During my time as a junior program coordinator at the Heart and Stroke foundation, I was able to influence my team of seventeen volunteers to successfully achieve the retention goal for the Heart Month Canvassing Campaign. I used a very open and collaborative approach in which I involved all the volunteers in the decision making process and encouraged them to take ownership of the work we were doing. I was open to their ideas and ensured that each volunteer had an opportunity to voice their own thoughts and opinions. I think this approach was successful because it encouraged a diversity of perspectives as well as the exchange of ideas among all the members. This approach also allowed the volunteers to have a sense of ownership and appreciation
Work with the team to plan a set of activities to raise awareness about a health issue.
There are several ways in keeping the team motivated and committed for the cause they are working together. Some of my techniques include the following issues:
Lay Bare the Heart by James Farmer tells the story of a terrifying, yet exciting Civil Rights movement. It begins in 1961 and jumps right into action when James Farmer, the CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) principal founder and last survivor of the “Big Four”, boards the Greyhound (Alabama-bound) bus with the Freedom Riders. With a little bit of convincing from Doris Castle, a 16-year-old CORE member, he decided that it was right for him to proceed. He was well advised that there would be trouble ahead; nevertheless, Mr. Farmer wasn’t terror-stricken. When they arrived in Jackson, Mississippi, the trouble began. Over two dozen policemen were surrounding the Freedom Riders and they were arrested.
My nature to serve attracts me to the Houston Methodist Summer Teen Volunteer Program. My goals are to gain experience and knowledge about careers in medicine, and to give back to the community. I would like to learn a lot about how people live by the ways they get hurt or how they deal with being sick. It’s a good study of human behavior because you see people at their highest and lowest extremes of emotion. To further my goal of pursuing a career in medicine, it is important for me to get hands on experience of serving people and executing work in a responsible manner. When a person donates their time, they give hope to someone who needs it. I feel that I will be also benefited because I get to see how my contribution has made a difference.
The artifact I selected is a public service announcement from the American Heart Association. The American Heart Association has produced various health issue ads and campaigns geared towards educating individuals on health risks, symptoms, prevention and facts about heart-related conditions. In the beginning of this video, NBA player Paul George is seen playing basketball on a court by himself reflecting on how his mother’s stroke was devastating and sudden. Paul George then stresses the importance of knowing the signs of a stroke. This is known as the acronym F.A.S.T., Face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty and time to call 9-1-1. He desires to make sure that every person is knowledgeable of these signs so they will be prepared to act fast and possibly save someone’s life. I came across this video while looking up information about heart-related issues caused by high blood pressure. The message delivered in this video has become a reality for many in our nation. From this video, we learn that early detection is critical in increasing the stroke survival rate.
In the reading, Encouraging the Heart by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, they seek to explore one of the most indescribable leadership skills of all caring. Caring is said to be an essential skill to be a successful leader, yet one of the most difficult to master. Kouzes & Posner propose that caring leadership is composed of seven essentials: setting clear standards, expecting the best, paying attention, personalizing recognition, telling the story, celebrating together, and setting the example. The book seeks to describe how and why caring leadership works, and goes beyond outlining practices and principles associated with this type of leadership. This book is an inspirational and uplifting blend of theory and principle, true-life stories of caring leadership, and self-reflecting questions.
King of Hearts will be held this year on Feb. 14 in the Jones Auditorium. There are 10 male candidates competing for this year’s title.
Volunteers developing long term relationships with people and speaking up for them. This is a partnership between two people.
“Last year, there were only a couple people in it and we tried get students to volunteer and help organize it, but that never worked. It was super unorganized. So this year, we accepted more NHS junior officers and we had a team of me, Kelly, and about 7 or 8 other people. We built this whole 1 on 1
Some of the goals that I plan to accomplish include being on the dean’s list and obtaining a summer medical internship. I wrote about these goals in my previous reflection essay, and they have not changed since. I continue to work hard to achieve these goals. To acquire them I am studying hard and preparing myself for the scientific research I will do in the summer. I have discovered that it is extremely important to learn how to work well in groups, because the internship that I wish to obtain along with many other summer programs requires students from all over the globe to work with one another. So far at Spelman I have completed various group projects in classes like African Diaspora and the World, and I have grown to appreciate the genuine camaraderie that I gained with my group members. Working in groups helped to improve my
As a volunteer at the YMCA, I was able to revamp my communication skills through brainstorming ideas within the organization. In the time period of 1 year and 8 months, I aided key components of the organization such as the aquatics department and lifesaving programs. One of the major learning outcomes that I gained from this experience was the importance of being a team player. Working alongside fellow volunteers gave me the opportunity to learn about succeeding as one working unit. It became clear that giving feedback, aiding one another and setting a good example was crucial in order to progress. Under our strategic plan we worked towards making connections: connecting people,connecting with the youth and connecting with the community.
The initiative/program I chose was the American Council on Exercise working with Joining Forces. ACE, founded in 1985, is a non-profit organization out of San Diego, California. This initiative started due to a group of individuals believing that preventive measures were the way to approach the obesity and chronic disease epidemic. Thirty years have passed and ACE is now the largest, most trusted organization to provide health and fitness to the public. The organization is ever growing, vowing to make a change within itself on a yearly bases. ACE does several things such as: educate and certify health and fitness professionals, develop and distribute publications, serves as America’s Authority on Fitness, connects the public with qualified professionals, and build relationships with policy makers.
Another thing that could help improve meeting attendance is have a certain amount of meetings required each semester to be able to participate in NHS (similar to 2 events every semester). I will be able to give the necessary commitment to an NHS executive board member because managing my schedule is a skill I have picked up with playing both basketball and soccer during my freshman and sophomore years in high school. Now that I no longer play basketball, I have much more time to be committed to NHS. I have participated in as many blood drives as I could by both donating blood and working at the tables. I also am part of the planning of the NHS Pancake Breakfast for the upcoming May event. The pillar that I most identify with is service because I love volunteering, especially with children. Over spring break I am going on a Mission Trip to Haiti and am helping to organize a kids’ club, fixing a water well, and helping a bakery business. I would be a great addition to the executive board members next year and would do my best to improve the NHS
The well-known French Branch, Balmain just shared to the public their 2015 Fall Collection campaign and may people have said it turned into a good family affair that showed the powerful-sisters of this generations.
An agreed set of public goals for our community is that as a whole group we do a lot of community service. For a couple of years my club would go to a nursing home and do different activities with the elderly. Whether it be making them sun catchers to hang in their windows or play board and card games with them. It