The Importance of Volunteering and What it Means to Serve

I have been preparing my whole life to be a volunteer at Valley Children’s. As a child, I saw my own community support the mission of Valley Children’s and the impact that it made. It wasn’t until I had children of my own did I realize how important giving back and serving the Valley Children’s community would be.  

Where my Volunteer Journey Began

My grandmother was a founding member of the Selma Guild, and my mother then joined, and then I followed their footsteps. When you are a Guild member, your goal is to make Valley Children’s the best place in the world through fundraising hoping you’ll never need it, but after you need it you love it even more.  

My family needed Valley Children’s when my son was transported to the PICU after an accident. He received great care and is thriving now, but being in the PICU and seeing first-hand the doctors and nurses in action taking care of my boy made me realize I wanted to do something more hands on to help the people who helped my family.  

A few years after the accident, I was approached to be a founding member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council. This was a perfect blend of serving the Valley Children’s community while sharing my experience as a patient family. After six years of serving in this position, my time on the board was coming to an end, but I knew I did not want to give up the time I had set every week to go to Valley Children’s. So, I made the leap and went onto valleychildrens.org to apply to be a volunteer.  

My Life as a Volunteer  

Now, I volunteer all throughout the hospital in a variety of positions. I am a patient pal in the PICU where my son was a patient. Here I get to be a welcome distraction for kids – playing cards, watching their favorite shows and just being a person to talk to. I also get to help parents. Whether that is giving them a break to step out to make a phone call or grab a cup of coffee or just being a friendly face. It is such an honor to help these patients and families because that was me and my family. I understand what they are going through, and I carry each of them with me as I volunteer.  

I also get to help everyone’s favorite giraffe, George! George is the best, and it is a blast being able to help create magic for patients and families. I was a cheerleader in high school, so being able to help cheer on patients and families comes naturally. Volunteering with George has also become a family affair and now my husband helps out with our big-hearted mascot too!  

The Importance of Volunteering  

Volunteering to me means giving back to the community who helped me and so many others in our region. It is a commitment that takes patience, but when you have something that means as much to you as Valley Children’s means to me, it comes easy.  

I love how much I can see the staff love the Hospital and their patients when I am here volunteering. It makes everything worth it to see how much the community within and outside the hospital walls loves Valley Children’s. I have that love because of them and volunteering for an organization like this is such an honor.