A Mother's Wisdom. A Nurse's Calling. A Mission of Compassion.

Andrea Smith, RN, BSN
Founder & Executive Director
Nurturing Nurses Outreach Inc.

My journey into nursing began long before I realized it would become my life's work.

At just 13 years old, my mother decided that my mind should never be idle. She would often say, “An idle mind is the devil's playground.”

Her solution was simple: she signed me up to become a candy striper, volunteering eight hours a day.

I remember telling her, “I'm not even getting paid!”

Her response was something I would not fully understand until many years later:

“You are, and you just don't realize it.”

As a 13-year-old girl, I hated it! I certainly didn't understand what my mother was preparing me for. I saw long hours of volunteering when I could have been doing something else.

But looking back, I realize those early experiences were quietly shaping my heart, my character, and my future.

Unbeknownst to me, the foundation for my calling was already being laid.

My interest in healthcare continued at South County Technical High School, where I studied Health Occupations.

At 17 years old, I graduated with my Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification and began working as a CNA.

That experience taught me one of the most important lessons of my nursing career:

CNAs are truly the backbone of nursing.

They are often the individuals closest to patients, providing the hands-on care, comfort, observation, reassurance, and human connection that are essential to quality healthcare.

My years as a CNA gave me a profound respect for the profession and taught me that no role in healthcare is insignificant when someone's well-being has been entrusted to your care.

I learned that compassionate care is not defined by a title. It is demonstrated through patience, kindness, attentiveness, and a genuine willingness to serve.

But I also knew I wanted to continue growing.

In 2001, I entered nursing school to pursue my nursing degree.

My desire to learn, lead, advocate, and provide an even greater level of care eventually led me to continue my education and earn my Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Today, with more than 25 years of nursing experience, I can look back and recognize a common thread woven through every stage of my journey.

From a reluctant 13-year-old candy striper, to a 17-year-old CNA, to becoming a nurse and ultimately earning my BSN, one thing remained constant:

Service was always there.

It was there before I understood its significance.

It was there through every challenge, every lesson, and every opportunity to grow.

And it remains at the heart of everything I do today.

Throughout my nursing career, I have carried a deep compassion for individuals who are hurting, overlooked, underserved, or simply in need of someone willing to see them as a person rather than a circumstance.

I have always felt a particular desire to serve people who may not have access to the same resources, opportunities, healthcare, or support systems that others have.

Over time, I began to understand that nursing had given me something greater than a profession.

It had given me a way to serve.

My faith continued to strengthen that understanding.

I believe every individual is created with dignity and deserves compassion, respect, and the opportunity to be seen, heard, and valued.

No person's circumstances should determine the measure of kindness they receive.

And no one should feel forgotten simply because life has placed them in a difficult season.

That conviction became the foundation for Nurturing Nurses Outreach Inc.

I founded this organization with a desire to extend compassionate nursing care and Christ-centered service beyond the walls of traditional healthcare and directly into our communities.

Through nurse-led homeless outreach, basic wound care, health education, advocacy, essential resources, encouragement, and meaningful community partnerships, we seek to meet individuals where they are.

Our purpose is not simply to distribute supplies or provide services.

It is to restore dignity, promote healing, inspire hope, and remind every person we encounter that their life matters.

At Nurturing Nurses Outreach Inc., we believe compassion should never be confined to a building, a title, or a traditional healthcare setting.

It should move beyond the bedside and into the places where it is needed most.

Faith in Action. Compassion in Motion.

When I think back to that 13-year-old girl who didn't want to spend eight hours volunteering, I smile.

I couldn't see what my mother saw then.

But today, I understand.

She wasn't simply keeping my mind occupied.

She was teaching me discipline, responsibility, humility, and the importance of giving something of myself without expecting anything in return.

Most importantly, she was teaching me to serve before I knew service would become part of my purpose.

What began as an obligation became a profession.

What became a profession grew into a calling.

And what grew into a calling became a mission to extend compassion, healing, dignity, and hope to others.

Through Nurturing Nurses Outreach Inc., I now have the privilege of continuing that journey—one person, one act of compassion, and one community at a time.

My prayer is that every individual we serve experiences more than assistance. I pray they experience genuine compassion, renewed hope, and the reassurance that they have not been forgotten.

Because sometimes the greatest gift we can offer another person is the simple assurance that they matter.

“Serve one another humbly in love.”

— Galatians 5:13 (NIV, excerpt)

Andrea Smith, RN, BSN
Founder & Executive Director
Nurturing Nurses Outreach Inc.

Nurturing Hearts. Empowering Communities. Inspiring Futures.

With Excellence. Always.