Campus is filled with active student volunteers. On any given day, these young people share their enthusiasm, joy and time with residents, team members and visitors. The connections made at CESLC forever impact young volunteers, as they form friendships and a lifelong understanding that they can make a difference in someone’s life.
Meet Zoe Chyatte, a Walt Whitman High School junior and Girl Scout, who has been volunteering since she was in kindergarten. In 2016, she began an ElderSAFETM internship on campus with Tovah Kasdin, the program director. The program provides safe temporary shelter to older adults who have suffered abuse, and it increases awareness in the broader community through education and outreach programs.
Zoe learned the impact of underreporting elder abuse and was determined to make a difference. Through her research and leadership, she identified places in the community frequented by older adults and delivered ElderSAFETM brochures to them. Zoe has helped educate people with the hope of changing lives.
Teddy Freeman and Ellie Shein are seniors at Winston Churchill High School and members of the Harold and Shirley Robinson H2YP Youth Philanthropy Program. Through this program, students determine how best to award grants that benefit residents on our campus. Their experience in the program and the impact that their volunteering had on residents inspired them to write about it in their college admission essay.
“I think my experiences volunteering at Hebrew Home have made it very likely that I will try to volunteer in the community,” said Teddy. “I am going to try to get involved with Hillel at Elon. Hopefully, they do some fun and meaningful volunteer work.”
Rayna Langholt, now a freshman at Towson University, volunteered in the art and music therapy programs. She found her volunteer experience at CESLC so fulfilling that she is leaning towards pursuing career in music therapy. She wrote in her college essay: “Wherever I end up in the future, I know for sure that I am going to bring the benefits of music to communities around me…and this is what I hope to pursue in college and beyond.”
A lifelong love for volunteering can begin early and doesn’t end when our volunteers start college. Their connections to residents have provided important and long-lasting experiences.
CESLC provides numerous volunteer opportunities that are meaningful experiences across generations. We hope our young volunteers will continue their passion when away at college, and throughout their lifetime.
