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KIDS WHO CARE
Mollie Buchanan
Susan Marquez
MOLLIE BUCHANAN CAN SEE THE
GIFTS IN PEOPLE. “SHE HAS ALWAYS
BEEN DRAWN AWAY FROM THE
CROWD AND TOWARDS THE KID
WHO MAY BE A BIT DIFFERENT
OR HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS,” SAYS
HER MOM, MARY BUCHANAN.
“That may come from growing up with a
brother who lives with autism. She has a very
compassionate heart.”
Mary and her husband, Curt, are very proud
of both of their children. Mollie is a tenth grader
at Germantown High School. Her brother,
Tripp, is thirteen months younger than Mollie,
and he attends Germantown High as well.
To say Mollie stays busy is an understatement.
In addition to her classes and schoolwork, she
participates in several extracurricular activities,
including being a member of the Diamond Girls,
a group of girls who support the Germantown
baseball team by running the music at the games,
working the concession stand, and even running
after foul balls. She is also on the yearbook staff,
Student Council Association, and she is currently
up for representative of the Interact Club, a
community service group club that serves different
roles in the community. Mollie especially enjoys
participating in the Healthcare Academy at
Germantown, a which requires an application/
process. Students are selected each year, and their
classes are on a medical track with RN’s teaching
their medical classes. “It is super fun,” says Mollie.
“It’s like the first couple of years of medical school.
Each semester we study a different system in the
body like the muscular system.” Participating
students will graduate already having certifications
in the medical field, so it is a step ahead for
those students who want to go that route.
Mollie says she wants to go into occupational
therapy for special needs kids. “My mom has a
friend who works at the Little Light House who
does that kind of work. I volunteer there when I
can. I think it would be amazing to help children
through occupational therapy and teaching them
to do things they thought they couldn’t do.”
She has seen the work of occupational
therapists first-hand with her grandmother. “It is
amazing what they are able to help her do.”
Growing up with Tripp has taught Mollie
patience and compassion. She volunteers regularly
at Hope Hollow Ministries, which provides
year-round Christian camp experiences for
families touched by disability. “A friend invited
me to go to a spring break camp there when I was
in the eighth grade,” she says. “We went every day
for a week, and I loved making crafts with the
special needs kids there.” Mollie now helps with
cooking classes at Hope Hollow once a week, as
well as Parent’s Night Out, but her favorite thing
to do there is a girl’s Bible study. “I work with a
group of middle school girls, and I love every
moment of it. We meet once a month, and the
girls always look forward to it. I have grown very
close to them while sharing God’s word.”
Mollie is also involved with the student
ministry at her church, Broadmoor Baptist, and
she loves spending time with her grandmother.
“My grandma is amazing, and with each moment
I spend with her, I realize we aren’t promised
tomorrow. She is such an inspiration. She has
done work with prison ministries, she has passed
out water bottles to people in her hometown, and
she has baked cookies for the firemen. She has
always had such a giving heart, and I think she is
one of the reasons I’m motivated to do all I do.”
To think what this sixteen-year-old can
accomplish in her next two years of high school
boggles the mind. She makes it all look so easy.
Her whole friend group is like Mollie,” says her
mom. They are all amazing kids. It gives you
hope for the future when you see them.”
Hometown MADISON • 39