One of my earliest memories began just before dawn on May 21st, 2002 when I was seven years old. I remember waking up with excitement as I ran to wake my sisters Claire and Austin; we all hurried down the stairs and woke my dad screaming, “DID MOM HAVE THE BABY?” while simultaneously jumping up and down. The night before, our brother Lake was born, and I was eager to have him home so I could play with and help take care of him. I was so infatuated with him that I decided to bring him for show-n-tell, a few weeks later. This was one of the first indicators that I have a niche for caring for others. Being an older sister to three younger siblings has taught me patience, responsibility, and leadership; and most of all, has instilled in me a strong …show more content…
For the past two years, I have been volunteering at Anchor Center, a school for blind and visually impaired children. I volunteer at a program called Night Watch, in which parents can drop off their Anchor Center student and any siblings for a night of fun and games. Each volunteer is paired with one or two children and is responsible for promoting developmentally appropriate games and activities for the child. In addition, I have been volunteering at Children’s Hospital Colorado for two years in the Respiratory and Oncology Units. This has allowed me to get a preview into the everyday life of a Child Life Specialist, but still left me wanting to learn more. Recently, I switched my volunteer shift to be in the BMT Unit because I wanted more one-on-one patient interaction. The children in the BMT Unit are often on isolation status and a lot of them need more individual attention. I am fortunate to be able to provide them an outlet to play and talk and I have already made many special connections with the patients. Through these volunteer experiences, I have enhanced my skills of inter-disciplinary communication, developing rapport with the kids, and promoting developmentally appropriate
In the beginning of my senior year I was eager to expand my understanding of how it would be to work in a hospital. An opportunity arose allowing me to volunteer in the hospital at the University of Chicago. I was able to volunteer at the children's playroom, which consisted of a weekly commitment. The daily tasks I had to perform where to enlighten the spirits of children and reduce the amount of anxiety that developed within them when they approached a hospital visit. I would play games, read books, or just company the patients at their bedside. I especially love to interact with the younger patients because their laughter and innocence warms my heart up.
My sister is the individual I go to when I require somebody to converse with, the person who is dependably there and recognizes what to say. My more established sister has affected who I am by showing me the estimation of pride and diligent work and like whatever other more seasoned sister she has been a good example. She would wear something blue so there I was attempting to discover something near to that shading and style; even thought she would get distraught. I grew up seeing her desire for mulling over and buckling down. This taught me that through diligent work anything is
Volunteering can be gratifying and everyone should experience giving time to others without expecting anything in return. I have some history with The Excel Center in Kokomo, I am a recent graduate from there and have spent time tutoring when I can, to help other students succeed. After leaving there, I considered a future career within the walls of the school, I have even been told on numerous occasions that I am more than welcomed back after I finish my degree. Once I knew I had to volunteer in a human service field, I knew I wanted to give The Excel Center a shot right away, knowing this was a guaranteed place to be challenged and given an honest opinion of my work.
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.
Being the oldest of my two sisters and 42 cousins had automatically made me a role model. I took this role seriously growing up in Los Angeles. It wasn’t easy growing up in such a dangerous environment. My dad worked especially hard to move us out and
At the beginning of this volunteer experience, I walked in hopeful that I would gain some knowledge about the different careers that the medical field possesses, but I got so much more than that. I learned that community service is about making an impact in the lives of other members who share my community.
I chose to volunteer at Rice Care Center and Therapy Suites in Willmar, Minnesota. I chose to volunteer here because, I work in Therapy Suites and primarily interact with short-term patients. Since patients are there for rehabilitation, I do not get a lot of time to build relationship as they are busy with physical and occupational therapy and often have company throughout the day. During my time volunteering, I decided to go to the long-term units, Cushman Cottage and Sophia House, and spend time with the residents there. Another reason I decided to volunteer here is because not every resident gets company or a phone call for days, maybe even weeks at a time. I strongly believe everyone, regardless of age and status, craves interaction with another human being.
