Volunteen Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital gives teens the opportunity to dedicate their summer vacation to helping children, while learning important lessons
Newswise — (MEMPHIS, Tenn. – August 16, 2011) Each summer, a select group of teenagers spend five weeks of their summer vacation to help children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through the Volunteen Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The annual program allows teens to explore career paths and develop leadership and team-building skills while helping patients.
The program, for teens 16 to 18, is divided into two sessions, one beginning in May and the other in July. With only 30 spots available each year, the Volunteen Program is competitive, and each applicant must write an essay as part of the stringent application process. The Volunteens chosen come to the hospital two days a week, planning and executing special activities for the patients and their siblings.
“Most teens look forward to sleeping in and lazy days by the pool in the summer, yet we receive a flurry of applications each year for our Volunteen Program,” said Kathryn Berry Carter, director of Volunteer Services at St. Jude. “The teens have opportunities beyond measure, as each teen works closely with patients, siblings and parents. It also allows them to explore possible career paths while fostering self-awareness.”
While many of the Volunteen projects include arts-and-crafts or game themes—like “Under the Sea” or “Super Hero Day”—the teens also assist other hospital volunteers in their daily capacities. “As volunteers, we must never forget that even the smallest exchange with our patients and families can make such a tremendous difference,” Berry Carter said. “The difference may seem small, but creating smiles, cheerfulness, hope and laughter are priceless.”
On average, the Volunteen Program contributes more than 1,900 hours of service to St. Jude each year.
St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalSt. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Ranked one of the best pediatric cancer hospitals in the country, St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world, serving as a trusted resource for physicians and researchers. St. Jude has developed research protocols that helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent when the hospital opened to almost 80 percent today. St. Jude is the national coordinating center for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium and the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. In addition to pediatric cancer research, St. Jude is also a leader in sickle cell disease research and is a globally prominent research center for influenza.
Founded in 1962 by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world, publishing more research articles than any other pediatric cancer research center in the United States. St. Jude treats more than 5,700 patients each year and is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. St. Jude is financially supported by thousands of individual donors, organizations and corporations without which the hospital’s work would not be possible. For more information, go to www.stjude.org.
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