Dedication

We are well past the mid-point of our service year. A year that at times can be taxing and tiring. Serving in nonprofits and clinics with minimal resources can prove difficult, and add to that the dreary, cloudy, and miserably cold Pittsburgh winter, and you have a perfect environment to become worn out.

But picture this…

First the backstory: At my site, I manage a program called Power Pack, which is a backpack program designed to combat weekend hunger for nearly 270 students. Each student receives a backpack full of nonperishable food items every week. I was serving late last Wednesday night in order to pack all of these bags for the week. My roommate Kirstin offered to help pack them with me and some other volunteers. I remember her saying she was excited to learn a little more firsthand about the Power Pack program. So after an 8 hour day at her site, she committed to serving 4 more hours with me and delay eating dinner until nearly 10pm so she could lend me a hand.

Now fast-forward to 5am the next morning: I am scrambling out the door on my way to the airport for a grad school visit. My mind is trying to juggle what school I want to attend, directions to the airport, where I was going to get my caffeine fix this early in the morning, and if I had even remembered to pack my toothbrush. Quite honestly, my service was not at the forefront of my mind.

Heading out the door, I look down to find a simple note from my roommate resting on top of my backpack. I pick up the note, and assuming it is just a quick “good luck at your school visit” letter, I toss it in my backpack to read later, turning my focus back to getting to the airport on time. Once through security at the airport, I remember I still have the note in my pack tucked under school pro-con lists and flight information. I pull it out to read it.

And while yes, I do have a wonderful roommate who wanted to wish me luck, something else I read simply amazed me. The letter wrote, “I am awake at 3am…and thinking about the patients that I serve. I was wondering if any of the doctors or patient navigators at my site can refer people to Power Pack at your site.” I was completely amazed by my friend and her dedication. Even at 3am she was thinking about the population she serves and how she can provide more resources through collaboration with my site.

But then I thought about it for a moment and realized this was not the only time I had seen her so passionate about her work, so caring for the people she serves, and so dedicated to her year of service. This is the girl whose definition of a bad day is not that she burnt her coffee or the bus was late. I have seen her come home so angry and frustrated when she is unable to sign somebody up for insurance because of restrictions out of her control. Some people could just leave this problem at the office, yet she truly takes it to heart and is completely committed to increasing access to care for those she serves.

I have seen her overjoyed when she finds a new route to help people sign up for benefits. I have watched her come home and complete her own research outside of service hours on programs that her clients could be eligible for to ensure she is providing all available resources. She has served extra hours to learn more about healthcare and insurance and to create extra resources and guides for her clients.

Shadowing her, I have witnessed her incredible patience and compassion towards her clients. I watched as she carefully explained benefits and programs to patients, ensuring that they left with a complete understanding of everything and a positive feeling about themselves. Her selfless nature amazes me every day and is a constant reminder of the core values and mission of AmeriCorps and Health Corps. Serving others is not just a 9am-5pm job for her, but rather a way of life. I admire her passion and devotion. Kirstin aspires to be a doctor and is headed to medical school in a few years.  And I only hope myself or maybe my kids one day could have a doctor who cares about and loves her patients and clients like Kirstin does. She will make a wonderful doctor.

But this is just one example. I have seen moments of this passion and dedication in all of my fellow Health Corps members and I am truly amazed by this group of young professionals.

So yes, while serving in low resource settings can prove challenging and frustrating, I look around at people like Kirstin, other Health Corps members, and even other AmeriCorps members at my site and around the city and am reminded of how incredible this group of people are. These people have committed a year, and most likely their entire lives, to serving others. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.

East Liberty Family Health Care Center's member for 2014-2015, Kirsten Franklin, plays in the Pittsburgh snow.