giving back, one shift at a time

In the NICU and beyond, Lynn Drawbridge has found meaningful ways to support children and families at Children’s Health℠ for more than a decade.

For years, Lynn Drawbridge has spent part of her week doing something that comes naturally to her: comforting babies.

In the NICU at Children's Health, that can look like holding a newborn for an entire volunteer shift when parents can’t be there. Sometimes it means singing softly. Other times, it looks like reading aloud. But mostly, it simply means being a calm, steady presence while nurses move quickly from one patient to the next.

And for Lynn, the volunteer shifts were an easy yes. 

“I know I’m doing something good,” she said.

Dressed in her blue volunteer uniform and waiting for her afternoon shift to begin, Lynn spoke about the hospital with the kind of warmth that makes it clear this is more than a place she volunteers. That’s because Children’s Health is a place that has become deeply woven into her life.

She first thought about volunteering when her two daughters were in high school and giving their time at another hospital.

“The joy I saw on their faces when they came home was unforgettable,” she said. “I told myself, ‘Once they graduate and I’m an empty-nester, I’ll find a place where I can volunteer too.’”

When the time came, Children's Health was the only place she looked.

A family friend’s daughter had been treated there for leukemia, and while she passed away, Lynn had heard so many meaningful stories about the care she received that she felt drawn to the hospital before she had even stepped inside.

That was more than a decade ago.

Now, volunteering has become something Lynn returns to because it helps others —and because it helps her, too. 

“Volunteering and making life better for children is like my therapy,” she said. “I’m helping patients, but they’re also helping me.”

Over the years, Children's Health has become a meaningful part of Lynn’s family story in more ways than one.

One of her daughters now works at the hospital as a child life assistant and facility dog handler, helping brighten patient stays and caring for one of the therapy dogs that are part of the Pet Therapy program. Her other daughter is an attending physician in the PICU at both the Dallas and Plano campuses, helping care for children during some of their most critical moments.

For Lynn, seeing both of her daughters build careers here has only deepened what the hospital already meant to her. 

And her support hasn’t stopped at volunteering.

For years, Lynn has also given financially to Children's Health — often in honor of her niece, Kara, who was born with cerebral palsy and spent much of her life receiving pediatric care before passing away at 17.

“To honor her memory, I began donating on her birthday or Christmas Day,” Lynn said.

She chooses to make her gifts unrestricted, allowing the hospital to use them where they’re needed most.

“I trust the people who work here,” she said. “I trust they know best where the money is needed.”

That trust also has shaped another decision: Lynn is now working on leaving a planned gift to Children's Health, allowing her family to make an even greater impact in the future.

Whether a gift helps fund medical equipment or create incredible moments of joy like cuddles with loveable therapy dogs, Lynn believes every act of support matters.

For Lynn, giving back has never been about one role or one kind of contribution. Giving is about showing up — with her time, her heart and her trust in a place she believes in.

“You might think you have to give a huge amount,” she said. “But any amount — no matter how big or small you think your gift might be — is needed. Every dollar helps.”