Better Health & Living
Building a Circle of Hope
Young volunteers bring cheer and comfort to seriously ill patients
Published in Jonesboro, AR local health •spotlight | 0 Comments, Talk about this article »
Step into the NEA Clinic’s HopeCircle Resource Center in Jonesboro, and you will be surrounded by gentle music, art on the walls, and a staff of friendly volunteers. The resource center offers hope, support, and educational programs free to families living with catastrophic illness. The center includes a lending library, computers for research use, support groups, and a boutique that fits women for wigs, hats, and scarves after hair loss due to medical treatments. “We have a wonderful space here,” says June Morse, manager of HopeCircle. “It’s very peaceful with the art and music, and we have couches and chairs where people can just come and sit. Some even take naps on the couch!”
The center is open to everyone, not just those patients who are being treated at the adjoining NEA Clinic. “If you’re waiting for chemotherapy or the lab, you can come and hang out here,” says Morse, “or come just to spend time in a supportive, nonthreatening environment.”
What you won’t see during your visit are the many other volunteers who share the HopeCircle mission, including the Victory Volunteers—a group of children in grades one through six who bring comfort to patients. Some of their recent projects include baking snacks and taking them to the chemotherapy and dialysis units, making valentines for nursing-home patients, and creating Christmas ornaments for the center’s tree and as gifts for patients. “We recently had four girls from the group collect hats for chemo patients,” says Morse. “The Victory Volunteers provide a wonderful opportunity for children to help others.”
The Gift of Giving
Lou Anne Clements is the Victory Volunteers co-coordinator, along with her daughter Cindy McDaniel. “I was a schoolteacher many years ago, and I’ve been a volunteer for most of my life,” says Clements. “I think it’s so important for children to learn the gift of volunteering.”
There are 11 children in the current group, which meets bimonthly at the NEA Wellness Center. “We don’t just do crafts,” says Clements. “We teach the children what it means to be a volunteer, not just for people who are sick but also for those at home and at church and in their neighborhoods.” The group has a creed they recite at each meeting, which includes reminders to be a team player, participate, and give their best to others.
Cindy McDaniel’s oldest daughter, Lauren, was one of the first Victory Volunteers members. McDaniel says, “One of the lessons I wanted to teach my daughters early on was that it is better to give than to receive. Now my younger daughter, 8-year-old Macy, is a member of the group. It has made the girls aware of all the opportunities to help people, even if it’s in small ways,” she says.
The Victory Volunteers are collecting children’s magazines to distribute in the dialysis room for children who are waiting while their parents are treated. Clements says that their next project will be making pillows or blankets for cancer patients. “Through Victory Volunteers, children can use their talents, whether musical, artistic, creative in play-acting, baking, whatever,” she says. “We’re open to any suggestions. We’d like to do more for sick children in the area, but most of those who have serious illnesses are treated in the larger cities like Little Rock. But if we hear of someone, we’d be happy to make a visit—we’re not limited to Jonesboro.”
For more information about the Victory Volunteers or HopeCircle, call 870-934-5214 or visit www.neacfoundation.org.
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