Avera Sacred Heart Majestic Bluffs Address: 2111 W 11th Street, Yankton, SD 57078 Phone: 605-668-8900 Dates: June 1, 2016 - August 13, 2016 Total Hours: 25 Having the best grandparents around (I may or may not be biased), I have always had a strong desire in my heart to help the elderly in any way possible. Not having enough time to commit myself to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) the summer after I graduated high school, I decided that volunteering once a week for 3-4 hours in a nursing home would be a great alternative. Wednesdays mornings were my specific volunteer time, and I gratefully surrounded myself with the wonderful, wise residents at the local nursing home. Most of my time was spent painting nails, reading books, chatting, baking, or helping feed the residents. I learned so many life lessons from these individuals, and they gave me a greater respect for the gift of life. Because I enjoyed it so much, I decided to shadow physical therapy in the nursing home. My experiences have led me to conclude that working with older adults may be a possible career alternative.
Roosevelt Elementary School Address: 300 W 6th St, Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-345-4285 Dates: September 29, 2016 - December 1, 2016 (every Thursday) Total Hours: 15 Being a babysitter throughout my entire four years of high school, I greatly missed being around kids when I came to college. I did not have enough time my first semester to find a job at a daycare, so I thought that surrounding myself with young children in a school setting would be a fun experience. Every Thursday morning, I drove to Roosevelt Elementary School and worked with Mrs. Fitterer's 1st grade classroom from 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. I helped control classroom behavior, taught writing lessons, and aided in reading and math. It was a great experience to be in a school filled with young kids, for it increased my values of patience and kindness. I also realized there is a lot of ethnic diversity and different home lifestyles that affect a child's learning success, which is something I never really fully experienced in my small hometown. I enjoyed every moment of this experience and loved building connections with these wonderful, intelligent kids.
Mayo Clinic Health System (StepForce) Address: 1025 Marsh St, Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-625-4031 Dates: January 27, 2017 - May 5, 2017 Total Hours: 40 Pursuing a career in the medical field, I wanted to gain as many experiences as possible to grow in my abilities and confidence in my choice of becoming a physical therapist. I also have a genuine passion for helping others in any type of way possible for both the individual's good and growing myself. Because of these two values I possess, I decided to volunteer at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. After going through an application, interview, and training process, I officially joined the StepForce Volunteer Team. This group of volunteers does various jobs around the hospital, such as delivering flowers/mail, escorting patients to where they need to be, picking up and dropping off records, and constantly being available to both the employees and patients of the hospital. It was a wonderful experience to help others in a hospital setting and interact with individuals that share the same passions as I do. Although I was not in direct contact or assisted physical therapists during this experience, I made many connections within the human resources department that came into play for different volunteer opportunities in the future.
Mayo Clinic Health System (Employee Health and Wellness) Address: 1400 Madison Ave, Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-388-9353 Dates: August 21, 2017- April 30, 2018; August 16, 2018 - Total Hours: 68 After joining the volunteer StepForce team at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, I decided to become more involved within this healthcare system and join the employee health and wellness team. This important team consists of two wellness facilitators who carry out many tasks, such as wellness coaching, creating wellness programs, advocating aromatherapy, giving massages, and providing screening of employees for businesses. Their main responsibility is improving the health of the Mayo Clinic Health System employees and looking out for their best interest in the workplace. As a volunteer assistant to this program, I go into the office once a week for three to four hours to complete several responsibilities. I am in charge of assembling aromatherapy packets, sending and reading emails with regard to MedClub (the gym within this hospital), updating various statistics on Excel, tracking and educating new employees, and sending out monthly newsletters. Although much of this work is business and desk-job related, which is not my greatest passion, it is beneficial to get experience "behind the scenes," for not all jobs require person/patient interaction. Learning computer and business related skills will enhance my ability to work alone and understand the work that needs to occur for businesses, specifically hospitals, to be successful.
