Local Heroes
Robin Ward
Wife, Mother, Survivor, Volunteer - Giving Back in
Every Way
It has been six years since Hurricane Katrina hit the United States. Thousands of families were displaced and many more lives were changed forever. Robin Ward, a native of Louisiana was one of the fortunate few along with her family, who survived. Escaping with her husband and 3 children, Ward and her family fled their home to stay in Florida. 
They came back to find their hometown destroyed, “when we drove through the town all you could smell was death,” Ward said. After spending a brief time in Florida the family packed up to move to Virginia. When they finally arrived in Virginia, after a tumultuous 4 days of driving, the Ward family was amazed by all the love people showed. Ward said, “A complete stranger gave us money at a gas station, people from all over were lending a helping hand.”
Ward and her family were blessed to connect with a church in the area. They were able to provide them with a home. The acts of kindness didn’t end there; local furniture stores also donated $6,000 worth of furniture.
Ward sought food and clothing from Action in Community through Service (ACTS), an agency dedicated to helping people in the Northern Virginia area. Upon returning several times for services, she was asked if she would like to volunteer a few hours a week. Ward gladly accepted the opportunity. She was happy to give back after all the help she received. To this day, Ward has remained at ACTS, volunteering 4-5 days a week and she enjoys spending most of her time helping at the thrift store.
Ward not only spends her time volunteering at ACTS but she also cares for her 4 children. Ward also suffers from severe body ailments that only surgery can fix but she would rather not go through with a surgery that may prohibit her from working at all. She continues sacrificing for the good of her children and helping others on a daily basis. “I love to work with my hands and I enjoy helping others,” she said.
Recently Ward was honored with an award from ACTS for Volunteer of the Year in recognition of her dedicated service.
Ward would never consider herself a victim, she is a fighter. She is a survivor, gives back to the community and is a loving mother and wife. Despite all of her physical ailments and past struggles, Ward puts on a smile and lives every day to the fullest.
She always finds the time to give back, whether that means giving a warm hug, or stocking food in the pantry. Through her care, Robin Ward defines what it means to be a local hero.
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Dr. Jennifer Tender
Making a Difference, One Child at a Time
At 6 months, “Brandon” was tiny, pale, listless and severely delayed developmentally. Specialists were preaching doom when it came to his future, doubting whether he’d even have one.
His primary physician, however, was Dr. Jennifer Tender, a sensitive and talented doctor who orchestrated care amongst multiple specialists, kept up with his numerous test results, diagnoses and prognoses, yet also kept her ear tuned to another important source of pertinent information: his mother.
Today, thanks in large part to Tender’s fine comprehensive care, he’s a terrible two – thriving, growing and leaving specialists shaking their heads.
“Brandon” is just one among the countless success stories Tender has collected in her work at the Children’s Health Center (CHC) at Children’s National Medical Center, which is supported by the Children's Hospital Foundation, a partner agency of the United Way of the National Capital Area, which salutes her as an unsung local hero.
“Dr. Tender is an incredibly committed pediatrician,” says Dr. Cara Larson Biddle, Medical Director of the Children’s Health Center. “She believes in the importance of close communication with families and ensuring that children receive the services they need to be healthy. Families love her because she is so thoughtful and thorough. She also uses humor and her own experience as a mother when approaching common parent questions.”
Ninety percent of the patients at the CHC, a system of seven centers throughout the city, receive Medicaid. The Children’s Health Center also is the medical home of “DC Kids,” the program for neglected, abused and abandoned children like “Brandon” who have been entrusted to the District’s foster care system.
With a bedside manner that’s second to none and a high-powered education that includes a Yale medical degree, Tender could write her own ticket to any private medical center she chose. Instead, she devotes her talent to providing quality medical care to some of the District of Columbia’s least privileged children.
In addition to merely providing care, Tender’s holistic perspective prompts her to work beyond the bounds of medicine and the walls of Children’s National to have an even greater impact on children’s lives.
“Dr. Tender is our local Reach Out and Read coordinator,” Biddle adds. “She is a strong breastfeeding advocate and works on breastfeeding education as well as advocacy within our local and national communities. She has also been an advocate for healthier school meal choices in her local school district.”
Open to all children who want or need services – whether they’re uninsured, privately insured or covered by Medicaid, the seven Children’s Health Centers handle more than 80,000 visits from patients each year.
The commitment displayed by physicians such as Dr. Tender and other employees is essential to ultimate success as the United Way of the National Capital Area and its partner agencies work to promote a new child wellness initiative, and respond effectively to an exponential rise in requests for services and in health care costs.
In addition to seeing about 15 patients a day, Dr. Tender works to pass along her knowledge. As part of the general pediatrics faculty, she teaches both medical students and residents. Children’s National Medical Center is the site for most of the pediatric training for third year medical students from George Washington University. Each student spends two weeks in the Children’s Health Center to learn about pediatric primary care.
Dr. Tender also has volunteered to teach a second year medical student as part of a GW course on learning basic history and physical exam skills.
As “Brandon’s” family can attest, she provides an excellent model for those aspiring to excel in pediatrics, which requires a unique combination of knowledge, skill and intuition.
Tender completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of California, Berkley; her medical degree at Yale Medical School; and her internship and residency at the University of North Carolina. A bilingual mother of three, she has earned a reputation as a physician from whom parents can expect caring, diligence and respect.
“Dr. Tender truly partnered with me on my son’s healthcare. She gave equal weight to my opinions and updates on his progress as she did her colleagues and test results,” said “Brandon’s” grateful mom. “Thanks to constant prayer, deep faith and Dr. Tender, my son is happy, healthy and beating the odds.”
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