Summertime brings sun, fun, and a thriving High School Volunteer Program to Friends of Strong!
We are excited to welcome an ambitious and skillful group of area high schoolers who will be volunteering throughout Strong Memorial Hospital.
The Summer High School Volunteer Program began soon after Friends of Strong became an official organization in 1975. We have recruited many incredibly talented students over the years. At program inception, we were hosting 20-25 students per summer. Our peak was in 2019 with a record 357 students. Post-COVID, we are slowly climbing our way back up to that goal. This year, we placed 107 volunteers across 13 total departments.
Aislinn Sexton, the Friends of Strong Senior Volunteer Services Specialist, welcomes this year’s amazing cohort of high schoolers, saying, “We are so excited to host high school student volunteers again this year. I am excited for everyone to enjoy what could be their first experience in a health care setting. I also want to thank all our departments and supervisors that help make this program a success!”
Students get to select a department where they will support staff, help provide an exceptional health care experience for patients, and learn the intricacies of working in a healthcare environment. Over the course of eight weeks, each high schooler (ages 14-18) volunteers once a week, adding up to a minimum of 30 hours supporting patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) initiatives in their chosen area of service.
Prior to starting, each one completes all hospital-mandated training, including HIPAA training, meeting all hospital requirements for working with patients, UR Medicine’s Staying Safe: Education for Minors Who Volunteer at SMH, and the Mandatory In-Service Education Manual, as well as all proper health screenings. Each student also gets a university volunteer ID badge to identify them to visitors and patients. In many ways, these volunteers become an integral part of our community here at Strong Memorial Hospital.
Our highly sought-after program is popular among parents – some of whom also served in the program as high schoolers or during college. The program helps students decide whether healthcare is the right path for them. This year, we are pleased to host brother and sister pair, Chloe and Jackson Epps.
Chloe is most interested in the field pf psychology. Her experience volunteering in the Friends of Strong Summer High School Program inspired her to continue volunteering as a college student. This year she will be assisting in the Inpatient Medicine Psychiatry unit, which is one of 6 programs in the country that provides specialized care for patients with both medical and psychiatric diagnoses. Chloe hopes to spend time with the patients, providing companionship and human interaction in a department that often lacks opportunities for connection.
This summer, Chloe hopes “…to help patients feel better by being there for them, who may be in distress or feeling anxious about their health. We sometimes color, sometimes play board games, or sometimes just sit quietly, if that is what they need. I bring a little distraction to their day. Engaging them in other activities can help take their mind off worries or uncertainty.”
Chloe has previously volunteered at Foodlink, Pet Pride in Victor, and the Guest Services Ambassadors at Strong Memorial Hospital. These experiences with Friends of Strong have been valuable exposure for her as an aspiring psychiatrist and has helped her to get out of her comfort zone.
Jackson is Chloe’s younger brother and has been heavily influenced by her experiences volunteering at Strong. He has also volunteered at Pet Pride, Foodlink, and now begins his first summer in the Friends of Strong Summer High School Program. Jackson is very interested in bio-mechanical engineering and the field of prosthetics. Volunteering at Strong “…is giving me the opportunity to gain the medical knowledge and exposure in order to start understanding the human body in relation to prosthetics.”
Jackson will be volunteering in the Interventional Radiology Clinic. He will be focusing on interacting with patients, communicating needs with the nursing team, and guiding patients and relatives around the hospital. He looks forward to helping patients feel comfortable and less nervous by supporting them in any way he can. Jackson is considering applying to RIT for college, where he can study bio-engineering and learn how to design and create improved hand, arm, and leg prosthetic prototypes, all while using his experience here at Strong to help fuel his passion.
Chloe and Jackson’s mom, Ivanka Driankova, added that she “…is excited for the opportunity for my kids to participate in such a worthwhile cause for the community. The Friends of Strong volunteering program is a great resource not only for patients, but also for medical staff. I am grateful this opportunity is there for both High School and College students.”
This program continues to inspire countless students and participating families to pursue the selfless act of volunteering for many years. Carly Chapman is a returning high school volunteer who has been heavily influenced by her experience volunteering in 2023 in the Hall of Justice. She is excited to be back this year to work with the Pediatric Physical Therapy Department.
Carly has spent the last two years volunteering at her church food drives, nursing home care, and summer Bible camp. She hopes to attend St. John Fisher and study pediatric physical therapy or pediatric nursing. As the oldest of six children, she has a special affinity for working with kids. Carly also had her own experience in the hospital two years ago, where her family and her incredible doctors made her feel comforted and reassured. She hopes to provide that same reassurance to other young children.
When asked about the impact of her volunteering, Carly said, “We may not notice, but by simply helping, we can create a huge difference for the people around us. Volunteering makes our community stronger, and anything that can accomplish that is worth so much in my eyes.”
Carly’s mom and dad also spoke on her difficult diagnoses that required brain surgery, and how she remained positive and handled the uncertain time with grace. They commented that “Carly truly is a bright light in our world and in the lives of all those who she interacts with. I think the volunteer program provides the perfect opportunity for her to give back. Not only does it fill Carly’s heart, but also provides her with a priceless educational experience. We are very excited to watch her grow through this program and have another wonderful summer at Strong.”
While some of the high school volunteers you might meet this summer have a personal connection within the University, many more come to us from throughout the Rochester and Finger Lakes region simply because of the wonderful things they’ve heard about Strong Memorial Hospital or our robust volunteer program.
Kelly Luther is the current Senior Director of Social Work and Patient & Family Services at Strong. Her two kids, Jonathan and Abby, spent summers in the program several years ago. As a long-time employee, Kelly had heard about the program from colleagues and hoped to place her kids once they were old enough to participate. Jonathan ended up spending time volunteering with Physical Therapy, and Abby volunteered in the hospital gift shop. Although both ended up studying accounting, Kelly believes that “exposure to different careers is what helps shape your future in terms of what you might choose to focus on. Even if you aren’t sure about a career in healthcare, I think there are so many skills to take away from being in a setting like this, skills applicable to a host of different careers.”
When asked about the positive impact the program has had on her kids and her workplace, Kelly went on to say just how “…important it is to have young folks in the organization everyday learning and being inspired to potentially work in the healthcare domain. We have a lot to learn from them, as much as they learn from us. And as employees, giving our kids opportunity to get a closer look at what we do, building an understanding of where I work, and seeing what happens in such a large organization. Just a snapshot in time is beneficial, in addition to the opportunity for close mentorship.”
These are just some of the countless ways this program influences the younger generation, existing healthcare staff, and the greater healthcare community that we serve. Friends of Strong hopes to continue the growth of this program by inspiring many more students to consider careers in healthcare, and to continue to volunteer and help others.
“We hope everyone in the hospital and Medical Center community will help us provide a welcoming and positively memorable experience for these potential future doctors, nurses, scientists and leaders as they explore the possibility of following an educational path toward a career in health care and beyond,” says Friends of Strong Director, Sandy Arbasak.
Emily A. Teitsworth | 7/8/2024
