly knows everyone,” said Stephanie Chan Vo, director of guest services for Northwest Community Healthcare.

“People are comforted when they see Ira and he asks how we are doing. He has gotten to know everyone and meal times are not the same without him,” she said.

Fingerman was the hospital's No. 1 volunteer hours contributor for 2018 and 2019. Volunteer hours for 2020 will be tallied ahead of the recognition typically announced in March.

“Ira is our Northwest Community Healthcare community hero,” Chan Vo said.

When asked why he gives so much time to the hospital, Fingerman said he's the one who truly benefits.

“I get out of it more than I give to it,” he said. “The community and the sense of seeing other people who do this, it's a wonderful thing. ... There are many volunteers, some who do far more about the patients, getting families to and fro, doing things in the emergency room. This is a community.”

Fingerman grew up in Skokie and owned the former Ira's Northbrook hot dog stand in Northbrook, before working nearly 30 years in sales management for Tyson Foods. After retiring at the end of 2014 and moving from Chicago to Arlington Heights to be closer to family, he decided he needed to volunteer.

He'd learned the value of giving back to others from his mother, he said. Plus, “sitting around is not a great thing for a person who is retired.”

He reached out to Northwest Community Hospital because it was near his new home, and he especially credited the welcoming attitude of Chan Vo, who interviews prospective volunteers.

“She was willing to listen to where I could help, which is important,” Fingerman said. “She was very welcoming about 'what are your thoughts?' and 'what do you need?' and 'let's see if we can fit you into it.'”

The nutrition and food services department was a natural fit because of his background in the food business, and over time, he got to know the hospital's staff members.

“I felt like the best way to get to know people is to clean their tables,” he said. “I don't need to walk around in a suit and tie and ask, 'How are you enjoying your meal?' I would take their trays and it went from there.”

Eventually Fingerman was asked if he'd like to staff a pop-up hot dog stand for “specialty day” at the cafeteria, which he now does several times a year working with staff member Videl Vargas. The rotating menu also includes Polish sausages, Italian beef and Italian sausages.

“The line is out the door with his fans,” Chan Vo said.

“It's great fun,” Fingerman said.

The hospital community is a true family of people who care for one another, and that has been particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fingerman said.

“I do love it,” he said. “I couldn't work one hour there if I didn't like it.”

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