Meet Calvin Smith

Calvin Smith lives by the motto “It’s never too late.” Right now, he’s gearing up for a cross-country motorcycle tour that will kick off in June. His goal is to travel to as many states as possible, making stops along the way to visit family. After the expedition, his focus will shift to obtaining his pilot’s license – a dream he’s had since his early 20s.

“After all these years,” Calvin says with a smile. “They say, ‘better late than never.’” 

Calvin’s love for aviation has been consistent throughout his entire life. He spent 10 years in the Air Force and took on jobs building aircrafts. He enjoyed any opportunity that involved working hands-on with machinery.

Years later, he tried his hand at operating a different means of transportation, landing a job as a truck driver. He traveled from coast to coast until his love of working on the road had to make room for a new kind of passion: his children.

When he was old enough, Calvin’s son decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He joined the Air Force and was stationed near Washington, D.C.  Filled with the desire to stay close to his family, Calvin moved as well, taking up residency in the area and getting a job with NASA before he found a home at Children’s National.

“I thought it was going to be temporary,” Calvin said. “But it turns out it's been 15 years.” Even when his family had to relocate to Europe, Calvin stayed in the District.

Throughout his time at Children’s National, Calvin has taken on different jobs such as driving the mobile health unit and working in the warehouse. Today, you may see Calvin behind the wheel of the Bloodmobile. He says that over time, working in these different roles has taught him about the importance of teamwork — especially in an organization such as ours.

“Children’s National would not be complete without everyone… Every person has a job that is critical,” said Calvin.

Calvin is inspired by the commitment of his colleagues, but he is also moved by the acts of kindness and humanity he gets to witness when new and familiar faces walk through the door of the Blood Donor Center. Whether they’re making a direct donation to a patient or a general donation, Calvin looks forward to listening to everyone’s stories. 

“No matter where we go with mobile drives, the stationary drive, people are more than happy to help… they just want to help because there's such a great need for blood.” 

Calvin understands this deep connection and passion for helping children. It’s part of what has kept him here at Children’s National for 15 years. He says that in the patients we have at Children’s National, he sees glimpses of his own children and grandchildren.

“They’re just magnificent. They're a blessing.” 

Thank you, Calvin, for demonstrating our core value of commitment every day to our donors, patients and Children’s National community!