Bret started volunteering as a greeter at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center twenty years ago. During that time a visitor donated a box of books, and Bret happened to know the perfect place to share them – the intensive care unit waiting room, complete with a “free books” sign attached. After a week, the books were all gone! Thus began the free book program at the healthcare center.

Now fifteen years after setting out that first box of books, Bret has collected and passed out 30,000 books to hospital visitors and patients. To keep the program going, Bret seeks out book donations from local nonprofit organizations. With all the books Bret provides, he eventually realized he was running out of shelves to place the books on – so he built 20 bookshelves himself for the medical center waiting rooms and common areas!

The free book program isn’t just about books though – it’s about the impact that Bret and his books are making on the visitors to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center. Recently, two visitors told Bret what a difference he made for them while staying at the hospital alongside their loved ones. One woman called Bret her hero because he was keeping her supplied with books while a loved one was in the hospital. Another visitor mentioned that the books got him through a tough time.

These visitors and others made Bret realize, in his words, “I think I’ve made more of an impact with these books and this book program than anything I’ve ever done in my life.”

Every week, you can find Bret pushing his cart full of books and replenishing the bookshelves around the healthcare center making an impact in the lives of patients, visitors, and staff all with the power of a book and a friendly greeting.