Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors across Surry County volunteered at Northern Regional Hospital during their summer break. Forty-one junior volunteers filled the hospital hallways throughout June, July, and August, gaining valuable experience in the healthcare field.
“Beginning in January, we send out applications to all area high schools seeking junior volunteers,” said Tina Beasley, manager of volunteer services. “Once applications are received, we collaborate with various hospital departments to assess the available opportunities. We aspire to ensure our junior volunteers have a valuable and fulfilling experience. This program presents an exceptional opportunity for our local high school students. The junior volunteers provide valuable support to our staff, taking on various tasks and gaining exposure to different career opportunities within our organization. A wide range of clinical and non-clinical roles are available at Northern Regional Hospital, but they may not be well-known to students. The Junior Volunteer Program allows students to gain firsthand experience in various careers. We aim to offer experiences to guide local students towards their desired career paths.”
The junior volunteers in this summer program included Brycen Banks, Logan Butcher, Reese Edmonds, Addison Goins, Grace Needham, Joanna Parker, Sarah Slate, and Kimberly Whitaker of East Surry High School; Kemp Allen, who is homeschooled; Sabrina Brown, Riley Key, Luis Torres, Sidney Kate Venable, Jayden Wall, and Logan Wood of Mount Airy High School; River Edge and Renae Marion of Millennium Charter Academy; Serenity Goodwin, Heylen Lopez, Kyndal Quesinberry, and Mia Reynolds of North Surry High School; Sierra Easter and Novella Nester of Patrick County High School; Jaiden Bledsoe, Chase Butcher, Rubi Cortes-Rosas, Jennifer Duran-Martinez, Natalie Fermin, Dayanna Flores-Armenta, Alexis Stanley, Madelyn Wilmoth of Surry Central High School; Jordin Beasley, Jessi Delacruz, Evey Eades, Alexis Hutchens, Belinda Juarez-Acevedo, Benjamin Sain, Reagan Smiley, Addison Southern, Anaya Sweatman, and Lukas White of Surry Early College High School.
Each volunteer must complete the program with a minimum of 40 volunteer hours. “Most junior volunteers exceeded this requirement, demonstrating their commitment and enthusiasm,” the hospital said.
“Being able to do the Junior Volunteer program gave me experiences I didn’t think I would achieve until later in life. I got to see what different healthcare professionals do on a day-to-day basis and I got to be there for the patients and their families, which made my experience really special. If you’re even thinking about going into healthcare, this program will show you the way,” said Alexis Hutchens, a junior at Surry Early College High School.
“This is an amazing learning experience and opportunity for any student,” said Jaiden Bledsoe, a senior at Surry Central High School.
“The Junior Volunteer program this summer has been such an educational and eye-opening experience in so many ways. Having the opportunity to, as a high school student, observe nearly every department of the hospital, learn from so many healthcare professionals, all whilst simultaneously volunteering and providing patient care and support is incredible. Seeing the smile on patients’ faces when you bring them hot blankets, the gratefulness from residents when you sit down and talk with them, and the appreciation from staff for your ambition to learn is such a blessing,” added Sabrina Brown, a sophomore at Mount Airy High School.
Applications for the next Summer Junior Volunteer program at Northern Regional Hospital will be accepted beginning in January via the hospital’s website at choosenorthern.org. For other volunteer opportunities for youth and adults, contact Basley at tbeasley@wearenorthern.org.
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