DECEMBER

It is disheartening to say that we have already reached the end of the first semester. There was a quick 2-week period after Thanksgiving break, and most of it I spent sick in bed with a cold, but I was still able to enjoy my time in New Orleans before heading back home again for winter break. Some memorable moments were celebrating Hanukkah with friends, seeing the holiday lights at the Roosevelt hotel, volunteering with a classmate and trying some new local restaurants. I also really enjoyed this month’s lectures on GI and cancer topics and found them challenging but intriguing. I am very excited for next semester's elective topics like psychopharmacology and endocrinology. 

Simona and I went back to Covenant house to volunteer with Brittany from the Two Generation Program. This program was developed for young parents and their children who come to CHNO in need of shelter and support. The Two Gen program is run by some amazing people, including social workers, nurses and doulas, that are devoted to the care of their residents. In order to foster a safe and healthy environment for the youth and their children, the program receives tons of donated supplies like diapers, formula, baby food, toys and educational materials. They have a small supply closet that was packed with boxes of donations, and it was becoming hard for staff to find anything. We spent a few hours going through the boxes, organizing and trying to create a better system for the staff.

Then, we headed over to another part of Covenant House where some staff were organizing and sorting through coats and other donated supplies that would be given to residents for the winter. We assisted with organizing the coats and clothes by size. Every time I go to CHNO I am amazed by how caring the staff is and how much dedication they put into creating a nurturing environment for their residents. Most of the volunteer work I have done for them consists of organizing and sorting through donations, but they are always very appreciative because it is time-consuming and gets overwhelming with how much stuff is donated every week. 

'Til next year,

Emily

December hours: 5        Semester Total: 12.5 hours