Olive Thompson of Hermitage has nothing negative to say about being positive.

"You have to have a positive attitude and that's a secret right there," she said. "I don't look at things in a negative way. That can hurt you mentally and physically and it's not good."

But let someone say something positive about her years of volunteer work, and she'll become meek and humble. Over the past 36 years, Mrs. Thompson has accumulated 10,000 hours of volunteer service at Sharon Regional Health System and 754 hours over the past several years at John XXIII Home in Hermitage, where she independently resides. She was also a Meals-on-Wheels volunteer for several years.

"Volunteering is good for the mind. It keeps you mentally alert and keeps you busy. Many people would love to volunteer their services but for health reasons cannot do it," she said.

She said while she is healthy and able, she'll give her time. And when she helps others, she said she doesn't expect anything in return. That's why she can't fathom why she was chosen as a Buhl Day honoree.

"I don't know who picked me or why I was picked. I was flabbergasted when they told me. I haven't said anything to anybody because I didn't want it out until the proper time. I don't want pomp and praise for my volunteer work. I don't like to brag," she said.

She spends two days per week volunteering at Sharon Regional and John XXIII. She joined Sharon Regional Auxiliary after retiring after 24 years as a teacher's aide at the Mercer County Crippled Children's School and Clinic. She is a former employee of nursing and pediatrics of C.H. Buhl Hospital, now Sharon Regional.

At Sharon Regional, she helps in different departments, mainly with escort services, greeting patients, delivering flowers and mail and assisting with in- and out-patient discharge.

"So many people say, 'My goodness, you've been here a long time' or 'You wheeled my baby out of the nursery,' " she said.

At John XXIII, she works closely with the activities director, wheels patients to the dining area, and helps decorate for special occasions.

She said she bases her volunteering efforts on two Bible scriptures: "In as much as you do it to the least of these my brethren, you do it unto me," from Matthew 25:40, and "Whatever the task, do it heartily unto the Lord and not unto man," from Colossians 3:23.

She said when she is helping others -- the sick and the well -- she does not expect anything in return because the Lord works through her and uses her to do the work.

"I get a certain satisfaction and that is enough for me. The Lord has kept me well and able, both physically and mentally, over the years and for this I am grateful. I love my volunteer work and I truly feel that it is a ministry in itself. I hold to the scriptures, and the Lord doesn't want our money, but he wants our time and talent," she said.

Mrs. Thompson is an active member of East Side (Baptist-Disciple of Christ) Church in Sharon, where for many years she taught adult Bible classes and was a member of the choir. She was married for 49 years to James Thompson, who died in 1989.

She might be known for her dedicated participation in the Buhl Day parade. For 10 years she's walked alongside other members of the Shenango Valley Walking Club, to which she belongs. "We walk in every Buhl Day parade."

This year, while the other honorees are riding in convertibles at the parade, Mrs. Thompson's boots will be for walking.

"I'm going to march," she said.