Alie Plouff’s road to volunteering began after her mother was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma. Her mother was a nurse and instinctively knew she would have to research and be proactive in seeking treatment for her disease. Alie fully supported her mother and became a caregiver. After discovering the Foundation, Alie attended her first annual conference in 2017, with her entire family, and immediately knew she wanted to get involved with the Foundation. Why? Because she saw first hand how patients received the support they needed - the encouragement, the support, the resources, and the hope. The experience was extremely positive for her mother, even attending the conference while in hospice care.
At that time the CholangioConnect program was fairly new, and after hearing about the program during that conference, Alie began volunteering as a mentor. She knew it would be helpful to so many others. Alie has mentored many over the last few years and feels it is one of the most rewarding things she has done as a volunteer. She understands the stress caregivers are under, having seen it all first hand herself, and has a desire to alleviate some of that stress for others. Her goals as a mentor include being a good listener, a neutral party, support, and most importantly a friend in a time of need. But her desire to help did not stop there. With an eagerness to do more, she also began taking on administrative projects, followed by conference volunteering, joining the Social Media Team, and is currently spearheading another CARE Team launch on the East Coast. Alie loves volunteering and has made it an important focus in her life. For her, it turns her grieving process into a positive direction. She says it’s effortless to get started, and enjoys the time helping others. She loves the friendships that come through volunteering.
Does she have time for anything else? It seems she does, as she is currently a full time student in a master’s program for occupational therapy. Alie is from New England and loves to spend time at the beach. She loves her dog, Brady, and is a big New England Patriot football fan.
It is a great honor and privilege for the Foundation to recognize Alie Plouff as the Volunteer of the Month!
