Family Volunteer Award

What inspired you to volunteer with LuskinOIC?

When Lisa O’Malley was looking for a community service organization to dedicate her time to, she was introduced to LuskinOIC through her involvement with Las Amigas de Las Lomas. For Lisa, it was important to her to be able to volunteer alongside her kids—Aaron, Owen, and Sarah– as she believed great work comes from a community of volunteers working together. After meeting Mary Beth Perrine, LuskinOIC’s Assistant Vice President, and seeing her enthusiasm and passion for the institute, its patients, and its volunteers, Lisa knew that LuskinOIC was the perfect place for her. o Soon after, her sons, Aaron and Owen, began volunteering at LuskinOIC through their volunteer group, Los Amigos, and quickly realized how caring and community-driven LuskinOIC was. Their sister, Sarah, quickly followed suit, compelled to volunteer because of the heartfelt connections she had with the patients and staff.

Most memorable moments while volunteering?

What began as a small volunteer opportunity blossomed into years of unparalleled dedication and commitment from the entire O’Malley family. With Aaron and Owen beginning their volunteer journeys at age 13 and Sarah at age 9, they’ve dedicated almost half of their lives working at LuskinOIC, shaping them into the selfless people they are today. Whether they were volunteering at a toy drive, participating in patient activities in the waiting rooms, cooking burgers at the open house for the community, mentoring Orthopaedic Magnet High School students, or supporting the amazing physical therapy team, the O’Malley family continues to cherish and value all of their moments at LuskinOIC.

Why do you think LuskinOIC’s work is so vital to the community?

The main reason why Lisa loves working with LuskinOIC is because of our impact of providing cutting-edge care based on research and science, done so with compassion and empathy. Like her mother, Sarah believes that LuskinOIC provides exemplary care to the community regardless of who you are or your ability to pay. She expressed that the doctors and staff truly care about getting to know each patient as an individual and that the interpersonal connections are what make LuskinOIC stand out. As a member of our Educate to Elevate committee, Sarah has gotten to experience how direct LuskinOIC’s impact is on the whole community, providing care and resources well beyond just a medical sense. Aaron, who has volunteered extensively in the Rehabilitation Center, has witnessed first-hand how much the physical therapists and occupational therapists care about each patient individually, echoing the sentiment that LuskinOIC truly puts their patients first.

Why is volunteering your time, talent, and resources important – even life-changing- and why should others be animated to do so?

For the O’Malley’s, volunteering is about connecting to others in a meaningful way. Deeply ingrained as part of their family’s values, they believe that volunteering keeps them all grounded and brings them the happiness that can’t be bought or gotten by living a passive life. Volunteering inspires them to challenge themselves just as everyone at LuskinOIC does to provide the best care for all the patients and their families. They believe that although volunteering can seem overwhelming or intimidating, giving back to your community doesn’t necessarily need to be an ostentatious or grant act – it looks different for everyone and ultimately is the result of a culmination of small, gradual acts. As Lisa stated perfectly, “it is clear to me that myself and my family are getting so much from our experience with LuskinOIC and that I am compelled to do more for the organization. Thank you, LuskinOIC – the O’Malley’s are some of your biggest lifelong fans!”