By Nancy Van Buskirk | Volunteer Manager of Angels In Waiting,
Through public recognition and awareness, Angels In Waiting and our Nurse Foster Program can make a bigger impact in the welfare of medically fragile foster care children. While compiling this report, I chose to go behind the scenes and touch on the power and passion of one nurse and what that dynamism has been able to accomplish. Linda West-Conforti, RN and founder of Angels In Waiting, was honored for her unique nursing accomplishments at the 2014 Nursing Excellence GEM Awards - Giving Excellence Meaning. Linda was one of the Regional Finalist in the Volunteerism and Service group and later was nominated as a finalist for the National Nurse of the Year Award. Public recognition of nursing excellence has been an important part of the acknowledgement of nurses an a profession, which has added to the flight of Angels In Waiting in networking and recruiting more nurses. Linda has watched her dream unfold over the past seven years and now has more than 50 nurses who have joined Angels In Waiting and many other states interested in her program.
As quoted by Linda during her acceptance speech: “Because of the dedication and commitment of nurse foster parents, many of the foster care children are in healthy, permanent homes and well on their way to a more promising future." This could not be more apparent then in Linda’s adopted, medically fragile child, Sammy. Sammy is now 11 years old and was recognized this year at his school an award for being a Conflict Manager - helping address conflicts on the playground. After many situations on the playground, Sammy intervened to stop “bullying,” and when a position as Conflict Manager came available, Sammy made an appointment with the principal to apply. Also this year, he was also awarded a certificate for “Caring." Sammy’s full story is available on Angels In Waiting website: http://www.angelsinwaitingusa.org/sammy.php
I’d like to end this report by saying, without the loving care of a qualified nurse, many of these unfortunate infants and children would not be given the chance to be an award-winning child through their schools or have someone there to take pictures, post them on facebook and give the child a chance to feel “proud." Angels In Waiting and their nurses give a child the home, love and opportunity they so deserve.
“Even the most fragile infants and children when given a chance can become something very special in this world.” Sammy wants to be President one day and you know what, I think he will.
A special thanks goes to our Global Supporters who gives Angels In Waiting the necessary support to network, document and recruit nurses. Many of our nurses adopt the children they take care of, and so Angels In Waiting is continually recruiting more nurses. We at Angels In Waiting say: “job well done”! Thank you Globalgiving.
Written by Volunteer Manager of Angels In Waiting, Nancy Van Buskirk
Links:
By Linda West-Conforti RN & Amy Morris RN | CEO & Nurse-Foster Provider
By Linda West-Conforti RN | Founder/ CEO
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