At Texas Health Resources Southwest, I coordinated our unit’s Angel Tree Project, adopting several “angels”—children whose holiday wish lists included both essential items and a few joyful extras. My responsibility was to ensure that each child’s needs were met, their wants were balanced fairly, and every gift was clearly tagged and ready for delivery.

When the project later expanded to include the entire hospital, the work became a significant logistical undertaking. I allocated angels to multiple units, tracked donations across departments, ensured everything was bagged, tagged, and delivered on time, and even drove a few last-minute gifts to the Salvation Army myself to ensure that no child was overlooked.

Beyond Angel Tree, I supported additional charitable initiatives at the hospital—preparing gift baskets for auctions and raffles, and coordinating creative fundraisers like the carveless pumpkin carving contest, where decorated pumpkins raised money for charity.

These experiences taught me that service is built on equity, attention to detail, and the willingness to follow through. Coordinating Angel Tree showed me how even simple, compassionate systems—if managed with care—can transform generosity into meaningful impact for families. It also reinforced a core value I carry into public service: the belief that small, thoughtful acts can ripple outward and strengthen an entire community.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead