Pete Shimer
In 1984, I was a fresh-faced University of Washington accounting graduate in my first professional job. A co-worker asked me to raise $500 for the Children’s Miracle Network, which fundraises for children’s hospitals like Seattle Children’s.
Now, to a 22-year-old guy who didn’t even know anyone with a baby, asking five people for $100 each to support children’s hospitals seemed like a big, hairy, audacious goal.
I was determined not to disappoint. Over the next few days, I made a long list of contacts because I figured I would have to ask a lot of people. And since I’d grown up in Oregon, my prospects were limited to other 20-somethings I’d met at college.
I was amazed: the first five people I asked said “yes.” Each one told me a different story about why Children’s meant so much to them, and I realized that this was an institution with an indelible presence in people’s lives.
The passion and enthusiasm of those five people still inspire me today. For more than 25 years I have proudly played a small part in making sure that Children’s is available for every child in our region who needs us. The hospital’s impact in our community runs deep. It’s a place that’s working to solve problems that seem unsolvable. The more I learn about how the hospital improves the lives of kids, the stronger are the threads that tie me to it.
I Am Seattle Children's: The People Behind the Care
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