By: Whitney Hicks, Development and Communications Associate
Anne Blair and Whitney Vedella graduated from college in the spring of 2008. Instead of pursuing the more traveled avenues of job hunting or further schooling, they both decided to join AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is a year-long volunteer program designed to help communities across the U.S. meet critical needs. Through a combination of chance and design, Anne and Whitney ended up at Community of Hope’s Health Services in January 2009.
Their main reasons for joining AmeriCorps were to gain experience in a healthcare setting and to help provide underserved communities access to healthcare. Community of Hope was the ideal setting for them to fulfill these goals.
Volunteering at Community of Hope isn’t just about filling out forms or filing. Anne and Whitney work on many projects that provide valuable and needed services to clinic patients. They spend the majority of their time on diabetes education and Community of Hope’s brand new teen clinic.
According to the American Diabetes Association, 8% of the U.S. population has diabetes. With education, those with the disease can learn how to control it through diet, exercise, and keeping a close eye on blood sugar levels. Anne and Whitney help many clinic patients manage their diabetes through the education program they developed. “That’s been our big thing,” says Anne. “We order supplies for them, give them tools to live a healthy lifestyle, teach them about their disease.”
In March, Community of Hope started a clinic on Tuesday evenings to help fill the gap in healthcare for teens and young adults ages 13-24. While the main focus is on sexual health, patients can also get physicals and ask questions about other health concerns. Anne and Whitney set up a semi-private area in the waiting room to meet with patients. Besides learning new skills (how to give oral HIV tests) and practicing old ones (how to talk to teenagers), Anne and Whitney feel the teen clinic is the most important thing they’ve done. Whitney says, “I love working with the patients.” The teen clinic gives them the chance to work face-to-face with clients to help make a difference in their lives.
They are happy with their decision to volunteer with AmeriCorps and spend a year at Community of Hope. Both hope to remain in the medical field. Anne plans to get a Master’s degree in nursing, and Whitney plans to go to medical school. Community of Hope provides quality, affordable healthcare to those most in need in DC, and Anne and Whitney are proud to be a part of this mission. Anne comments, “I think that everybody should volunteer at some point in their lives. It’s totally eye opening…You’re giving back, but at the same time Community of Hope will probably give us more than we’ve given them.”
If you’d like to learn more about Anne and Whitney, please click on the MP3 below to listen to the podcast.
