09/09/2025
Though this summer has flown by and the new school year has already begun, we’d like to celebrate and thank our junior volunteers! These high school students have dedicated their time and energy to working with patients and families at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth during the summer months.
This summer, we had 121 junior volunteers supporting various departments and areas within our medical center. Many of them are senior graduate volunteers who have donated their time and energy for three or four summers. We’re excited to introduce a few of our Summer 2025 graduating senior volunteers who began serving in 2022 or 2023:
1. Rose Jones, 18, spent her summer volunteering in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Rose was once a patient at Cook Children’s, which sparked her passion for pediatrics and desire to give back. “Last summer, I ran into one of my doctors who treated me while I was volunteering,” she said. “It was a really full circle moment for me.”
2. Briggs DeMott, 18, works as a gaming volunteer. He receives a schedule each shift of who has requested time with the video game system. He visits each room and is always greeted with an excited smile. “One time when I was playing with a patient, his sibling drew a photo of us,” he explained. “Before I left the room, the sibling gave me that drawing and I carry it with me every day.”
3. Yareli Villa, 18, spends her time in the Emergency Department (ED). She is both English and Spanish speaking, so Yareli loves making patients and families feel heard and comforted if there is a language barrier. “Even doing small things to help others makes a big impact,” she says.
4. Dariana Verduzco Sepulveda, 18, is a volunteer in the Child Life Zone and Build-a-Bear. She loves spending her summers at Cook Children’s, getting to know staff, families and kids. “The best part is seeing the kids' faces light up when they recognize me, one girl even ran up to give me a hug,” she said.
5. Luke Petersen, 18, has spent this summer as a child life volunteer on 3P and 4P. One of his favorite memories is from his first summer working the hospitality cart when he got to meet a family celebrating being discharged. “I’ll never forget their joy in that moment,” he says. Luke loves trying different roles and believes “there is a role for everyone to help out at Cook Children’s.”
6. Kelcy Orr, 18, has spent the last few summers volunteering at Build-a-Bear. Kelcy is a former patient at Cook Children’s and she always loved visiting the Build-a-Bear store after her own appointments. Now, as a volunteer, she gets to provide the same experience for other kids. “I love getting to listen to people share about their lives and help bring them joy in a hard time,” she said.
The Cook Children’s Junior Volunteer Program provides a very rewarding experience, personal growth, and an opportunity to give back to the community. The application period for Summer 2026 will begin December 1, 2025. You can find more information here: https://tinyurl.com/2s4tm9u9
