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My DGT has spina bifida (she's very INDEPENDENT) and she got involved with therapeutic horseback riding. I now volunteer with the program - but with different riders because you know that Moms are NOT cool :wink2: I love seeing the interactions with the kids and the horses and how it really helps them all in different ways. I feel that I am the one benefitting from being able to work with the program and the kids
Truth be told, I dont even like kids all that well!!!
But I was the girl scout leader for a couple of years and I do volunteer in my sons classroom. I do it because they need parent volunteers, teaching is a job you could not pay me enough to do!!! Those folks are way under paid!!
I dont do it because Iam a nurse, I do it because I am a mom.
Girl Scouts is not my thing, but I do volunteer in other ways. I am part of my church's volunteer parish nurse ministry, specifically involved with arranging for skin cancer screenings, thru which we've identified 3 patients with melanoma (possibly more since the participants are not required to update us) and doing education on sun safety and skin cancer for parishioners of all ages. I also volunteer with our pregnancy service and teach CCD.
At my kids' schools, I've assisted with health screenings, lunch room supervision and as a teacher's helper.
I started in first grade as a Brownie and went all the way up to 12th grade and one year beyond as assistant troop leader. I even got both silver and gold awards as a Scout. I also volunteer at our local womens' shelter for domestic violence. I like giving something back to the community. I was on the list to be a volunteer for a Hospice...to sit with the sick, read to them, whatever...but they never called me and now they are no longer there. My first hubby was very abusive to me physically, so I really identified most with the womens' shelter victims. I had totally been in their shoes, most of them and became very compassionate towards them. I highly recommend volunteering...it gets me out of the house and around people (I'm sort of a social butterfly so I enjoy what I do).
Blessings, Michelle
I was a girl scout until about 6th grade. Later, during nursing school, I was a co-leader for my daughter's junior troop. We did some nice community service in our troop, but once I got my first nursing job, I had to stop with the troop--too worn out from work! I now volunteer at a free clinic for the underserved.
I don't know if it counts but I am also the unoffical designated driving mom...yes its me picking the kids up from a book release at midnight, or driving them around to various sporting or social events. I really like it, and my hours allow me to be around when lots of the 9-to-5 M-F parents are at work. I've even had kids who are not my own calling me for rides here and there !
I was a Girl Scout from 1st through 12th grade, and I've worked 3 summers at camp, 2 as the Health Supervisor. I'm hoping to go back to camp next summer once I have my LPN certificate. It's not great pay, but camp nursing is incredibly satisfying work for me.
I help out with my church's 'Breakfast Cafe' which serves 75-150 homeless/working poor people every Sunday morning. I'm hoping to set up some kind of blood pressure/blood glucose screening for them in the future.
Girl Scout for 11 years (they didn't start until 2nd grade in those days). GS camp nurse for 2 summers. More than 20 years as a leader, first troop the year I was a grad nurse, not yet married, later running two troops for many years at the same time because my daughters are 6 years apart. Several weeks as camp nurse perdiem when they were at camp. (Well, 3 troops at a time, 2 GS, 1 BS).
Den leader for Tigers, Bears, Wolves and Webelos, as well as Asst. Pack Leader for the last 2 years. Assistant Scout Master for 7 years, merit badge counselor, taught CPR weekly at camp for Scoutmasters for a couple of years.
Both daughters Silver Award, son Eagle.
Now my youngest and I take a lot of our left over craft supplies (beads, leather working tools, paints, pottery tools) to Mexico once a month to work at a children's home doing arts & crafts.
withasmilelpn
582 Posts
I was amazed at my new job how many of my coworkers were Girl Scouts or Girl Scout leaders when I passed around a fund raiser for my Brownie troop. It made me wonder about how many nurses were involved in organizations like these that help service our communities. I would love to know what things some of you at allnurses are involved in. I'm going to guess we are a pretty involved bunch just because the kind of person that goes into nursing generally cares about other people.
Am I right? Would love to hear from you!