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helping sick children and their families, first impressions can
mean a lot. Responsible for directing families to the appropriate
care sites, Cathy Lee Irvin and five other employees
who staff the hospital’s front desk are often the first people that
patients, families and visitors meet when arriving at the hospital.
Irvin, a Roxbury native, began working at Children’s as a security
guard in the spring of 2002. Because of her buoyant personality,
she served primarily as a main lobby greeter. During that time,
Irvin received letters from appreciative families, and this past
July she was offered a position as an administrative associate at
the information desk. Already familiar with her coworkers and responsibilities,
Irvin slid her chair over about 10 feet and got right to work. “I
just love helping people,” Irvin says. “This job has been a great
opportunity for me. I can’t wait to get to work every morning.”
Irvin often arrives to work an hour before her 6:30 am shift begins
to help distribute parking vouchers to families. While she loves
her job, she also admits that it isn’t all jokes and smiles. “You
have relationships with so many of the children and families that
come in,” she says. “It’s hard knowing that some of the kids are
very sick.”
Irvin says there is more to the job than simply providing directions
around the hospital. “Most of the families that come in are very
anxious, so I talk to the parents and try to make things a little
lighter,” Irvin says. Her technique is fairly simple: by letting
her inner-child do all the work, Irvin finds it easy to open up
and connect with children of any age. “I like to tell jokes because
they need laughter. Whatever it takes to put a smile on their face…I’ll
go to the extreme for them.”-NT
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