I walk into the front door of Barnes Place, a local nursing home, and I see Jethro sitting on the floor. He is a chubby corgi who follows his owner around. I turn left to go to the Activities room. This is where I can usually find Ginger and Donna spending their time. Donna is always sitting smiling and has the purest heart. Ginger is spirited and likes to get in trouble. This morning, however, her sly smirk that’s always present is stretched a little wider. Donna quickly tells how Ginger woke the whole nursing home up at five in the morning, she was making toast, and burnt it, setting the fire alarm off. What a way to start the day! At that moment, laughing around the table with them, I realized I’m not just a volunteer there anymore. These ladies have my heart, and I have theirs. My perspective changed when I started volunteering. I started off doing it for selfish reasons, but spending my time at nursing homes has taught me invaluable lessons. Not only is it just good for a college application, but it has improved my communication skills, and given me the opportunity to make friendships and open my heart to new people. 

Addison Sterret who is a senior at Greater Latrobe High School, goes to West Virginia every summer for the Appalachian Service Project (ASP). Here, thousands of volunteers from around the country go to Central Appalachia for a week where they do manual labor to repair and rebuild homes for less fortunate families. Addison saw the poverty levels in West Virginia and said, “Knowing I could help by being one more helpful hand for them definitely moved me to volunteer, but also just to spread Christianity to the families we were helping.” 

 Last year, I was preparing for college and noticed that I would need to obtain patient contact hours for the physician assistant program I was interested in. This led me to reach out to different nursing homes around our community. 

At first, calling them on the phone was intimidating, but after a few calls, I had memorized what I needed to say and wasn’t scared of rejection. Eventually, Loyalhannah Continuing Care Campus accepted my offer. I grew nervous approaching the first day because I didn’t know anyone there, and surely didn’t know where I was supposed to go. I just asked around to people there and eventually found my way. I didn’t know where to put myself at times, but I just went with the flow and didn’t get stressed about it. After going in several times, my confidence grew and I wasn’t nervous anymore. 

 Eventually, the time frames I could volunteer there didn’t fit my schedule, and I had to find a different nursing home to give my time. This time, I wasn’t intimidated at all to call around. I was able to discuss with different activity directors what my requests were and they were able to provide me with different information and feedback. Anytime I need to talk to someone new now, I don’t get as nervous and I know how to communicate with adults now properly. Because of these skills, I was able to find Barnes Place where I have spent several months. 

Going to ASP is no vacation either. Those giving their week have to wake up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning to make the trip down. Not many teenagers are skilled when it comes to repairing houses. Addison had to learn how to repair siding, ensure steady floors and foundations, restore porches, and more. Addison recalls, “The day before the trip I actually begged my mom not to make me go, but obviously I had to.” She was scared of the unknown and she says the only person she knew there was her brother. This labor can be intimidating, and it’s hard to speak up, but once you get placed in an environment like that, it doesn’t take long to find your voice. She looks back on this moment and thanks her mom. “ASP is now one of my favorite things ever and if my mom would’ve said that I didn’t have to go, then I wouldn’t have had the experiences that I did.”

 At ASP Addison would wake up early in the morning and go to bed late at night. She would spend hours with these people while she worked on fixing up their houses. She enjoyed “making an impact in the family’s lives for the better, physically and spiritually.” Throughout times like these, you will hear their life stories, and they will know your own as well. 

Addison has been going for the past four years and she has “looked forward to the next year every time I came home from the trip.” Not only does volunteering benefit those receiving assistance, but it also benefits those volunteers who have gained from these experiences.

Creating those relationships makes you desire to be with them and ecstatic for the next opportunity to return.

At the nursing home, the residents and I played games, did each other’s hair, and just talked. Eventually, I reached my hours goal, and even then I kept returning back. The relationships I made impacted my life so much that I thought of them when I wasn’t there. From wondering how someone’s appointment went to hearing little phrases that reminded me of my friends, I couldn’t just leave after completing my hours. I kept returning for a couple more visits, and I plan on going back to soon. 

Addison and I have met people we never would have met without these opportunities and we’re both so grateful for them. I hope you all see that volunteering isn’t just about marking the number of hours down in a log somewhere but it also improves communication skills and encourages you to make new relationships.