Nancy Endres and her dog Zoey are regulars at Unity Point Health Trinity in Rock Island.
They volunteer for the Caring Canines program.
Endres says its a perfect fit... saying "she likes the attention and I like to talk."
Doris Gustafson has been friends with Endres for more than 40 years and says she is always willing to help others.
"She takes time not only for her friends when she comes to the hospital and I understand she's touched many a life."
Thats why she nominated Nancy and Zoey for the Pay It Forward award.
"What are you doing here? On behalf of Ascentra Credit Union and WQAD I wanted to give you this. For volunteering with Zoey. I'm going to cry, I'm stunned."
Gustafson says "she cares a lot or she wouldn't be doing this."
So far this year Endres and Zoey have visited 600 patients.
"We love it, we come every week, every Thursday. We go to the door and say would you like a visit from the pet therapy dog? If they do we go in and visit" says Endres.
Over 30 Caring Canine teams visit patients at all Unity Point Health Trinity Campuses in the Quad Cities.
Last year teams visited over 10 thousand patients.
"We meet so many nice people each week and there a lot of volunteers that need credit too people do a lot of god up here."
Volunteering seems to come naturally to Endres.
She says "my mom use to volunteer and I said maybe I'm following in her footsteps a little bit. When I retired everyone said what are you going to do and I said I want to volunteer and what better way than with my dog."
Endres already has plans to pass on her 300 dollar Pay It Forward award, saying "I'm going to take that and donate it to three of the shelters here on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities and maybe we'll make a pets life better along with the people."