A Modest Man with a Generous Soul
Volunteer gives his time and treasure to help sick kids
Jim Thompson, 12-year volunteer at Cincinnati Children’s, sterilizes toys so patients can play and just be kids.
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If you ask Jim Thompson about his contributions to Cincinnati Children’s, he’ll tell you he doesn’t do much. We disagree.
Jim is a longtime friend of the medical center. For 12 years, he’s generously given his time as a volunteer, cleaning toys in one of the activity centers. It isn’t a glamorous chore, but it’s an important one. His work allows the children to play and be kids, even while they’re in the hospital.
He sometimes overhears parents saying how nice it is to have a place for the kids to play. Jim says that makes him feel good about the time he gives the medical center because he knows it makes a difference.
Jim is also a donor. Again, he would say his contributions aren’t that substantial. We know that every single gift helps us provide better treatments, conduct better research, find more cures.
Jim is leaving part of his retirement assets to the hospital. His gift qualifies him as a member of the William Cooper Procter Society, which honors those who tell us they’ve invested in the future of the medical center through planned or deferred gifts. “I feel strongly that people should leave part of their money or estate holdings to charity,” Jim says. “It’s an easy way to support society and the greater good.”
Recently, Jim took that notion of making a difference to an even higher level. He left a 30-year career in information systems to go back to nursing school.
“I’ve seen how staff and volunteers at Cincinnati Children’s really care about the kids,” Jim says. “I figured if I had to work another 10 years, I may as well do something I’ll enjoy, something meaningful.”
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