We are so honored to have donors with such passion and dedication for the children in our Grief Support Program! Today we highlight Dr. Matthew Carroll – both a loyal WARM Place donor and volunteer group facilitator. It’s people like him who make The WARM Place mission possible!
How did you learn about The WARM Place?
I first started volunteering at a children’s grief support center during medical school in Houston, at Bo’s Place. I was first introduced to Bo’s Place during a med school volunteer night and loved the mission. I knew it was somewhere I wanted to volunteer regularly, so I did that for a couple years. Then, when I finished my residency training and moved back to Fort Worth, I was eager to find a new volunteer opportunity. I was getting my haircut at Lux Machine and I was talking to my hair cutter about trying to find a new volunteer gig and she told me all about The WARM Place. I loved that a similar organization existed in Fort Worth and knew I had just found my new volunteer opportunity.
Tell us a little bit about you and your family.
I am the oldest sibling in my family. I have a younger brother and he is a dermatologist in Fort Worth area. My parents live outside San Antonio. My father runs a grocery store and my mother is a school teacher. I just recently got married and my wife is a nurse.
What do you do for a living?
I am a hospital pediatrician. I take care of kids when they are sick enough to be admitted to the hospital. When they are doing better and ready to be discharged home, their regular pediatrician takes over their care.
Why is giving to The WARM Place so important to you?
I think the mission of The WARM Place is so important! When kids experience the death of a family member, it can throw everything out of whack and can destroy their sense of safety and stability. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I wish that places like children’s hospital and The WARM Place didn’t have to exist. I wish that no child had to grow up learning about loss at such an early age, but that’s not the world we live in, which is why it is so important that places like The WARM Place are around for kids. I believe in the mission of The WARM Place 100% and one of the greatest things about it is that families never have to pay for anything. I feel blessed to be able to support such an incredible organization with such an important mission!
Could you share a favorite story or memory about your involvement with The WARM Place?
I think it would be impossible to share any one favorite moment. For me, the most rewarding part of volunteering at The WARM Place is to be able to look at how a child was when they started their first night at The WARM Place and compare it to how they are on that last night when we are handing them a bag of seashells. Seeing that transformation is so powerful and rewarding!
What would you tell someone who is thinking about getting involved?
I would say that The WARM Place is a great organization to get involved with, however you can. Whether it be volunteering on a group night, helping out in the kitchen during dinner, or being a donor! No contribution is too small!
We each contribute our little piece, and together we are all able to build something that is bigger than any of us and truly special!
A huge heart-felt THANK YOU to Matt and ALL our amazing donors! Your dedication to our mission is overwhelming and we’re so proud that you share your time and treasure with The WARM Place!
Katie Lane, Director of Development
