During my time at Hospice of the Valley, I learned valuable things about life. For example, one day as a volunteer when I was taking care and playing with one of the kids, we were listening to the Wiggles song. I would interact with him by doing the same hand movement that the Wiggles would do. He would often correct me, by showing how it was supposed to be done. After that experience at Hospice of the Valley, it showed me that a child can still understand or communicate with someone, by hand movement or eye contact, and not necessarily by talking.
Moreover, this experience has shaped the way I see death. As a way of accepting that it is a cycle of life, in which we are conceived, born, and die. Years ago, it was hard to imagine having a conversation about death. My grandfather passed away last November. Watching him pass away was the hardest thing I had to see, but it also opened my mind about death and it made me realize that it is something we must accept.
I have learned that there are different ways in which a person can contribute to society, one of the ways is by helping kids who have a disability. By helping children with a disability, we can promote a loving and accepting environment for them. Moreover, children are the future of this world. By giving a small amount of our time to them, it can mean the world for parents, who also need moral support or someone to take care and play with their children.
Being a volunteer at Hospice of the Valley for Ryan House has changed many things for me. On a personal level, it encourages me to continue giving a piece of my time to the kids and to take a moment and realize that there is more to life than just sitting down on a cellphone every single day. More people should volunteer in this program because it is amazing. Moreover, this experience will have shaped my career because I have learned many thing which were foreign to me. I learned how to interact with children and their parents, as well as take feelings into consideration.