Dedicated MoBap Volunteer Treated to 80th Birthday Surprise

Banana bread, cakes, and cookies—if it’s sweet and sugary, Jackie Siekerman bakes it.

And when she does, those working in the Surgical Evaluation Center at Missouri Baptist Medical Center reap the rewards.

“You can’t eat it all by yourself,” Jackie says. “They’re my guinea pigs. I haven’t heard any complaints yet.”

Jackie packed her schedule with travel after retiring in 2011 from a career as an executive administrative assistant for media companies. She made up for lost time, visiting friends who lived far away. She even bought a parrotlet, a miniature parrot.

But birds don’t help a baker eat sweets, and Jackie needed to add something to her plate.

She decided volunteering was the answer. Where wasn’t much of a question.

“I go to MoBap for everything,” Jackie says. “It just made sense.”

Every Tuesday since 2013, unless she’s worked ahead to cover for a rare absence, Jackie can be found at the Surgical Evaluation Center, where her primary job consists of compiling packets of information that are critical for patients and providers before, during, and after operations. Her behind-the-scenes work helps the center see more than 850 patients a month.

As for her secondary role, it’s become equally appreciated. The result of whatever new dessert recipe Jackie has recently discovered often accompanies her to MoBap on Tuesdays. Feeding her friends makes her feel good. So do the flowers and thank-you cards they give her for volunteering.

“The key word is, ‘people,’” Jackie says. “Being around people. Especially being around young people. You can’t just sit in your house and watch TV.”

For her recent 80th birthday, Jackie’s friends at MoBap turned the dessert table on her. She arrived to discover a cake—one she didn’t bake.

“I had no idea they were going to be so elaborate,” Jackie says. “They had the tablecloth, the cups, the plates, a sign hanging up in the air. It was overwhelming. It really made me feel good, and here’s why. I had been having a health issue, and my family wanted to give me a party. I told them no, so we put it off. So, that was so nice, to walk in there and they had that all for me. My heart was overflowing. They are so good to me. It’s a beautiful department to work in. That’s why I’m still here.”