Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Patti

After the premature birth of her son Sam in 1982, volunteer Patti Eanet decided she’d like to spend her free time providing support to families and children in similar situations. “I wanted to give back,” Patti says. “I wanted to help others as he and I were helped.”

Patti first came to The Children’s Inn in 1999 as a Welcome Desk volunteer, while also working full time as a labor lawyer for The National Treasury Employees Union in Washington, DC. As an Inn volunteer, some of Patti’s job responsibilities included checking families in and out, stocking and organizing the kitchens, driving residents to and from the grocery store and providing support in many different areas. “The staff was significantly smaller at the time, so I helped out wherever I could. I spent a lot of time just chatting with moms and dads in the kitchens,” says Patti.

In 2002, Patti became a part-time Inn staff member as a weekend and holiday resident manager. As part of the resident services team, Patti stayed weekends at The Inn and oversaw all operational duties. She held this position for six years before returning to another volunteer position, assisting with Sunday night family dinners. Over time, Patti took on more responsibilities related to The Inn’s three communal kitchens and is now one of our dedicated kitchen assistants.

As a kitchen assistant, Patti works with a team of 12 other volunteers to keep The Inn’s kitchens tidy, organized and stocked full of food for the residents. Since retiring from her full-time job one year ago, Patti has taken on a number of additional projects around The Inn—helping to sort through donations, organize storage spaces and much more. Her time spent volunteering at The Inn has earned Patti numerous Presidential Volunteer Service Awards as well as a spot on The Inn’s volunteer advisory committee.

In addition to her volunteer work at The Children’s Inn, Patti holds a number of volunteer positions at Sibley Memorial Hospital. She splits her time between Patient Relations, Surgical Waiting, and even holds her own adult coloring class for patients undergoing rehabilitation therapy. Patti also co-chairs the patient/family advisory councils for Sibley Hospital and for the Johns Hopkins Medical Clinical Community. We are very fortunate to have Patti as a treasured Inn volunteer.