Christina
When did you begin volunteering with Wonder Connection?
I first connected with Wonder Connection this past summer (2019) and started officially volunteering at the beginning of the fall 2019 semester.
How/why did you choose to become a volunteer?
I was trying to find ways to get involved in the hospital and someone had mentioned Wonder Connection to me. After looking into it, I realized what a unique program wonder connection is. There are many opportunities to play with children in play rooms but this is a more personal experience. It is also a way to expose kids to activities that they may not have seen before and maybe even teach them something new. As a big science person myself, I was drawn to the science and teaching/leading activities aspect of Wonder Connection and hope that I can inspire some of that same love or joy from these activities.
What is your favorite volunteer activity and why?
I was recently given the opportunity to help volunteer in the pediatric psychiatric unit on Thursday mornings with Andrew, Katie, and Madi and it has been a fantastic experience. I love being able to see when visiting scientists come in and have the opportunity to learn and help at the same time. It has also allowed me to work in an environment that I had not been exposed to before. As far as individual activities with patients in the children’s hospital go, I really like making slime. As much as it can seem to get repetitive because so many kids ask for it, I like it because each kid gets the chance to do their own thing. They can pick their own colors or to add sparkles, they can take the lead and many have even made it before so as much as I hope they can learn a little from me, I am learning from them. Since it is a relatively simple activity, I can take the time to talk to them and just see how they’re doing, which I think is one of the best parts of volunteering.
What story or anecdote from volunteering is most memorable or significant for you?
I went to go work with a young girl who had been asking for someone to make slime with her. We made a very pink and very sparkly batch of slime and had a great time. She was a lot more excited about making it than she was about playing with it so she went through it very quickly. I gave her a little plastic bag to keep the slime in and left shortly after since she had to go take an x-ray and some other tests. When I stopped by again she asked if she could make another batch of slime and we had a very fun time making more. I was told afterwards that she needed to take her slime with her into the x-ray which helped the transition, and it was the most engaged the nurses had seen her. It made me so happy to know that I was not only able to help her, but to make it easier for her nurses, and to help her mom by seeing that her daughter was happy. That is the reason we volunteer and what I love so much about this program.
What do you hope Wonder Connection will achieve in the future?
I hope that wonder connection is able to continue to expand the amount of children that they can see within the hospital. There are many different precautions that children in the hospital can be on, and the volunteers cannot access many of them. If there are ways that volunteers could make little kits of activities that they could do in their rooms, even if we cannot go in there for health safety reasons. They may even need them more than children on lesser precautions since they may not be able to have as many visitors. It could be a little something to give them something to do or to distract them.
What are your hobbies?
I love reading, I recently reread the Harry Potter books. I also love to sing and play music
What is your favorite color?
Light blue
What is your favorite flower?
I love tulips
Anything else you would like to share?
I believe that Wonder Connection is a really unique and wonderful program that I am so glad to be a part of. I look forward to volunteering every week and always leave in a great mood.