Volunteer Profiles

Why she rocks: “My first true experience as a volunteer was when I traveled to India for a service trip in December 2014. While on that trip, I interacted with under-privileged individuals and was able to see how my actions were creating a positive impact on their lives. From that moment on, I have found so much joy and excitement in merely being able to share my time and my mind with others in order to make their life just a little brighter. So when it comes to volunteering, Children’s was a perfect fit!”

Why he rocks: “I volunteer because first and foremost I love kids. As a Type 1 Diabetic, I was initially drawn to volunteer with kids at Camp Needlepoint last summer. Ever since then, I realized I wanted to volunteer more with kids and Children's is a great place to do so. I get so much out of volunteering each week, just being with them and seeing that they're having a good time when I'm around makes it all worthwhile.

Why he rocks: “For most of my adult life I have felt the need to help those less fortunate.  Some of my volunteer work has been one on one, but for 10 years in the 90’s I headed up a large charitable garden project in Burnsville where we grew vegetables to give to food shelves, community centers and homes for the disadvantaged. In an average year we would grow about 4000 lbs of veggies that often was fed by our main crow…about 250 tomato plants.  That project, called Love Grows a Garden, ended when the area around the garden was bought by Fairview Ridges Hospital and is now a parking lot across the street from the main entrance.

Why she rocks: “I'm a student at the University of Minnesota, and hoping to eventually get into a physical therapy program. I have always loved working with kids so volunteering here at Children's was a perfect combination of two of my passions!”

Why she rocks: “After participating in various fundraising efforts for local children and for cancer research, I decided to become a volunteer at Children's Hospital.

Why she rocks: “My name is Shelly Gill Murray and I have been a Surgery Family Waiting Room volunteer for two years.  After sitting in the family waiting room myself a few times, I felt a pull to help others through the process and applied to volunteer.”

Why he rocks: “I started volunteering because I wanted to serve and make people, specifically kids, smile - even if just for a second. I chose Children's because I wanted to give back to the hospital after my daughter had surgery here, before she was 3. In a stressful situation, it helped to have someone there to talk to, even if they just listened.

Why she rocks: “I’m a senior in high school, and have always been interested in the medical field. I decided to volunteer at Children’s for many reasons; mainly to give back to my community and to the people that help others every day. Also, I love cuddling with babies!”

Why he rocks: “Our daughter spent 48 hrs in the NICU for precautionary reasons after her birth.  Although our stay in the NICU was short, seeing those families made me think how difficult it must be to be there for a long period.  So that, along with seeing athletes interact with the children over the years in hospitals peaked my interest further to look into volunteering. I coached youth hockey for 5 years up until we had our daughter, so this is a great opportunity to continue interacting with kids.  My wife always says I act like a kid, so it's always been a great fit interacting with kids!”