(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House in Streeterville is marking 45 years of giving his time.
Joe Hobein lives near Chicago's original Ronald McDonald House in Lincoln Park, where he began volunteering in 1979. Five years later, he was asked to take charge of the outdoor space even though he didn't have much experience in gardening.
"I enjoy a challenge," Hobein tells WBBM Newsradio.
When he retired from his job at American Airlines in 1996, he took his learning to the next level by examining books on gardening. A big challenge came after the Ronald McDonald House moved in 2012 to stay near Lurie Children's Hospital, which relocated to Streeterville.
He had to learn what plants grow well in the shade cast from the skyscrapers that popped up around the house.
This week, during National Volunteer Month, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana recognized Hobein as their longest-serving volunteer.
The organization says volunteers donated nearly 45,000 hours of their time last year at Ronald McDonald House locations here by helping care for the families of hospitalized children.
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