An IRT supporter who does it all!
*Kelly(right) at a surgical clinic in Honduras.
Kelly Hardiman has cared for others her entire life. It’s what she does best.
As a nurse, she treated gunshot victims in Los Angeles in the 1960s. As a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, she treated wounded soldiers in the Vietnam War and Desert Storm. As a mother, she raised two children. As a volunteer, she cared for victims following some of the deadliest natural disasters of the last century including the 2005 tsunami in Indonesia and the Haiti earthquake in 2010. As a donor, she supports IRT’s programs that speak to her heart.
“I volunteer and donate to IRT because I get to make real change for people in desperate need,” says Kelly. “At the end of a long day of volunteering,my legs ache from standing all day, I’m exhausted, I’m hungry and all I want to do is rest. Then, I look up and see 15 more people out the door, patiently waiting for their turn to see me. That is when I am reminded that they have been waiting all day just to see me. I am reminded that they are counting on me.That is when my energy returns and I forget myself. That is when I am reminded why I am in this tiny town in Guatemala that no one has ever heard of: because they need me to be there. How could I turn them away?”
Not only does Kelly care for people with her actions, she does so with her wallet. “I give money to IRT because I have seen firsthand how effectively and efficiently they use my money. I trust them completely.”
Kelly’s lifelong dedication to taking care of the underserved and the less fortunate had a profound impact on her children. Her daughter, Erin, is majoring in physical therapy at Northwestern College and is a committed IRT volunteer. Kelly's son, Kevin, is an ER doctor!
Thank you Kelly for all your hard work and support for the last 23 years. You have touched countless lives around the world!
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