Safe Sitter's 30th Anniversary Scrapbook 

"I have a fond memory about a student who resurfaced in my life in a very unexpected way:

This story is about a young man who was in the very first class I ever taught, which was about 17 years ago. He was a little guy, just 11 years old, and very shy. I remember feeling a little nervous, since it was my first class. He was the first to arrive that day, and just to make conversation, I'm sure, he said,  "Umm...so, have you been teaching this class a long time?" I smiled (a little nervously) and answered him honestly, "Well, actually, this is my first class." His eyes got kind of big...not sure what he was thinking...but I wondered if he wondered if I knew what I was doing! Well, I got through that class alright, and as time passed, I got more confident, and basically got pretty hooked on teaching "Safe Sitter®". Then one day, about 8 years after teaching that first class, a young man walked into my "Hospital Orientation", which is one of the many jobs I do at my hospital. He really stood out because he was very tall, and very big. At one of our breaks, he shyly came up to me, and said, "Mrs. Brady, I don't know if you remember me, but I was in your Safe Sitter® class about 8 years ago. I still have my manual and bookbag. Now I'm going to be working at this hospital as an EKG Tech. I still remember all that stuff you taught me. You did a good job." I almost fell over! It was a joy to realize that perhaps I had instilled a tiny spark that stayed with him, and motivated him to want to work in the hospital setting."

Submitted by Site Coordinator Nita Brady of Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, California

Steve Olson became the first national
"Safe Sitter® of the Year" in 1998.