During the summer of my high school years, I volunteered in various areas of the hospital to get a glimpse of which parts I was most interested in. My first year volunteering, I was placed in the Cardiovascular unit. I was given the opportunity to speak to patients getting ready for testing or treatment. I learned about the importance of patient interaction and what things to say or not to say. Not only that, but I learned more about the tests
While volunteering there, I was placed in a local long-term care home for the elderly. This experience was highly beneficial. Working along side, nurses, care aids and other health care professionals was my first view inside the “system”. Volunteering at the Care Home, did not necessarily make up my mind on the field of social work but solidified my desire to work in the field of human services. I learnt from this experience at the hospital how profound my compassion for others truly was. It was not until my first year of college, that I started to volunteer with an organization that I am still with today and absolutely adore volunteering with. That organization is the Vernon Women’s Transition House in Vernon BC. I started off by filling in for employees who met in weekly meetings. While on the floor, I met many women who were in a place of ‘in-between’ and safety. This experience was eye opening. After a brief stay out-of-town, I returned to Vernon and again volunteered with the transition house – this time in another program: Support to Young Parents. This is an incredible housing program where young mothers who have fled abuse (potentially without the resources or parenting skills they truly need) can live long term. This apartment consists of 6 units, with the 7th unit converted into a resource and common space. The program
I learned about the importance of giving back at the age of 11yr old and putting the very important needs of others in front of my own. Volunteering in a homeless shelter at a young age opened my eyes. Where I was placed to give food, clothes, money & hygiene products to people in need. Where would I be right now without the help of God, my mother, family& friends and the church community”. Giving a helping hand to the people in the community is Something we should always do. In the ("bible Acts 20:35 says in everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the lord Jesus himself said: it is more blessed to give than to receive"). Having a compassionate heart for the community blesses the congregation.
On that fateful day in March, I was a couple months shy of my third birthday. My family and I lived in New Mexico at the time and were renting a house with an outdoor in-ground pool. The day was beautiful. I was outside with my oldest sister Rachel and my father. Rachel was diligently reading curled up on a bench that sat against the house, and my father was mowing the backyard. My mother and my other sister were in the house. Off to one side of the house there was a group of large bushes. I was playing over there with one of her large cooking pots, off in my own little world. At one point while amusing and en...
Volunteering enables an individual to make a positive impact on his or her community, while empowering the individual to better his or her life. This summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer at many diverse locations. From the hospital to the local library, I truly value my experience and treasure everything it has thought me. Volunteering lets us experience and learn things that we otherwise would not have learned; volunteering opens doors for us that we may not have been able to open before. Volunteering provides us with guidance and tolerance which we may use in the future to aid us in our decisions. At first glance, volunteering may seem to only benefit those who are helped, but on a deeper level, one can realize that volunteering benefits the volunteer as much as, if not more than, those who are helped. Not only does volunteering make a difference in one’s community, but it also helps the volunteer become a smarter, happier, friendlier and more caring individual.
A reflection of my volunteering experience can be summarized in two words: Life-changing. It is hard to explain the feelings that occur when you involve yourself in selfless acts for your community, such as volunteering. There is a feeling in your heart that you cannot ignore, maybe it is the happiness you feel or the overflow of emotions in helping others. In other words, it is a feeling in which you want to share with others. Maybe with a friend, maybe a classmate, maybe a family member, or maybe even a stranger. Either way, spreading how life-changing volunteering can be is a great start to making a positive change in your community by simply by involving others.
A common misconception about volunteering is that it only helps the cause. Often times that aspect is the only part that is highlighted when the topic of donating time comes up. There is a different side of volunteering though. Many volunteers donate their time to help better the community they live in and the people that live in it. When they choose to do this they not only help others but they are also helping better themselves. Volunteering benefits a person by building connections with peers, improving family life, expanding career skills, overcoming self doubt, having lasting life impressions, and creating new opportunities.
Growing up with two older brothers taught me to be unselfish, patient, and respectful. Being the youngest of three, I learned I would not always get what I wanted. I would have to be patient and wait my turn for a lot of things, such as the telephone and bathroom. I was glad that I was able to grow up with siblings to teach me these lifelong lessons. All three of us had to be respectful of each other or we would risk getting in trouble with my parents.