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After her grandmother passed away, Jackie DeCarlo remembers how her mother’s cousin, whom she affectionately calls Dollie, took her under her wing.

In the summer, Jackie would stay at Dollie’s home in Collingswood, NJ, and take trips to the Philadelphia Zoo and the Jersey Shore.

“As a child, I always felt special under her attention and care,” Jackie remembers. “She’s one of those adults who treated kids like they matter.”

In fact, Delores I. Males, RN, BSN, dedicated her life to taking care of others. While working full-time at PSEG, Dollie worked the night shift as a nurse at Cooper University Hospital until 1976.

“Being in the pediatric unit was a way for her to dedicate her time to help people,” Jackie said. “She did not have any children of her own, so I think it was a way for her to show her care and compassion for children.”

Recently, the Dollie I. Males Angel Fund made a $15,000 to the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper. The Fund was established to support projects in New Jersey that were special to Dollie, who now lives in an assisted living center for people with dementia in Jackie’s neighborhood in Maryland. In recognition of Dollie, a sign will be placed on the seventh floor of Kelemen near the parent’s lounge later this summer.

“Camden and the surrounding area are important to our family. We wanted to help the hospital and be part of the community development,” Jackie said. “I think Dollie would like the fact that she’s helping Cooper. She would like the fact that even though she is no longer a nurse, she is still part of the hospital.”