The recipient of this week's Ben's Bell is Jolene Eggert, who works with ill children and their families at Tucson Medical Center.
Eggert was nominated by Heather Fiske, who's worked as an intern with Eggert in the Child Life Department at TMC for about three months. She described Eggert as "inspiring" in her compassion and kindness.
"Since the day I met Jolene, I have witnessed this benevolence in the smiles she feeds to strangers, her willingness to assist sans hesitation, her dedication to the community, and the support with which she provides co-workers," Fiske wrote in her nomination.
Eggert began working as a child life specialist at TMC seven years ago, when she was the only one in the position. Now there are five specialists, who all work toward the same goal: Helping children and their families understand why they're at the hospital and what's happening to them.
People are also reading…
Fiske is a senior at the University of Arizona who hopes to become a child life specialist. The family studies and human development major will graduate in December and credits Eggert with helping and encouraging her to be the best she can be. She decided to thank her by nominating her to be "belled.'
"Every single day that I come in here, I'm moved by her motivation in this job and her dedication to all these kids," Fiske said. "I don't think that I could say enough about how much I appreciate everything that she's done for me and everything I see her do for other people."
The Ben's Bells crew surprised Eggert on Wednesday as she and Fiske went to a weekly meeting. As Eggert realized what was going on, she tried to figure out why she was chosen — was it because of the 10 children she and her husband, A.J. Ciha, have been foster parents to through the years? For working with children at the hospital?
"It was an emotional moment because I had no clue that my intern even submitted this," Eggert said. "Obviously, it was very shocking. You really hope you make a difference and that you really teach these students and mentor them, and for her to feel that way is awesome."
Eggert noted the emotional parallels between her job and what Ben's family went through — the time at the hospital as he fell ill, the confusion, the pain of his death — made the belling an especially poignant event. She could hardly even read a pamphlet about the program.
"It just choked me up," she said.
The Ben's Bells project began in March 2003, one year after Ben Maré Packard died of croup, just before his third birthday. His family hopes it reminds people to be kind, to help ease one another's pain.
The latest phase of the project began in September 2005, weekly "bellings" for those among us who make our community a better, kinder place to live.
If you know people who deserve a Ben's Bell, nominate them to be "belled." Go to www.929themountain .com/pages/jennie_itm.html and click on Ben's Bellings. To learn more about the project, go to www .bensbells.org. Or help work on bells by dropping by the studio, 816 E. University, in Geronimo Plaza. It's open Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Check the Star each Saturday to see the latest recipient.
Ben's Bellings
For sale: Tucson's Park Place mall
