On a recent Monday evening, Omahan Kalli Pettit wheeled a squeaky book cart down a hospital hallway. A pair of teenagers jostled each other as they walked past.
Kalli, not much older at age 18, continued pushing the cart toward a family waiting area where she spotted a father busy on his cellphone and a preschooler bouncing from seat to seat.
โBook on a cart,โ the young boy shouted with excitement.
โWould you like to pick out a book?โ Kalli asked.
The father placed the caller on hold to help his son.
โLook, Dad! Dinosaurs!โ
Even though the interaction was brief, Kalli says seeing the young boyโs smile stretch from ear to ear was worth every bit of time she spends volunteering at Omaha Childrenโs Hospital & Medical Center.
The Marian High School senior started volunteering with the hospital in summer 2017. Teen volunteer services at Childrenโs Hospital and Medical Center typically increases in the summer months as young students are on break from school. Kalli started volunteering a few hours each week in June at the hospitalโs Kids Camp, which is an area designated for siblings of family members attending routine clinic appointments to long-term care.
Friends and family say sheโs always gravitated to helping kids. Perhaps itโs because not so long ago Kalli was in their shoes.
Kalli had a recent episode that forced her to spend a few nights at that very hospitalโs sixth floorโthe next area in which she planned to wheel the book cart.
It wasnโt her first trip to the hospital. In 2009, Kalliโdaughter of Mark and Kristie Pettitโwas diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 9.
โI remember being so young when nurses and doctors explained what was happening to my body,โ Kalli says. โI was worried all of the time, but remember how calm the nurses and doctors were. They really inspired me to give back. Itโs why Iโm here today volunteering.โ
She wants to spread that support and positivity to other kids.
โHaving been a patient there initiated the whole idea,โ says Kristie of her daughterโs volunteer work. โShe loves to work with kids. Always has.โ
โThese kids have so much going in their lives. Theyโre trying to stay strong,โ Kalli says. โAs a volunteer, you canโt show them youโre sad.โ
Kalli volunteers in the Teen Connection at Childrenโs Volunteer Services with roughly 50 other students to help in various capacities from the book cart to kids camps and hospital greeters.
โSheโs been a great volunteer,โ says Angela Loyd, a spokeswoman who oversees the Volunteer Services department. โSheโs so cheerful and nice when helping families.โ
โI want to make kids feel welcome at the hospital. Just knowing their minds are at ease a little bit as we play is worth my time,โ Kalli says. โSometimes we would paint or draw or play house. Really whatever they wanted to do that day. I always felt bad when it was time to leave because I didnโt want to leave.โ
Knowing she has the power to make a difference in someoneโs life is rewarding, Kalli says. She encourages other young people to consider service opportunities in their areas.
โNo matter what, always have a positive attitude,โ she advises. โHow you express yourself can affect the way other people view you and how theyโll react to you.โr
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Visit childrensomaha.org for more information.
rThis article was originally printed in the Spring/Summer 2018 edition of Family Guide.