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Pam Knight, wife of our new Greensboro Mayor Bill Knight, has a philosophy that guides her life:

“All of us may not be called to do great things, but we can do little things in great and loving ways.”

This modest, soft spoken, attractive woman has done much in the area of health care, nursing and being a community volunteer.

She indicated her husband has been very supportive of the many hours she has devoted to volunteer activities at Hospice and Christ United Methodist Church as well as other venues where she volunteers.

“Volunteerism is a tangible demonstration of how caring people are involved and make a difference in people’s lives,” Mayor Bill Knight said.

Pam Knight has lived in Greensboro most of her life. She graduated from Grimsley High School and attended Guilford College, where she met Bill Knight in an accounting class. They married a few months later.

She graduated from UNCG with a BS in health education and a bachelor’s of science in nursing.

Much of her adult life has been devoted to health care and her experience and education in this area may help guide our city.

She has held nursing positions as a staff nurse at Moses Cone Hospital, a staff nurse with Hospice & Palliative Care of Greensboro and a resident health-care coordinator at Friends Home Guilford.

She also spent a number of years working for the Guilford County Department of Public Health as a school nurse with the Guilford County Schools.

After retirement from the Health Department, she worked as a congregational nurse at Jamestown Presbyterian Church.

She has been involved for many years as a volunteer for Hospice.

She is a patient/family care volunteer, visiting with those who need respite care, transportation, family support or emotional support.
She also goes into the Hospice office every week to help with office duties.

As a volunteer with the Vigil Team of Hospice, she has received training in how to spend time with patients who have less than six months to live.

A member of the Vigil Team assists by sitting with a dying patient for two-hour or longer shifts.

The volunteer may also support the family or friends and may be the only person with the patient at the time of death.

“I made the decision to join the Vigil Team because their philosophy is the same as my own, which is that no one should have to spend their final hours alone,” Knight said.

“Just having someone present at the time of one’s final journey is so comforting to the patient,” she said, “and often the Hospice volunteer gets so much from being a part of the vigil experience.”

Pam and Bill Knight have been members of Christ United Methodist Church for 37 years. At the church, she has served as a Stephen Minister, counselor, choir member and has helped to serve Mobile Meals.

She has worked at a homeless shelter, giving flu shots to those who came for a meal at Grace Community Church or at Urban Ministry.
Knight loves to knit and has become part of the CUMC Prayer Shawl Ministry.

The group knits prayer shawls, baby blankets and comfort blankets for church members who are unable to attend church.

“One of our primary projects is making knitted rectangles that are sent to Baltimore, Md., where the squares are put together into afghans blankets by volunteers and sent to service personnel,” she said.

“The Prayer Shawl Ministry has been working on these squares for about six to eight months and has already sent two large boxes off to Baltimore to have them put together for our wounded warriors as well as WWII veterans who are ill.”

Completed afghans have been sent to 10 U.S. Army hospitals, a U.S. hospital in Afghanistan and a U.S. hospital in Germany.

Asked how she feels about her husband being elected mayor, Knight replied: “I was delighted that Bill wanted to run for mayor of Greensboro, where he felt that he could be of service to the citizens of Greensboro. Now that he has won this honor, I know that he will be able to use his knowledge, strengths, talents and energy to be a great elected official for our city.”

Pam Knight said her plans include:

• Keeping her granddaughters, Melissa and Ana, as often as their parents, Jamie and Kevin, will allow her to.
• Traveling with her family or friends when time permits.
• Continuing to volunteer as much as possible and perhaps adding a few new volunteer options.
• Starting the Healing Touch Certificate program at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in 2010.

She encourages others to take a look at the broad range of volunteer options and activities that are available in our community and to seek out something they might like to try as a volunteer.

“People who are involved in volunteering, wherever they find a spot for themselves will certainly make a difference in our community,” Knight said.

“Every day, before I used to go to work — or now volunteer — I always say a prayer in which I ask God to help me help someone else that day, and that He send His angels to watch over me,” Knight said.

To suggest a person or organization that is “Making a Difference” or has in the past, in Guilford County, contact Peggy Longmire at rlongmire@triad.rr.com or 28o8-9040.