Four years ago, Kaela Mattson was a patient at Children’s Hospital for a very serious medical problem. Kaela had a brain tumor that needed to be removed. Today she still spends a lot of time at Children's, but not because she’s sick. After her recovery, she decided to give back to the hospital as a junior volunteer.
“When I saw how well they treated me and how well they treated the other patients, I went straight to the volunteer office after my surgery and told them I’d like to be one,” Kaela recalls.
Since then, Kaela has given more than 800 hours to Children’s Hospital. Kathleen McBride, director of the hospital’s Association of Volunteers, says, “When she walks in the office in the morning, we’ll say, 'Kaela, what do you want to do?' She says, 'No, what do YOU want me to do.’” It is that attitude that helped Kaela earn the distinction of 2005 Junior Volunteer of the Year.
While Kaela is happy to share her experience with patients at the hospital, she’ll only talk about herself when asked to. “It’s not about Kaela, it’s about the kids,” Kathleen explains, “that’s what she believes.”
One of the greatest things a volunteer can do is motivate others to give their time. Soon after Kaela began volunteering, so did her grandmother, Donna, and brother, D.J.
“Her life has not been easy, but she has risen above the hardships and will be a contributing member of our society always,” said nominator, Marsha Brendlinger.
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