In celebration of Child Life Month, Children’s Miracle Network presents an annual award to one child life specialist across the nation. This award honors the hard work, compassion, and generosity of Child Life Specialists and brings awareness to the need for Child Life funding at local member children’s hospitals. The 2023 Child Life Specialist of the Year award was presented to Kaitlyn Lavery Schenk.

Kaitlyn works in the Emergency Department at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Coworkers nominated Kaitlyn for the compassionate support she provides to patients and families, not only in the Emergency Department where she works but throughout the hospital, the city of San Antonio, and even the state of Texas. 

Kaitlyn is a talented artist who uses her talent to create lasting, loving memorials for families who suffer the loss of a child, such as calligraphy on canvases and works of art from handprints and footprints of patients. Families cherish these items for a lifetime. She has also helped children and families coping with a mental health crisis by creating books with photos and information to prepare them for transfer to a local mental health facility. 

Additionally, in May 2022, when the tragic school shooting in Uvalde occurred, Kaitlyn and other team members rushed to Uvalde Memorial Hospital to support staff and children affected by the trauma, providing therapeutic activities and educational resources.