SEMINOLE, Fla. — As kindergarteners walk into class at Starkey Elementary, small waves, smiles and craning heads give away a very welcome guest. 

What You Need To Know

  • Nancy Rose, also known as "Nana Rose," was selected as Area 3 Senior Volunteer of the Year for Pinellas County Schools

  • Rose has been volunteering for 10 years

  • During the 2022-2023 school year, 30,000 people volunteered at Pinellas County Schools

  • To become a volunteer, you can sign up on the Pinellas County Schools website here

“How can I not hug you guys?” laughs Nancy Rose, under a dog pile of small hugging children. 

“Love you,” said one little girl. 

“Oh, I love you too, sweetheart,” said Rose with a smile. 

“You look just like my grandma,” said the little girl. 

Rose gets these comments daily, and she loves it. The kids call her Nana Rose, instead of Nancy. 

“She is the school’s grandma,” said Starkey Elementary School principal Audrey Chaffin. “She walks around ready to nurture and love, and we need a lot more of that in this world and she picks up on that.”

After retirement, Rose knew she wanted to volunteer at Starkey Elementary. Her daughter was a teacher there at the time, and even after her daughter retired, Rose stuck around. 

“This looks like it is going to be a really good book,” she said to one student, as she helped them with reading. 

Like all Pinellas County School volunteers, Rose does this for free. But she is not unpaid — in fact, she deals with the best kind of currency in her opinion. 

“Oh my gosh, it’s heaven! It’s a hug reservoir,” said Rose. “It’s the best reward anybody could ever, ever get. I get goosebumps just talking about it because I love the kids.” 

Hug after hug comes her way.

“She even hugs me,” smiles Starkey Elementary School kindergarten teacher Holli Alldridge. “So I benefit from it, because I get her hugs.”

Rose's dedication and caring demeanor is one of the many reasons why she was selected as one of 15 Outstanding School Volunteers for Pinellas County Schools. 

”I am honored, that is how I feel. I feel honored that this has happened to me," said Rose, who is 78. “I will probably never retire, and I am going for 105. So I only have 27 more years, and I can probably do that. I am pretty healthy.” 

That is a lot of hugs to go. 

This year, Pinellas County Schools received help from 30,000 volunteers. The school district still needs more people to help. Anyone can sign up here.