Ray Blank is the Wesbury Volunteer of the Month for July. Ray has been a Wesbury Volunteer since 2016.  Ray and his wife, Debra, are Thoburn Villa residents who moved to Meadville from the Baltimore area. Ray retired from the U.S. Air Force, where he primarily worked as a medic. He decided to become a volunteer at Wesbury because caring for folks throughout the community as a Stephen Minister was a natural extension of his experiences as a medic. Serving as a caregiver for several of his immediate family members as well as the volunteer work Ray had done with his church before coming to Wesbury was a very important part of his life. At Wesbury, Ray assists Chaplain Sam with pastoral care, which includes visitation, prayers, and helping worship services by providing music and distributing sacraments.

In addition to Wesbury, Ray serves with the worship team at Centre UMC, Emmaus community, and now at the Saegertown United Methodist Church. He also served meals and waited tables at Stone UMC’s Soup Kitchen. Ray’s favorite part of volunteering at Wesbury is the deeply personal interaction with residents in all levels of care. Ray says his faith calls to have the heart of a servant.