I was a volunteer at Children’s Health before I took on the role of volunteer coordinator a couple of years ago.

As a volunteer, I participated in Deck the Halls, which is when members from the Women’s Auxiliary come in and hang the wreaths around the hospital.

But during COVID-19, when our volunteers could not come into the hospital, I wanted to make sure our Plano campus was still decorated for the season. I spearheaded bringing that festive touch to the hospital, and with the help of team members, we hung the wreaths up down the hallways and decorated 17 trees.

It was important to me to still bring that joy to kids who were in the hospital. Our wreaths and trees are so special. One of them is decorated with all these different kinds of bears. Others have Disney characters. The kids love spotting these and seeing something sweet and special in the hallway.

Last year, our volunteers returned to the hospital. It was wonderful to see them dressed in holiday attire and see the joy they bring to patients. Even Santa and Mrs. Claus are volunteers at the hospital!

Our volunteers are so important during this time of year. They get a lot of excitement and joy out of picking out the perfect blanket and toy for a patient. That’s true throughout the year, but there’s something a little extra during the holidays to make things fun for the kids.