Valentine Volunteers

This Valentine’s Day weekend, Carol Langs, 75, and Henry Elden, 85, of St. Clair Shores, will celebrate the romantic holiday at one of their favorite local restaurants.

A high point in their dinner conversation will be looking back at that first Valentine’s Day together as honeymooners in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The couple met November 2007 while volunteering at Beaumont Hospital, Grosse Pointe.

At the time, Henry was driving to the hospital from his home in Westland, a somewhat challenging commute.

When he met Carol, who transferred to front desk duty from patient visitation, his perception of that long drive - and everything else - changed for the better.

Their first date was at Panera Bread after a Town Hall meeting.

“He’s nice and tall - I liked him right away,” said Carol, 75. “We just hit it off.”

 Henry waxes a bit more poetically.

“We don’t fully understand the mystery and power of fate,” Henry said. “But, in our case, we are grateful for the way it all unfolded and often stand in awe of that mystery -- especially as we recall that special place in the front lobby where it all happened.”

“It happened very quickly after they met,” said Betsy Schulte, director of Volunteer Services. “We noticed the difference right away. They had a bounce in their steps; they had renewed energy and excitement.”

 During a lunch break in December inside the hospital cafeteria, Henry pulled out a small paper box with a ring nestled inside and popped the question.

Without telling any of their eight children (four each), 17 grandchildren, friends, neighbors or fellow-volunteers, they drove to city hall in January 2008 and made their bond official.

These days, the pair enjoy traveling together, especially to big cities such as New York and Washington D.C., participating in the political process – “like a lot of modern couples, we share the same political beliefs,” Henry said -- walking, and attending events in their community.  

“Working with a large group of seniors, many widowed, it’s obvious that part of the reason these active folks come to us is not only to ‘give back,’ but for companionship,” Schulte said. “It warms my heart to witness the beautiful friendships that are created here.”

While friendships between the 300 or so volunteers are common, Schulte added, romances are rare.

“Carol and Henry are always smiling, talking about their activities and their time together -- they never seem lonely anymore,” Schulte said.

A particularly happy turn of events given their status as “empty nest orphans,” a term Henry affectionately uses to describe the fact that every single one of their eight children lives out of state

Schulte often sees the couple in the cafeteria sharing a meal before or after their weekly Tuesday afternoon shift. She also bumps into them at cultural events around town.

“They are well-liked at the hospital by their fellow volunteers and admired as the ‘Love Birds’ by the Tuesday afternoon front desk crew,” Schulte said.

For more information about volunteering at Beaumont Hospital, Grosse Pointe, visit www.beaumont.edu/volunteer or call 313 473-1902.