Auburn Students Brighten Hospital Stays for Sick Kids

A two-year-old girl hadn't seen her mom smile in days during their hospital stay. Then an Auburn University student showed up with a wagon, and everything changed.

Auburn University Dream Makers (AUDM) sends student volunteers into local hospitals every week to help children facing difficult medical situations. The students work directly with young patients and support overwhelmed families while nurses handle critical care tasks.

Miller Smith, a senior leading the organization, remembers rolling that little girl through hospital hallways while her exhausted mother finally took a shower. "New faces are exciting to the kids," Smith said. "It was so rewarding to see how appreciative her mom was and how the child was getting excited and seeing the hospital in a new light."

The program recently partnered with East Alabama Health, expanding volunteer opportunities from occasional visits to four weekly shifts. Students can choose between "care" roles playing with children or "support" roles helping medical staff with behind-the-scenes work.

Mason Roberts, who coordinates the volunteer schedule, says slots fill up immediately. "I'm not in a health-related major, but volunteering in the hospital has been one of the more impactful and joyful experiences I've had," the business management junior said.

Beyond weekly visits, AUDM hosts an annual 12-hour Main Event featuring dances, activities, and fundraisers supporting the medical center. The marathon event has become a campus tradition, bringing together hundreds of students for a day of high-energy fundraising.

The Ripple Effect

The program shows how small acts of presence can transform difficult moments into bearable ones. When students spend an hour entertaining a sick child, they give parents breathing room to rest and shower. They help kids see hospital walls as less scary and more like an adventure.

The expansion to weekly shifts means more families get support when they need it most. More Auburn students discover the profound satisfaction of service that has nothing to do with their major and everything to do with showing up for their community.

AUDM plans to grow volunteer opportunities even further in coming years, creating more chances for students to discover what Smith and Roberts already know: sometimes the most important work happens in a hospital hallway with a wagon and a two-year-old's smile.