Volunteering became a significant part of my life four years ago. I had become bored at home and wanted something to do with my time during summer vacation. A notice on a bulletin board announcing that Lawrence Hospital was looking for volunteers caught my eye. I decided to apply and within a few days I received a call that I had been accepted. My first assignment was working at the Information Desk where my duties involved assisting people on the phone, helping visitors, handing out visitors' passes, discharging patients, and delivering flowers and other items to patients' rooms.

Throughout my summer vacation I worked twice a week for four hours a day. When school started, I had to cut back my hours, but I continued to help when needed. This proved interesting because I got to work in different parts of the hospital, including behind the counter in the coffee shop and delivering medications to the nursing stations.

Two years ago, I started working permanently every Saturday afternoon from one to five. Last summer I spent almost all my time in the coffee shop, pouring coffee for customers and occasionally taking orders from people at the tables. Talking to the customers and having them see a smiling face made them feel better about visiting the relatives or friends at the hospital.

Besides the personal satisfaction of helping others, I also received two awards for my volunteering last year. I have also been recognized several times in our local newspaper, The Herald Statesman.

Volunteering has given me a sense of community involvement. Helping others makes me feel good about myself. It also gives me an insight into what really goes on in a hospital, because before I started volunteering I only saw the hospital as either a visitor or a patient. Working with patients and with hospital staff and other volunteers has shown me what it's like to work in a hospital. Each time I learn something new.