Meet Wanda, who became a volunteer because she ‘needed to be a part of it’

For five years, Wanda Scott drove to Children’s Health in the evening to sit at the bedside of her former student.  

“He called me his mother-in-law. He would tell his mom, ‘Call my mother-in-law and tell her to bring me some brownies,’” she recalled of her student, who was undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. “I knew he needed me, and his mom also needed a break.”  

And when he passed away, Wanda started volunteering at the hospital, saying she also just “needed to be a part of it.”   

That was three decades ago, back when Children’s Medical Center Dallas was a one-story building with six floors. Now, Wanda, 85, calls the Tuesday shifts her weekly therapy.  

She’s rocked babies and taken calls from nurses to deploy volunteers. She’s organized coloring sheets and crayons to distract patients and siblings on tough days.  

And during this time, she’s also watched the Dallas campus grow from caring for kids like her students to children from around the world. More recently, her grandson became a physician in the NICU.  

Beyond the decades-long volunteer work she’s contributed to Children’s Health, Wanda also wants to leave a legacy that will impact the health and wellbeing of children long after her volunteer service, opting to leave Children’s Health an unrestricted gift in her will. 

This kind of general use support will allow Children’s Health to fund areas of greatest need and impact in the future, while also helping the hospital to invest in new initiatives and enhance critical programs.  

“Children’s Health is part of my heart and has been in my life for a long time,” Wanda said.  “When something is important to you, you don’t push it aside.”  

And she’s already making plans for how she’ll continue to volunteer every week when she’s in her 90’s, once the new Dallas pediatric campus opens. A joint investment with UT Southwestern Medical Center, the campus will be one of the country’s largest and most transformative pediatric hospitals.  

“One of my grandsons told me about Uber’s driverless cars. He said, ‘Grandma, that’s how you’re going to get to the new hospital,’” she said, laughing.  

Start your legacy today 

Did you know you can make a bigger impact than you ever imagined? By making a planned gift — like the one Wanda set aside in her will — you can help provide a sustainably funded future for the causes you care about while protecting your loved ones and leaving a personal legacy you can be proud of. 

Questions? Our Legacy & Gift Planning team is here to help. Please email us at GiftPlanning@childrens.com.