Top: Craig Tankersley volunteers his time in The Zone, an activity room at Children’s Hospital, every Tuesday night. Bottom: Lisa Hapgood sits with kids in the hospital on Parents Night Out to give the patients and their parents a change of scenery.
Helping Kids Be Kids
Posted May 9, 2011
CRAIG TANKERSLEY gets creamed every Tuesday night in one-on-one video games. Annihilated, in fact. “Every child who comes in here can beat me at anything on the Wii,” he says. “If nothing else, the kids feel good when they leave, because they just beat an adult at Guitar Hero.”
Good feelings can be rare for the majority of the kids at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Ala. Some patients have checked in for long-term stays. Others short. But all are looking for a distraction. And The Zone, a 5th floor activity room full of games, arts and crafts, a foosball table, and a big flat screen TV with an attached Wii, temporarily takes their minds off their situations.
Craig helps do that as well. Once a week, he volunteers his good-natured smile, crafty sensibility, mediocre gaming skills, and companionship to kids who enter The Zone.
“It gives them some time away from the typical hospital experience,” says Craig. “Whether you’re a clown or rocking babies in the infant room, your main goal is to take the patient’s mind off why they’re there, you try to give some normalcy in an often scary environment.”
This is his third year lending his time and energy to Children’s, and he joins around 600 other current volunteers at the hospital.
The Children’s Hospital Volunteer Services Program is just one of the hospital’s numerous programs supported by charitable contributions. In fact, the Regions Tradition golf tournament (May 3-8) tapped the hospital as its primary beneficiary, extending the bank’s commitment to give back to its community.
Just Being There
The patient’s privacy, of course, is a major issue, and that’s hammered home during orientation. “We don’t need to ask about or know about why they’re in the hospital,” says Craig. “That’s not our role as volunteers. There are medical professionals taking care of that part. We just want to help the kids be kids for awhile.”
In The Zone, for example, Craig just keeps all his interactions on a first-name basis.
But sometimes, names aren’t even exchanged. Lisa Hapgood, an eight-year veteran in the volunteer program, works with babies and young children. She participates in the Parents Night Out program by babysitting—essentially hanging out with a child—for an hour or so.
“It gets the parents out of the room, and it gives the child a change of scenery,” she says.
In her experience, she has seen great pain. She once sat with a baby who had been badly burned in a car accident. “All I could do was stand there and hold his hand,” she says. “I was just there for him.”
But she likes to share her happy stories, too. She was with a child in recovery who was a huge Star Wars fanatic. “He spent 45 minutes telling me about the characters and weapons,” she says. “I was a blank canvas for him to explain things to.”
Lisa believes her first job as a volunteer is simply to be present.
“It doesn’t take much to make a huge difference,” she says. “And you get so much more back.”
CRAIG AND LISA are both Regions associates.
For more information on volunteering with Children's Hospital, go to chsys.org or call 205-939-9100.
comments (3)
You make it sound so easy to volunteer.. This is very touching. It makes me think that maybe I could become a volunteer. Thank you for sharing your stories.
CharlotteIt is amazing to see how time and touch are so intertwined with these volunteers and the children. Today, so many of us don't think of how a little time would mean so much to a stranger or a family member. Touch is also a missing commodity for alot of people today and I see that so much at the nursing home that our church goes to. Just a hug, a handshake, and a smile can brighten up a day. Volunteering can give so much back to each of us. To all volunteers and Craig and Lisa, keep giving out love to those who need it!
Judy BatesI have also volunteered at a Children's Hospital and it is a life changing experience. It is incredible how spending the day with children teaches one courage and hope. It has made me feel as if I need to give more!
Andrea