The Children's Hospital Association of Volunteers is fortunate to have 1,700 dedicated volunteers who work regularly, from several hours to several days or evenings a week, at specific functions at the hospital. Complete orientation and training are provided for all volunteers.
Some volunteers work with children and much of their time is spent holding, comforting or playing with patients. Some bring their specially screened dogs to provide animal-assisted therapy. Volunteers are active in fund-raising events, as well as in responding to parents' concerns as patient representatives. Others prefer clerical duties and spend their time answering phones or
scheduling patients.
From teenagers to great-grandparents, from homemakers to professional athletes, The Children's Hospital volunteers represent all walks of life and all income levels. Our diverse group of volunteers has one thing in common, however - the desire to help sick children and their families.
Specially trained volunteers serve as patient representatives, acting as a liaison between the patient, the family and the hospital staff. A visit to a child or a family soon after admission and again at various stages throughout hospitalization, by a caring, empathetic patient representative, can ease tensions and solve potential problems before they become major issues of concern.
The Chapters of the Association of Volunteers provide a variety of services to the hospital and to the patients and the family members it serves. The Chapter volunteers function both as in-service volunteers as well as community-based volunteers. The volunteers help in a variety of important ways, including providing parent support services to families, participating in and organizing fund-raising activities to benefit the hospital, and conducting community outreach programs of The Children's Hospital.
For the last five years, volunteers have worked extremely hard to build and grow the Red, White & Hardhats events. What you are enjoying is helping the volunteers contribute financially to the new hospital and we thank you.