Brain tumor survivor logs 25,000 volunteer hours for Courage Kenny
COON RAPIDS, Minn. — One Twin Cities volunteer has just logged her 25,000th hour of service for one organization, the equivalent of 12-plus years of 40-hour weeks.
Inside Allina Health's Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Donna Brandell is always moving at the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute and Courage Kenny Kids.
She is flourishing over a decade after a brain tumor diagnosis threatened her life. Following her surgery and therapy at Courage Kenny, Brandell dedicated her time to giving back to people like her after wrapping up her 30-year career as a school teacher.
"I started out helping a gentleman who is also a patient here stuff folders, and we stuffed them one hour, one day a week. That's all either of us could handle," Brandell said.
She now volunteers anywhere from 15 to 55 hours a week.
"I know that if I need filing, if I need lamination, if I need to jazz up the clinic, I can call Donna and she'll do anything that we need from her," said Erin Vesey, manager at Courage Kenny Kids.
That includes serving as a peer mentor to people with brain tumors.
"So if they start their treatment and the therapists they work with feel they need to talk to somebody who's been through it, you can help bring it down so it's not so scary for them I think," Brandell said.
When she isn't volunteering in the office, Brandell is making greeting cards through her company, Gray Matter Greetings. With the proceeds, she's donated $60,000 to Mayo Clinic, Courage Kenny and the Givens Brain Tumor Center.
Her giving heart also reaches her colleagues at the hospital.
"Donna also has used all of her Cricut machine and her creativity to create labels for my kids' nurseries, so she is also willing to take on projects for us personally. I really appreciate that, she's keeping my house very organized," said Michelle Hunn, a Courage Kenny occupational therapist. "She transcends just what a volunteer is and she really holds a special place in my heart."
Courage Kenny is planning to celebrate Brandell's 25,000-hour volunteering milestone with a party next week.
"It's what's kept me going, my family and being able to do this," Brandell said.
