Cara Ladouceur

Cara Ladouceur grew up in place called Jericho, Vermont. While she was growing up she didn't volunteer. She is a nurse at Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, Vermont. Later on in life, when she was in her thirties, she started volunteering for a great organization called Mahana Magic Foundation. The Mahana Magic Foundation is a non profit organization which offers support to a child who is coping with the fear and uncertainty of having a parent with cancer (Mahanamagic.org). She started volunteering because her friend/ co-worker, Allie Walteen, needed help with an event so Cara said she would be happy to help out!

The Mahana Magic wants to make events for kids where they can just be kids, and do what kids do. Cara helps and supervises the kids at events like rope climbing and bowling. She also helps out with fundraisers, where the money goes to supplies for the kids. Cara says that her favorite part is getting to see how happy the kids are when they are having fun and being with friends. The hardest part, according to Cara, is getting close to a kid and knowing that their parents are going to die.

The late Greg Couture created the Mahana Magic Foundation with a group of supportive friends after he was diagnosed in the fall of 2008 with stage 4 cancer. While being treated at Fletcher Allen Health Care, Greg received wonderful emotional care through the Cancer Patient Support Program (CPS). However, he felt that his diagnosis was really a "family diagnosis," often referring to it as "our cancer." So, while he received the caring support through CPS, he became concerned of where his daughters, Makena & Hana, would find the support they needed. Greg recognized how cancer created fear and uncertainty for children and their need for an outlet to express their emotions. Thus Mahana Magic was born - in honor of his two daughters, Makena and Hana, with their names combined to create Mahana, meaning "to create warmth." (Mahanamagic.org) This foundation offers a Child Life Specialist named Allie Walteen, the same lady that introduced Cara to the organization, who teaches the kids coping skills and other important life skills. They also offer art therapy, which is a creative way for kids to process their emotions.

Cara thinks that she will keep volunteering for a very long time. She also thinks the younger kids start volunteering the better, especially teenagers. "If a nine year old was with a fourteen year old, it would be a lot easier to relate, rather than an old lady like me trying to relate!" Cara told me when I asked why she thinks more kids should volunteer. She also said volunteering makes you grateful for what you have and makes you less likely to take advantage of what you have. Cara is my hero because she has been volunteering for almost 10 years, and that's a lot of commitment. She never gives up, and she is a great role model for kids!