Article by: James D. Coppinger | Appeared in Spark Magazine (March 2025)
Ruth is a dedicated volunteer with our Senior Companionship Program. She visits seniors at Villa at Borgess Place, providing comfort and companionship; often playing a game of cards or reading to the residents she visits.
Milestone administers the Senior Companionship Program through AmeriCorps Seniors. We match volunteers who are 55 or older to older adults who experience isolation and would benefit from a visit. Our volunteers and clients form an ongoing one-on-one relationship that sometimes lasts for years. We provide companionship services for people living at home in the community as well as people living in nursing facilities.
Ruth Fountain grew up in Benton Harbor where she says she learned life’s most important lessons—honesty, the value of hard work, and the responsibility of caring for one another. Some of her fondest memories are of being immersed in the vibrant atmosphere of Benton Harbor’s famous open-air agricultural market. Established in the 1860s, it was once recognized as “the largest cash-to-growers outlet in the world.” To this day, Ruth is proud of her and her family’s ties to that historic place.
Before completing high school (as a straight A student), Ruth became a young mother and went on to have five children. Despite the challenges of young motherhood, Ruth never lost sight of her dream of finishing high school and becoming a nurse. Years later, she made that dream a reality. When in her early 20s Ruth lived with her family in Flint where she earned her GED and then a high school diploma. Twenty years later, Ruth moved to Kalamazoo with aspirations of becoming a nurse and helping others. She attended Davenport University, where she earned a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) diploma. She later pursued further education at Glen Oaks Community College, earning her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) certification. In 1990, Ruth stepped into her nursing career at Borgess Hospital, where she worked in both the Neuro-Pulmonary and Neuro-Ortho departments.
Ruth says she is fulfilling the legacy of faith and service instilled in her by her mother and grandmother. To her, life’s greatest reward has been a journey rooted in family, friendship, homegrown and homemade food, purpose, respect, and abiding faith.
Milestone Senior Services is an AmeriCorps Seniors grantee. AmeriCorps Seniors empowers people age 55 and older to serve their communities. RSVP helps people find a volunteer opportunity that fits their passion. There are currently opportunities in Kalamazoo County and a few in Calhoun County. Volunteers are needed with Meals on Wheels, Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, Companionship for Seniors, Milestone Home Repair, and more. Regular and flexible schedules available. Contact RSVP at 269-382-0515 or apply on the Volunteer page of our website.
