Wellness, revolutionized. - Children's Hospital Central California

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15
Children’s Hospital
Central California is
fortunate that more
than 500 volunteers
like Andrea give their
time to help care for
children and their
families. While not
all volunteer jobs are
hands-on with kids,
they are all important.
The work is its own reward.
Andrea Yeh began volunteering at
Children’s in 2004 as a way to honor a
childhood friend who passed away from
cystic fibrosis.
The pair became close as lab partners
in seventh grade. Her friend was
treated frequently for her condition at a
children’s hospital in Southern California,
and Andrea quickly realized the importance
of pediatric hospitals.
“When I moved here with my
husband a couple of years after college, I
was looking for volunteer opportunities,”
said Andrea. “It was something I decided
I wanted to do in memory of her.”
Nearly six years and 485 donated
hours later, her passion for volunteering
is as strong as ever.
“It’s such a rewarding experience to
see the kids faces brighten up when you
enter their room,” said Andrea. “They
want someone to play with. There’s
always a need, but not enough volunteers
to go around.”
Wednesday nights she volunteers in
the Hospital’s playroom and The Craycroft
Cancer Center inpatient unit – playing board games, making arts and
crafts and watching TV with patients; giving parents a much needed
break to shower, eat or have some time to themselves.
“Many kids in Craycroft are either too sick to come down to the
playroom or cannot leave their room because their immune systems are
compromised,” said Andrea. “So I try to bring the playroom to them.”
Andrea always had a passion for helping others, a trait instilled in
her early on in life as a Girl Scout.
“She has a great attitude,” said Child Life Assistant Mary Panella.
“I think our volunteers are an important component in helping kids get
well. They make it happen for the kids who can’t make it to the playroom.
The volunteers could be doing something else with their time,
but they’re here.”
In 2009, Andrea and her husband, Ian, welcomed their first child.
Being a new mom, she learned some parenting skills through her experience
at Children’s.
“It helped that I had a lot more experience in that area,” said
Andrea. “I learned how to calm a baby down and how to relate to kids
of all ages.”
Volunteering at Children’s has made Andrea more appreciative of
how healthy her son is. She plans to instill the tradition of volunteering
in him.
“It’s such a rewarding experience to be at Children’s,” said Andrea.
“Just to know that this place is here with such good physicians and
nurses, it’s what the community needs.”