Amanda Damron’s life has been touched by Regional One Health in a number of ways, and she’s passionate about giving back.
Amanda volunteers through the ONE Club women’s auxiliary to support employees, and has also reached out to the teams at the Elvis Presley Trauma Center and Sheldon B. Korones Newborn Center NICU.
She encourages others to get involved with volunteering at Regional One Health to support men and women who provide lifesaving care every day.
Amanda Damron has witnessed the impact of Regional One Health from many perspectives. As an excited new mom, a worried daughter, a supportive niece and cousin, and more.
For Amanda, it sparked another relationship with the hospital: that of a dedicated volunteer who gives back by supporting the men and women who provide lifesaving care every day.
“Memphis is so fortunate to have Regional One Health and the trauma center. They step forward in the worst situations and handle them,” Amanda said. “’I always tell them, ‘I can’t do what you do, but I can feed you, I can give you candy, I can encourage you.’”
Amanda’s volunteer work at Regional One Health goes back nearly a decade. Her friend Nikki McVean invited her to join ONE Club, a women’s auxiliary that supports hospital employees, and Amanda jumped at the chance to give back to a place that had given her so much.
Her daughter Julianna, who she and husband Giles adopted, was born at Regional One Health. A cousin and an aunt were treated at the hospital after separate car accidents. And her father was a patient in the Elvis Presley Trauma Center on two separate occasions – after being the victim of a shooting and again after severing part of two fingers in a table saw accident.
“I’ve always felt a connection to Regional One Health,” Amanda said. “I was just 16 when my father was robbed and shot, and I answered the phone when they called. It’s something I’ll never forget…but I’ll also never forget leaving the hospital the next morning, because in just six hours, they’d fixed him up.”
Amanda Damron (right) says volunteering at Regional One Health is a way to give back to a hospital that has cared for her loved ones. “I’ve always felt a connection to Regional One Health,” she said. “It’s a way to be involved in the community and to support people who are truly saving lives every day.
She saw ONE Club as the perfect way to give back.
In 2016, she spearheaded the group’s kickoff event, a donut delivery at the hospital and satellite locations. As co-chair of ONE Club’s Events Committee, she has been finding ways to treat staff to food, fun and encouragement ever since.
“We’ve done taco and nacho bars, sandwiches, pizza, BBQ. We’ve done Tailgating with Turner Tower. In the fall, we fill pumpkins with candy and take them to nurses’ stations and managers’ desks, and at Easter we make baskets for families in the critical care waiting area,” she said.
“Our goal is to try to feed every department in the hospital. I think we’re close!”
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the hospital had to suspend visitation, Amanda and Events Committee Co-Chair Merry Moore found ways to support and celebrate employees.
“Initially it was such a shock, and everyone was in survival mode. We finally said, ‘We need to do something,’” Amanda said. “They let us do box lunches and have them delivered, so we’d do Chick-Fil-A boxes or meals with everything individually wrapped.”
Through it all, Amanda has brought a personal touch to her volunteer work.
After her father passed away in August 2022, she organized a quarterly “Buddy’s Breakfast” for trauma staff, a nod to her dad’s nickname, favorite meal, and favorite Regional One Health team.
“He literally thought the trauma team could do anything – he had so much faith in them. These are folks he thought could save the world,” she said. “We go early in the morning and serve breakfast, and I made water bottles to hand out and attached a message explaining why we do it.”
The ONE Club women’s auxiliary plans meals, treats and other appreciate events for employees. Amanda says their goal is to feed every team within the hospital!
When Julianna’s birth mother passed away, Amanda asked if she’d rather commemorate her with a gift or by doing something for Regional One Health. Julianna chose the latter, and Kelley’s Korner was born to give NICU families access to cameras and supplies to create memory books.
All of it has been meaningful for Amanda, who said volunteerism is something she grew up with: “I was raised that if you’re feeling bad, do something for someone else. It’s never going to be a bad experience. It can be a lot of work sometimes, but it’s always worth it.”
She says that’s especially true at Regional One Health, where the medical expertise, caring and lifesaving work she witnesses leave her speechless.
“I’m consistently amazed by their abilities and professionalism and desire to help. I can’t hear that helicopter coming in without getting chills every time,” Amanda said. “To me, it’s a way to be involved in the community and to support people who are truly saving lives every day.