Before beginning my volunteer work I faced quite a dilema. Where could I influence children, help them develop their leadership potential, educate them about agriculture, and have fun-all at the same time?
After a single telephone call to the Children’s Hospital Volunteer Services Coordinators, I learned that volunteers were readily accepted to serve within the hospital’s recreational therapy deparment. When they asked my reason for volunteering, I explained to them that I wanted to help the children develop their leadership potential as well as other abilities. The members of volunteer services seemed excited.
On the first evening of service, I was prepared, yet scared that I would say something wrong or the children there would
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I then found that the patients were much more receptive to my ideas because I had showed them I cared.
We began our activities with spaghetti flowers, which involved the use of spaghetti and (edible) marshmallows. Although the teenage boys weren't too receptive to the flower idea, I found that they enjoyed making marshmallow creatures and scenes just as much as everyone else. This acitivity was designed to make everyone aware of the strengths which they possess, and I found that many of the residents had artistic qualitites that set them apart from the rest! We followed this activity with some creative time using color-change markers. Everyone made name tags for their doors, and some of them, being incredibly generous, made cards for their friends who were not in the hospital that evening.
My second and third visits took place on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday evening was similar to what I had experienced before, but everyone was distracted by all of the other games and activities which were occurring simultaneously. Therefore, I only conducted a couple of activities such as the beginnings of our stories "Oh, The Places I'll Go!" It was during this visit that I was also able to introduce some of the children to my baby goats and to some dairy cows through pictures. Many of the children had never been near farm aniamls before, and even though they could not pet the picture, I think they enjoyed listening to my experiences. Since my
While volunteering, I checked in patients, helped organize charts, and worked as a receptionist. This allowed me to serve the underserved population and work with a diverse group of professionals. It was inspiring to volunteer at the clinic because I witnessed esteemed professionals sacrifice their time to volunteer at a free clinic in order to help the community flourish. This inspires me to follow in their footsteps when I become a physician. I volunteered at the community clinic my freshman year; unfortunately, I became extremely busy with course work that I had to stop. However, I have registered to volunteer starting August and I plan to continue working throughout my senior year.
To begin, I was nervous about attending a service for a faith to which I did not belong and which was not even part of
Volunteering is often seen as free labor. However, there is a significant cost associated with the recruitment, training, and maintenance of the volunteer force. A full-time staff to oversee the volunteer program is necessary as well to ensure volunteers are being used effectively. The recruitment process varies from advertising to speaking at schools to
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.
In order to be a volunteer, one must first realize that volunteering is a serious matter. The
Throughout high school, I volunteered at a reputable childrens therapy facility called Equi-kids. Equi-kids is a nonprofit organization that teaches disabled children how to interact with animals and build core strength on horseback. I have volunteered as a horse-walker and side-walker for thousands of lessons and watched each student gain remarkable confidence. Even some of the most severely disabled riders have found comfort alongside the helpful staff and loving animals at the farm.
Over the course of a month, I dedicated time to volunteer with agencies that focus on providing safe and productive programs for children. Stop Child Abuse Now also known as SCAN, focuses on stopping/preventing child abuse in homes. This agency teams with many different agencies around Richmond to help parents and children coop and learn way to avoid situations of abuse. My duty for volunteering was teaming with Virginia Commonwealth University Health Services and making SCAN a known organization throughout Richmond community. VCU threw a wellness block party that included many different health services but also gave members of the community to learn and seek help with many different organizations that were there promoting their business or organization. I sat with one other girl and passed out flyers and contact information to those who were interested in the organizations. I explained to individuals what the program was about and the benefits of the program. I had one particular interaction with this young mother who explained she was in a situation where children were being abused and the authorities were notified and now she’s seeking counseling for her and the children involved. I and the other young lady volunteering with me were able to give her information on the program and also contact numbers to individuals that could help her situation. This young woman was very grateful and happy she found an organization that could assist her with her situation. From this
My volunteer background at Oakdale Elementary School and Backus Hospital has provided me with many skills and the understanding of dealing with different personalities. As a volunteer at Oakdale Elementary School I was responsible for managing and assisting the teacher with a third grade class. During my experience at Oakdale Elementary school, I learned
After searching for hours over the internet and sending many emails, I chose the Washington United Youth Center (WUYC) to volunteer at . It was simply perfect; there were many eager students at the school, located in a poor area, waiting for help. It pleased me to see many students
Many people don’t realize the true value of volunteering, but I’ve come to understand the incredible impact of volunteering through my experience at Memorial Hermann. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” For me, his words could not be truer.
After this camp, I continued my volunteer hours by job shadowing at a nursing home for alzheimer and dementia patients. This helped me to know how to better communicate with not only younger children,
Every summer between 7th grade and my freshman year of college, I would volunteer at a local summer program. This consisted of helping the teachers come up with lesson plans, activities, and games to play. During my last two years, I gained more responsibilities as the “Head Leader in Training” and managed the other volunteers, while designating tasks and responsibilities. I continued working with and coming up with activities during undergrad through the organization Project Literacy. After going over the lessons with the students, we would have a group activity or play a variety of sports with them. Working with children
Volunteers who enjoy working with children, science and education are well suited to this volunteer opportunity. Volunteers may participate in as many, or as few, classroom activities as they like.
As a hospital volunteer, I am required to be kind, patient, punctual, and organized so that I can best serve the patients I work with. These qualities are critical for anyone pursuing a career in social work to possess in any environment- not just a hospital. Having these qualities has enabled me to adapt to the needs of each individual that I encounter. At Evanston High School, I would be able to make the most out of my time with each student to give them the individual
Gralla, Preston. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Volunteering for Teens. Indianapolis: Pearson Education Company, 2001. 1-224.