July Volunteer of the Month – Stacie Terrell
Meet our volunteers! Each month, we highlight stand-out volunteers and how they support families. For July, meet Stacie Terrell, who has been a volunteer at our Ronald McDonald House near Advocate Children’s Hospital since October 2023.
- How long have you volunteered with RMHC-CNI?
I have been a volunteer since October 2023.
- Where/how do you typically volunteer, and what do you usually do?
I volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House near Advocate Children’s Hospital. The staff I work with know I am a person who wants to keep busy, so I prefer to be active, moving about performing even the smallest of tasks, although I don’t mind covering the phones or the reception area. I also like training new volunteers!
- Why did you first start volunteering with RMHC-CNI, and what keeps you coming back?
After I retired, I found I had quite a bit of spare time, and I knew I wanted to fill some of my time volunteering. One day a neighbor’s Facebook post popped up with pictures of her and a group that had made a meal at the RMH near Advocate Children’s Hospital. Since I was looking for a new volunteer opportunity, I decided to reach out to RMHC-CNI and find out what volunteering entailed. After that, I decided to jump in and start volunteering! I had never put much thought into how a family’s day or life can be impacted when a child is hospitalized. I come back each volunteer shift so I can do things that may make a family’s day a little easier and bring a little order to the chaos their day may be.
- What is your favorite memory or experience from volunteering?
I don’t have just one favorite memory or experience from volunteering. It makes my heart full knowing I can make a difference in someone’s day by the things I do in my volunteer duties, whether it’s putting together grab-and-go bags (which I rock at!), restocking the kitchen pantry area, or laundering linens so a room can be prepped for another family to stay at the House. One of my favorite mantras is “Be happy for this moment, for this moment is your life.” My volunteer work allows me to string together a lot of little moments in my day – moments that may have a positive impact on a family going through a difficult time.
- What does it mean to you to donate your time to our organization?
I absolutely love donating my time to this organization and look forward to my shift each week. While I volunteer every Thursday, I try to pick up an extra volunteer shift each month, preferably when there is no volunteer scheduled for a particular time slot. I also like to volunteer on holidays, when volunteer coverage may be sparse.
- If someone was thinking about becoming a volunteer, what would you tell them about getting involved?
When I am asked about volunteering at Ronald McDonald House, I become very enthusiastic, explaining all the various things I do on any given day. I talk about how even the simplest of things I do at the Ronald McDonald House can make a family’s day or stay a little bit better. When I was talking about volunteering to my friend, they asked if I work in the marketing department because I talk about it so enthusiastically.
Thank you, Stacie for your contributions to helping families feel at home!
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