Volunteer story- Hien

I always wanted to help others and give back to the community, and I am so glad that Starlight was one of the first (if not the first!) to get back to me after my worldwide search right after leaving school!

If I needed any other sign I'd made the right choice and had committed to a brilliant family, it was when I attended my orientation in the Starlight Express Room at the former Mater Children's Hospital Brisbane and true story - Captain Starlight who greeted me was a mate of mine and we'd just won the intergalactic Grand Final in Touch Football!

Even after heading into my fifteenth Starlight year, I still love providing smiles and cheer to the kids and the families in the Starlight Express Room and will continue to do so! What a "job"!

I know everyone says this but it's so true - no two shifts are the same! There's always so much happening in the Starlight Express Room and you jump in where you can and have fun as well - from arts and crafts, all sorts of games (only the other week we played piggy in the middle with a few kids and Captain Starlight), plenty of electronic game options as well, movies, stage acting and drama. We also do activities live on Starlight TV to get the kids in the wards to participate as well, and there’s also an area for the smaller kids to play. You simply just be a kid with all the other kids - including Captain Starlight!

Volunteer Hien with Captain Starlight and Livewire facilitators

My years volunteering at the former Mater Children's Hospital Brisbane and now at the Queensland Children's Hospital have given me so much confidence, and I've gained so much knowledge from all these experiences through Starlight Programs.

I've always had a true love and passion to help others, and I think this shows in my fun interactions with the kids and families. And I have many transferable skills and experiences from working in other industries such as law, environmental science, sports, events and now the health and medical fields which gives me an even wider perspective and range of strengths, skills and experiences for my times in the Starlight Express Room.

All the other Starlight Volunteers are truly super to work alongside! We all simply love our Starlight job of providing smiles and cheer to the kids and families which makes everything so comfortable and fun all the time. A number of my close friends are people I've met through volunteering.

I have so many wonderful Starlight stories and memories that I could share - it makes me smile just thinking about them!

I think it's easy to pick one best thing about my volunteer role, and that's how rewarding and fun it is to be in a job where you're providing smiles and cheer to all the kids and families - and you get to be a kid yourself!

Being a Starlight volunteer has had a major impact on my life and continues to do so - very happily indeed. I have had such fun and have learnt so much as a Starlight volunteer and even after 15 years, I’m still learning!

I'm also truly fortunate to have had a number of other Starlight roles including Starbassador (which is a public speaker on behalf of Starlight), Team Leader on Starlight Day, I've helped in the office and at a number of events like the Starlight Five Chefs Dinner and have even joined the national Volunteer Advisory Committee.

If you're ready to find out more about volunteering with Starlight, the Starlight team is always here for you and we’ll help you in any way possible.

Finally, thank you Starlight and thank you to all the kids and families for providing a massive smile to me! Thank you also for cheering up and enriching my life for the better.