News & Stories
Featured Donor: Kyle and Lauren Hall in Honor of Ann Hall
Standing L to R: Allante Thomas, Maria Metzler, Ann Hall. Sitting L to R: Crissy Severance, Catie Albanese, Maria DeLucca, Janet Kapalka.
When Kyle Hall told his mother that he and his wife, Lauren, wanted to make a donation to MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, she was thrilled.
However, when he told her they wanted to make the donation in honor of her to recognize her contributions as a volunteer, she protested.
“I had wanted the donation to be in honor of the nurses,” said Ann Hall. “They deserve it.”
After some persuading, Ann acquiesced and accepted the honor, encouraging her son to direct the $5,000 gift to MD Anderson Cooper’s Patient in Need Fund.
“I feel very blessed with my family, my kids and the opportunity to volunteer,” said Ann, of Cherry Hill. “Volunteering at the cancer center shows me the important things in life and reminds me not to get caught up in the trivial things.”
Ann volunteers on the chemotherapy infusion unit and does everything she can to help make patients comfortable during their treatments, whether that be providing snacks, pillows and warm blankets or lending a listening ear.
“Even with all they are going through, the patients I meet show patience, perseverance, spirituality and are appreciative and grateful for the smallest thought, word or deed that I can provide,” Ann said. “They truly make a better person out of me.”
The spirit of giving back is ingrained in Ann and her family. Her father was a Lutheran minister and, along with her mother, taught her the importance of helping other people.
It is a lesson she passed on to her three children.
“I was always raised to give back,” said Kyle. “I know MD Anderson Cooper is important to my mother, which is why Lauren and I decided to donate to the center’s Patient in Need Fund.”
The Patient in Need Fund provides small grants to MD Anderson Cooper patients who need help paying for prescriptions, transportation, utility bills and food. When all other sources of support have been exhausted, the Patient in Need Fund is there for Cooper cancer patients.
Ann said Kyle and his siblings, Courtney and Casey, have always been generous, but this donation surprised her.
“I am just so appreciative of what he and Lauren did,” said Ann. “I’m also privileged to work with such outstanding professionals at MD Anderson Cooper.
“The nurses are knowledgeable, warm, caring individuals who work extremely hard and are dedicated to their profession,” Ann continued. “They are outstanding.”
To make a donation to MD Anderson Cooper or for more information about ways to give in honor or recognition of a loved one, click here.