All he wanted was Play-Doh. Purple Play-Doh.
Rose Jones didn’t have any. In fact, purple Play-Doh was nowhere to be found on the floor of Cook Children’s Medical Center where she volunteered.
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52 Faces of Community is a Fort Worth Report weekly series spotlighting local unsung heroes. It is sponsored by Central Market, H-E-B and JPS Health Network.
At the end of the year, these rarely recognized heroes will gather for a luncheon where the Report will announce one honoree to represent Tarrant County at the Jefferson Awards in Washington, D.C.
It was the only request made by the little boy from his hospital bed.
Jones knew what she needed to do.
The graduating senior at Crowley High School has spent the past two years volunteering at the Fort Worth-based children’s hospital. Her service earned her a nomination for 52 Faces of Community, the Fort Worth Report’s weekly series spotlighting unsung heroes in Tarrant County.
“You connect with families in a different way than any other person,” Jones said of her volunteer work at Cook Children’s. “It’s just the little things that make me love what I do.”
Crowley ISD spokesperson Anthony Kirchner nominated Jones. He said she volunteers in and outside of school, including as a student trustee.
“She’s a rock star,” Kirchner said.
‘A tedious task’
Like many students, Jones started volunteering to fulfill a school community service requirement. It quickly evolved into something she looked forward to.
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Jones started at Cook Children’s in 2023 after applying in December 2022. She spent her first year in the hospital’s Build-a-Bear Workshop. She built bears and dressed them, working alongside children staying at the hospital.
In 2024, Jones worked with the hospital’s Child Life specialists.
She spent time with patients and gave parents a break to allow them to take in some fresh air, grab a bite to eat or even get a few winks of sleep. Her job was to watch their child, even for just a few minutes.
She brought toys and games to patients. And, of course, cleaned the playthings afterward.
“It was a tedious task, but it has to be done because of infection control and all of that,” she said.
Jones leaps to offer support when needed, said Marie Howell, manager of volunteer services at Cook Children’s.
“Rose’s eagerness to serve and enthusiasm for improving the hospital experience for patients and families sets her apart from others,” Howell said.
Since June 2023, Jones has served more than 150 hours at the hospital. She also is a member of Cook Children’s volunteer advisory council where she represents the student voice, Howell said.
Jones’ willingness to serve hasn’t gone unnoticed. She was named the hospital’s 2024 Junior Volunteer of the year.
“A well-earned, well-deserved recognition for her continued work above and beyond expectations,” Howell said.
‘Healthy enough to volunteer’
Volunteering at Cook Children’s was a natural fit for Jones.
In the fall, she will attend the University of Texas at Dallas and study medical engineering.
She wants to be a doctor.
“I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field, but since I started volunteering, it’s definitely strengthened that passion,” Jones said.
In fact, she wants to be a doctor at Cook Children’s.
“We sincerely hope she finds her way back to Cook Children’s when she attains that goal,” Howell said.
“Rose’s eagerness to serve and enthusiasm for improving the hospital experience for patients and families sets her apart from others.”
Marie Howell, manager of volunteer services at Cook Children’s
It would be a full-circle moment.
Jones was born 12 weeks early. She spent nearly three months in the neonatal intensive care unit at an Arlington hospital. The doctor who cared for Jones and saved her multiple times just as her life started.
“She has definitely inspired me, and I want to do the same,” Jones said.
Throughout her life, she has been a patient at Cook Children’s.
One day while volunteering, she ran into her lung doctor. The dynamic was different. They weren’t a patient and her doctor. They were a doctor and a volunteer helping the hospital.
“It was cool for the both of us to see each other outside of that,” Jones said. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been healthy enough to volunteer.”
‘He just wanted purple’
Jones did not give up on her pursuit for the purple Play-Doh.
She searched floor to floor to floor.
She finally found the modeling compound in just the right shade and hustled back to the boy’s room.
“I brought you something,” Jones said, handing over the iconic yellow plastic tub with a purple lid. “Here’s your purple Play-Doh.”
His jaw dropped.
His face lit up.
And they played with the purple dough.
“It wasn’t even his favorite color, but he just wanted purple,” Jones said with a chuckle.
She had to give him exactly what he wanted.
The small things matter.
Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @_jacob_sanchez. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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