From the very beginning of Honor Flight Chicago’s history, the Zintak family has played a prominent role among our volunteer corps.
“My dad pulled us all in,” said Sarah (Zintak) Tenuto, a longtime volunteer and RN who works in quality control and patient safety at her facility. “It was something where he quietly started volunteering, then we started going to the Welcome Homes and seeing all of the events. It was inspirational to see all of the veterans and their families cheering for them.
“Then my grandfather went on the flight and the family was there to greet him. It wasn’t long before I went on my first flight (as a medical guardian) and my dad was on that flight as a volunteer, too, which was special.
“A lot of people who volunteer with Honor Flight Chicago will say that you volunteer once and you are hooked. That’s how it was for me.”
Sarah’s dad, Ralph, and her uncle, Tony, along with her mom, Becky, and her aunt, Teri, all jumped into the mission with vigor. In addition to being regulars at Welcome Home, the Zintaks managed many of HFC’s Law Enforcement Hockey Classic events — the largest fundraiser of the year for our organization.
Bringing people into the Honor Flight Chicago fold runs in the Zintak DNA, and Sarah quickly extended that to beyond just her family.
“When I went on my second flight, I had to ask for time off,” Tenuto said. “In talking about the flight with my boss, she became very interested in Honor Flight Chicago. We ended up starting a program at my hospital that gave the nurses a day off to volunteer on the flights and also funded their Guardian fee for them. That lasted for around three years.”
In our current medical climate, Tenuto has played a unique role on the periphery of the pandemic with her work in patient safety.
“We look at processes and find areas for improvement so we don’t have errors with our patients,” Tenuto said. “We partner with different departments of the hospital and work to optimize processes. I’m actively tracking positive COVID cases in our hospital, mostly for internal data purposes.”
Because of this role, Tenuto has been blessed to be able to work from home, limiting her exposure and allowing her to not worry about bringing COVID home to her two small children. Still, she is well aware of the support that has rallied to her colleagues inside the facility.
“I have heard so much from my team members and co-workers,” Tenuto said. “The community is outstanding, especially in LaGrange. We are a small community hospital with such great support. A program was set up where people can sign up for all shift meals, and meals are being delivered day and night. They have had a few drive-through parades to salute and thank everyone.”
Though “the hospital has done a beautiful job handling (COVID) and everyone feels very bonded together,” Tenuto admits that she has not been entirely comfortable with her specific role.
“I almost feel sheepish because I am at home,” she said. “We celebrated Nurses’ Week and I told my husband I’ve never felt less like a nurse. I feel so disconnected and almost uncomfortable because I’m not fighting the same battle that they are. (However), in my role and in my way we are supporting the staff in any way we can – improving these processes and collecting the feedback from the front-line staff. I want to get a better understanding of what’s working and what suggestions there are for improvement.”
We hear often from veterans who did not come under fire during their war service that they don’t feel like a “hero.” At Honor Flight Chicago, we believe that all veterans who served in a time of war are deserving of the title “hero,” no matter if that service came at the front or from the rear in support. Without every piece and role in our military working together, success cannot be achieved. The goal is to do the job you are assigned to the best of your ability to ensure the mission’s success. Here there is a distinct parallel between the veterans Tenuto has served as a volunteer and her own role in the current pandemic fight.
After being presented with the analogy, Tenuto did agree that “everyone serves in different ways and it all contributes to the bigger picture.”
The Zintak family has been contributing to Honor Flight Chicago’s bigger picture nearly since our inception. We are incredibly thankful for their efforts to support our mission and for Sarah’s efforts in combating the COVID virus so that we can get back to flying safely as soon as the time is right!
“A lot of people who volunteer with Honor Flight Chicago will say that you volunteer once and you are hooked. That’s how it was for me.”