August 8-9, 2023

MRHA Volunteer Recruiter Driven by Passion for Community Service and Connections 

Glennette Combs hopes to channel her extensive history of volunteer and community service in her new role as volunteer recruiter for the Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA). She currently oversees volunteer recruitment, training, and guidance for the HealthTran program, a free service in Missouri that pairs volunteer drivers with rural residents in need of rides to health appointments.

After seeing her impressive resume, MRHA HealthTran Director Mary Gordon quickly connected with Combs and brought her on board. “Both of us decided it would be a great fit and a great opportunity to use some of my previous experiences plus learn something new,” Combs said. “I’m working with drivers and get to know that I’m helping people in the communities get reliable transportation so that they can get to their medical appointments as needed.”

A History of Service

Prior to joining MRHA, Kansas City native Combs held a variety of positions preparing her for this new role. As a teenager, she regularly worked with local soup kitchens and Kansas City Parks and Recreation, and helped facilitate an annual easter egg hunt for blind children. In college, she volunteered as a crisis hotline operator with the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA).

For five years, she operated a 60-child, 15-staff daycare in Jefferson City, Missouri. Along with earning a Missouri private investigators’ license, she worked as senior communication analyst for Guarded Exchange monitoring inmate communications via phone calls, mail, and photography.

During a recent two-year term as an Americorps Vista volunteer, she supervised 19 volunteers for the summer service program based out of Eldon, Missouri. “We did all kinds of work for the city of Eldon,” she said. “It was a lot of fun; I made a lot of great friends.”

Combs has also worked in marketing, sales, retail, and as a waitress. “My background has a wide variety, but I do have quite a bit experience working with volunteers,” she said. “You name it, I’ve done it.” Although no two jobs are quite the same, she finds joy connecting with and serving others in each position.

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