Volunteer Spotlight: Dianne Motil

Dianne Motil started her CHOP career four years ago as a registered nurse in Primary Care, and throughout the years has transferred and now works in the PICU/Onco Unit at Middleman Family Pavilion in King of Prussia. Dianne attended Montgomery County Community College for an associate's degree in nursing and ended up finishing her bachelor's degree in nursing at Penn State University. She is now currently back in school to receive her master's degree in nursing, where she hopes to continue her career as a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Dianne first showed an interest in volunteering back in high school, when she would participate with her fellow classmates in her Community Service Corporation Club. She found that she really enjoyed it, and continued volunteering throughout college. When she got to CHOP, she remembers her first experience being the Farm to Families program at CHOP. Through this program, volunteers were able to sign up and distribute free, weekly boxes of organic fruits and vegetables to families, regardless of income. "Some families relied on these boxes," Dianne says. "For me, volunteering is a way to give back, and to know that you are doing something good for others in the community." Another one of her favorite volunteer opportunities is distributing children's books to our patients after their appointments through CHOP's Reach Out and Read program. Reach Out and Read focuses on giving young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.

Without picking a favorite, Dianne says that she loves volunteering for opportunities the Office of Community Relations at CHOP promotes and coordinates through the Community Engagement & Volunteering program, and that they provide a nice variety and flexibility to all their options. "I use my free time when I have it, and a big motivation for me is that these opportunities allow me to connect with the community," Dianne said. She also mentioned how while she likes to try new experiences, she loves participating in recurring opportunities as well. This allows her to meet new people, while also seeing some familiar faces and expanding her CHOP family connections.

When asked about an unexpected benefit from her volunteer experiences, she mentioned her help with the Reach Out and Read program. Dianne says, "Because I work in an inpatient and ICU environment, I never really get to see super healthy kids. This opportunity allowed me to connect with kids in a different setting, see how excited they were, and it really showed me how big CHOP is and how we are much more than a hospital."

Dianne remembers what it was like to first start out, and the best advice she has for people in a similar situation would be this: Just go for it! CHOP provides many opportunities with multiple people on shifts, and Dianne says it helps when there are other people involved and there to be a resource. She recommends starting out with the group opportunities, and those will quickly help you become more comfortable and confident to potentially participate in the individual opportunities later in the future.

Outside of work and volunteer activities, Dianne loves to explore her Philadelphia community by trying new restaurants, finding new activities around the city, and participating in new experiences that she can share with her friends and family. However, like many people, Dianne also enjoys a quiet night at home, where she can watch movies or TV shows and relax from a busy week.

Thank you, Dianne, for all you do to help our community!