Photo by Paul Sakuma Photography (shown above: Maryellen Brady, June Hipschen, and Sierra Clark)
Lucile Packard’s connection to our community began as a volunteer. Long before our hospital opened its doors, she gave her time to places where children came to heal—the Stanford Home for Convalescent Children and the former Children’s Hospital at Stanford—and developed a deep understanding of what it takes to deliver exceptional care for children and families.
Those years shaped Lucile’s lifelong commitment to children’s health and fueled her founding vision for what would become Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, which opened in 1991.
This April, during National Volunteer Month, we are proud to announce a new honor that carries her name: the Lucile Packard Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes hospital volunteers whose years of dedicated service have made a lasting impact on our patients, families, and staff—individuals who have given not just their time, but their whole selves to this community. It is the highest volunteer honor we can bestow at a hospital privileged to have over 500 dedicated volunteers.
Whether they’re reading a story to a child, cuddling newborn babies, or serving on our board, these volunteers are an important part of the extraordinary care we provide.
“This award celebrates the power of volunteerism and honors Lucile Packard’s lasting legacy: a legacy rooted in compassion, community, and the unwavering belief that every child deserves exceptional health care,” says Maryellen Brady, director of volunteer services at Packard Children’s Hospital.
On April 22, Lucile’s granddaughter and Packard Children’s Hospital board member Sierra Clark presented the inaugural award at an event in the hospital’s Ford Family Staff Garden. Clark’s presence was a meaningful reminder that Lucile’s vision and values are alive and well, carried forward by those who knew and loved her, and by volunteers inside our hospital and across Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. The event also celebrated volunteers who have reached 5, 10, 15, 20, and even 35-year anniversaries.
“I want to express my gratitude to all the volunteers who are transforming what it means to deliver quality, compassionate care to children,” says Clark. “It’s not just in the care itself, it’s in the people—in the small moments of connection that make a hospital feel less clinical and more compassionate. It’s a living reflection of what my grandmother believed in: that paano we care matters just as much as what we do.”
Meet the First Recipient: June Hipschen
June Hipschen had wanted to volunteer in a hospital ever since she was a little girl. Life had other plans—a full career in corporate life came first—but when retirement finally opened the door, she embraced it.
June arrived at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in 2012, recruited by Wilma Espinoza, then president of the Roth Auxiliary, the volunteer organization that runs the hospital’s Gift Shop. Wilma explained that the Gift Shop provides a warm, non-medical oasis where patients and family members can browse gifts, a few necessities, candy, and balloons—with all proceeds going back to the hospital to support research and care. Since then, June has logged more than 4,100 hours of service across the Gift Shop, Roth Auxiliary (where she has served as vice president, membership chair, and liaison to volunteer services), and the Explorer Program, guiding patients and visitors to their destinations during hospital construction.
“Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award is humbling, awesome, and completely surprising!” says June. “I am truly honored. I am part of a team of volunteers, and we are all here together for these kids—to let them know how much they really matter. And to support the parents, who are the real heroes.”
June’s greatest joy is selling a plush animal or a doll to a patient, then telling them that this special plush requires lots of hugs and asking them to show her their hug. She loves seeing young faces light up as they squeeze their new toy.
“June Hipschen is the perfect recipient for the Lucile Packard Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the type of person you want by your side when you need help,” says Brady. “She plays an integral role in fostering an environment where children receive unparalleled care and support, honoring Lucile Packard’s vision of a place where the well-being of young individuals is paramount.”
