Fraternity members making an impact in the community

Written by Bruce Smalls|August 13,2009



Isaac's Friends brightens days for many children who are hospitalized

Even as a visitor, the trip to a hospital can be an ominous, intimidating place for a youngster. With the help of lots of friends, Jamie Hughes is trying to change that.

Hughes, an Upstate native and father of two who has spent most of his 39 years in the information technology field, is the founder of Isaac's Friends, a nonprofit organization that attempts to bring joy to hospitalized children and their siblings.

“Wherever there are children in hospitals, we want to be there to help,” says Hughes, whose organization recruits and trains volunteers to go into hospitals to provide emotional support by playing video games or sharing arts and crafts. The group served 48 children in July and figures to serve about 60 this month.

“I thoroughly enjoy it, even though it can sometimes involve heartbreak,” says Hughes. “It helps the families who are in crisis; it's a help to them just to know that people care about them.”

Hughes says his volunteers are trained not to inquire about any illness – although that information is often volunteered by parents – but instead to focus on activities that can reduce the fear and anxiety of the moment.

“The goal is to take the child's mind off the circumstances,” Hughes says. “Once we spend some time with a family, the parent will tell us the severity of the illness. We try to train our volunteers to be good listeners and do what we can to support the parent. Sometimes that might mean holding a baby and rocking it.”

Hughes started the organization last year and drew the name from his 7-year-old son, Isaac.

“We want our volunteers to simply be friends. And that's the way Isaac is; he's a natural at being friends to other kids. The name had a nice sound to it.”

Hughes, a Gardner-Webb University graduate who enjoys video games himself, manages a program that keeps volunteers busy at the Greenville Children's Hospital, a Charlotte hospital and the Ronald McDonald House. He plans to expand to more hospitals locally in the near future and eventually to hospitals around the country.