Volunteer Work
I have had the opportunity to volunteer with children and families in various circumstances. Getting to serve families in such diverse settings has allowed me to grow personally and professionally. As a child life specialist, it is essential to be able to see how a child and their family's environment impacts the care that they need. The following artifacts showcase how my volunteer work has enabled me to serve children and families based on their individual needs.
Auburn University Dance Marathon-
I have been actively involved with Auburn University Dance Marathon for the past three years and served as a staff member on the Children’s Miracle Network Relations Committee for the past two years. AUDM is a student-led organization that fundraises for our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in Columbus, Georgia. While on this committee, I have been able to work directly with Piedmont Columbus Regional Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Georgia. I attended tours to see how the funds we raised directly impact patients, visited with inpatient children and families, and volunteered at the Christmas Tree Lighting event. I was also able to work with the Miracle families that the hospital serves. I served as a contact point for several families and hosted them at several events that we planned and implemented, such as a Pumpkin Patch Day, virtual game nights, and the in-person and virtual Main Events. Working with AUDM has provided me with experience in professional communication with hospitals and the families they serve, fundraising large amounts of money for hospitals, and continuing to grow my passion for helping children in a medical setting. I know that because of my experience with Auburn University Dance Marathon, I will be able to effectively advocate for hospitalized children and the hospitals that support them. Additionally, I am confident in my ability to plan successful events for children and their families and effectively communicate with families and other professionals in my internship and eventually as a Certified Child Life Specialist.
Smile-A-Mile
Hospital Outreach Program-
As a part of my child life practicum, I had the opportunity to work with the nonprofit organization Smile-A-Mile. Smile-A-Mile’s mission is to provide hope in the childhood cancer journey, and one of the ways they do this is through their Hospital Outreach Program at Children’s of Alabama. During my practicum, the other practicum student and I were given the opportunity to plan and implement an activity to be live-streamed on the hospital’s closed network tv station. We had to think critically and plan an activity that would work for various ages and abilities. We decided to lead the children in a craft to make sun catchers seeing that few materials would be required, and it would allow for many different ages to be involved. We went through the process of ordering, packing all the materials into individual kits for 60 children, and guiding the children through how to make them. The children all enjoyed getting to make sun catchers that would hang in the windows of their hospital room, and it provided an opportunity to normalize their environment. I learned about how to effectively plan and implement a successful activity for a diverse patient population. Having the experience of successfully planning and executing activities for children of various ages and abilities will serve me well when I get to plan activities for patients during my child life internship and career as a child life specialist.
Project Uplift-
I have served as a mentor to a young girl through Project Uplift for the past two years. Project Uplift aims to support at-risk youth in the Auburn and Opelika community by pairing them with a mentor who will help them make lasting, positive behavioral choices to reduce delinquency rates in the county. I work with my mentee weekly and plan activities to do together to foster academic, social, and behavioral growth for her. I also collaborate with her parent, teachers, and Project Uplift staff about their goals for her. Over the past two years, I have seen my mentee grow significantly in her relationships, dedication, interest in school, and behavioral choices. The experience that I have gained working with a child who would be considered at-risk has allowed me to see how children’s needs are greatly influenced by the context in which they live. This role has also taught me what it means to meet a child where they are when they need help and how to adjust to best support them. As a child life specialist, I will interact with children who have various life experiences based on the context they grow up in, and my experience with Project Uplift has enabled me to learn to adjust to serve them better.