When I received the call from the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin that they would like me to come in for an interview, I was ecstatic. What made the call even more exciting for me was that I had applied for the Office Assistant position, but they wanted to know if I would be interested in the Donor Coordinator position that was also available. Upon learning that this would be a job that meant I worked closely with donors to help them through the screening process, I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do.
Having been with the Mothers’ Milk Bank for over a year now, my job has not lost any appeal to me at all. Every day I meet new amazing women who are willing to make an incredible donation to help out others. We laugh and cry together and share anecdotes about our experiences. I have interviewed everyone from doctors, lawyers, SAHMs, WAHMs, entrepreneurs, retail workers, moms using WIC, unemployed moms, bereaved moms, students, professors, charitable organization directors, deacons, and just about any background you can think of. These women come from different walks of life yet they all share a common goal: to give an amazing gift that only they can provide to help save the lives of infants in need of human milk.
One of the most rewarding things I gain from this job is, knowing our donors have a sense of pride for making such a wonderful contribution to society. As well they should. It takes time and energy to produce enough milk for donation. When you express milk, it is a product of yourself: everything you have put into your body, the amount of rest you have had, the love that goes into continuing expressing because you know it is what is best for babies, even if it means waking at four am and dragging out the pump and containers to do so. It can be almost physically painful to pour pumped milk down the drain due to losing it to a power outage, or a freezer door being left open.
Being able to produce milk for our most medically needy population is such a wonderful gift. I truly admire and respect all the women who commit to making this contribution. Donating human milk through a human milk bank is a gift of hope and a gift of life. It is something that comes from our deepest emotions to fight for survival and a mother’s instinct.
Valarie Campbell, Milk Donor Coordinator
Having been with the Mothers’ Milk Bank for over a year now, my job has not lost any appeal to me at all. Every day I meet new amazing women who are willing to make an incredible donation to help out others. We laugh and cry together and share anecdotes about our experiences. I have interviewed everyone from doctors, lawyers, SAHMs, WAHMs, entrepreneurs, retail workers, moms using WIC, unemployed moms, bereaved moms, students, professors, charitable organization directors, deacons, and just about any background you can think of. These women come from different walks of life yet they all share a common goal: to give an amazing gift that only they can provide to help save the lives of infants in need of human milk.
One of the most rewarding things I gain from this job is, knowing our donors have a sense of pride for making such a wonderful contribution to society. As well they should. It takes time and energy to produce enough milk for donation. When you express milk, it is a product of yourself: everything you have put into your body, the amount of rest you have had, the love that goes into continuing expressing because you know it is what is best for babies, even if it means waking at four am and dragging out the pump and containers to do so. It can be almost physically painful to pour pumped milk down the drain due to losing it to a power outage, or a freezer door being left open.
Being able to produce milk for our most medically needy population is such a wonderful gift. I truly admire and respect all the women who commit to making this contribution. Donating human milk through a human milk bank is a gift of hope and a gift of life. It is something that comes from our deepest emotions to fight for survival and a mother’s instinct.
Valarie Campbell, Milk Donor Coordinator
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