Mayo Clinic Health System (Caring Hands Program) Address: 1025 Marsh St, Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-625-4031 Dates: December 7, 2018 - present Total Hours: 75 During the end of fall semester of my junior year, I was asked by the volunteer coordinator at Mayo Clinic Health System if I would be interested in participating in a new program called Caring Hands. This is a service that gives forearm and hand massages to patients in the hospital who could use some extra relaxation and time to converse with a volunteer. Being involved in this newly added program sounded like a great opportunity to me, for I would be able to interact with patients and practice physically giving them massages, which is something that will likely be of benifit in my future career as a physical therapist. After going through formal training with the volunteer coordinator and practicing giving massages to my own family and friends, I was able to use what I learned and practiced on actual patients. In the beginning, I spent most of my time volunteering and giving hand massages in the Cancer Center, for they were very open to a new program that would involve their patients being pampered. I then moved my way up to the different floors in the hospital and would simply ask the charge nurses on each wing if they had any patients who might be interested in receiving a hand massage. So far, this is what the program has looked like "logistically," and I believe it is going quite well for every time I volunteer (usually on Fridays for a couple hours), I am able to give five to six massages. One of my favorite parts of this experience is getting to talk with the patients and learn more about them and their often intriguing personal lives. It can be easy to forget that patients are more than just a body that needs to be treated, but also have mental and emotional aspects that need attention. Although my time with each patient is often short (only about fifteen to twenty minutes), I truly feel like I am appreciated by the patients and someone they can trust and be themselves with, and really, this is all I could ever ask for.
Girls on the Run Assistant Coach Address: 127 S 2nd St #200, Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-345-4629 Dates: February 13, 2017 - April 28, 2017; September 18, 2017 - November 30, 2017; February 1, 2018 - April 26, 2018; September 17 - November 26, 2018; February 14, 2019 - May 2, 2019; September 19, 2019 - November 21, 2019 Total Hours: 170 During my middle school and high school years, I competed in track and cross country on the varsity team. I have a strong passion for running long distance and pushing my body past its physical and mental boundaries. I decided to not take my running career to the collegiate level due to the intense commitment it takes and wanting time to pursue other interests. I still run today on my own and desire to be a track and cross country coach for youth someday in the future. It was because of my love for running that I became a Girls on the Run Coach.
In early January of my freshman year of college, I heard from a friend that the Girls on the Run Program at the YWCA was looking for coaches, and she thought I may be interested. At the time, I had no idea what this program was, but after doing further research and going through a background check and interview process, I was "hired" as a volunteer Girls on the Run Assistant Coach. At this current time, I have coached six seasons of Girls on the Run, at two separate locations, Christ the King Lutheran Church and St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, with each site having two different, great groups of girls. Each season runs about three months, and the girls and coaches come together twice a week for about an hour and a half session. The exceptional part of this program is that, of course it involves the great exercise of running, but it also teaches wonderful life lessons, such as how to make authentic friends or appropriately control one's own emotions. These lessons are often taught and practiced through fun warm-up, workout, and cool-down activities. The ultimate purpose of this program is for girls to discover their identity and become confident in who they are. The season is wrapped up with a huge 5K race where all the girls walk/jog/run with their coaches, friends, and family. I have absolutely loved being a part of this program and hope to continue to be involved with it during my time in graduate school. I have learned that becoming an influential leader and coach for these girls often comes through unexpected experiences and the drive to positively change the lives of others.
Laurels Peak Rehabilitation Center Address: 700 James Ave, Mankato MN, 56001 Phone: 507-345-4631 Dates: September 13, 2017 - November 15, 2017 (every Wednesday) Total Hours: 20 As part of my Gerontology 200W course, I was required to volunteer for two hours a week at a nursing home facility to apply the materials learned within class and gain experience interacting with the elderly population. I decided to volunteer at Laurels Peak Rehabilitation Center, which provides both short and long-term care and is very similar to a nursing home facility. I absolutely loved getting to be a small part of the lives of these great individuals, and I learned how much fun I have talking and interacting with this age group. While volunteering, I often assisted in the game of bingo, took part in music therapy, and just simply listened and talked with the residents. Throughout this experience, I created strong bonds with a couple of the residents, learned how stressful and demanding working at a nursing home can be, and had an increase in respect for the elderly and all they have contributed to society and the world we live in. Most of us are going to face old age at some time, and accepting it and making the most of the time we have on this earth is crucial in being happy and enjoying every moment of this life.