Page 52 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2018 - Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS

Volunteering With Enthusiasm

Students and Seniors Work Together For Cancer Patients

The secret of genius is to carry
the spirit of the child into old
age, which means never losing
your enthusiasm.

– Aldous Huxley, novelist

On any given Thursday, at Covenant
Health’s Joe Arrington Cancer Research
and Treatment Center, you will find
this to be true in the relationship of by Leslie Cranford
three volunteers who strive together to
do the most they can for the patients
they serve. While most of Covenant’s “His enthusiasm and his energy level physicians certainly contributes to his
auxiliary volunteers are seniors – are contagious,” Janice said. “He’s aspiration to be a physician.
retired folks – one of these three brings always eager to help people. It’s good
youthful enthusiasm to the trio. to have a young person’s outlook on “Being in this environment helps
different things. Sometimes we older tremendously toward that goal,” Judy
Lars Lindgren, a Texas Tech sophomore people may have more of a negative noted. “He gets insight directly from the
from Lubbock, works beside longtime attitude about things, and Lars is always patients, and that’s what we all enjoy
friends Janice Justice and Judy Caffee. very positive. That’s very helpful to the most – the one-on-one with patients
In fact, Lars, who has been at the me.” - to be encouraging in any way, answer
position longer than the pair of best questions, and walk with them to where
friends, is starting his fourth semester Janice and Judy started volunteering they need to go in our newly expanded
volunteering at the front desk at JACC. together in January of 2017. Both were and renovated building.”
professional educators at the secondary
“Going into college, I knew I wanted level. Janice was a middle school Lars is equally admiring of the two
to be a physician, so I wanted to get teacher and was a counselor for many women with whom he’s become friends.
experience in a hospital and thought years after her years of teaching. Judy
volunteering would be a good first taught high school for a decade, then “They’re great. They both used to be
step,” Lars said. “As I was looking earned her library certification, helping teachers. I’ve always liked my teachers,
through all the options in Lubbock, students coming into the high school so it’s been fun,” Lars remarked.
I remembered that, when I was in library. Working with a young man like “They’re always happy, always willing
middle school at Frenship, we’d come Lars is a natural.
here (JACC) at Christmas and bring
donations and little gifts. I remembered “Lars is a fine
that experience and that it was always young man,” Judy
fun, so I thought it would be good to said. “As Janice
come back.” said, his energy
level is noteworthy,
Lars, a graduate of Frenship High as is his willingness
School, is double majoring in Cell & to help. That’s true
Molecular Biology and Honors Arts & of a lot of young
Letters. people, but many
don’t have it to the
Judy and Janice are happy to be extent he does.”
working around someone who brings Judy said the
youth and energy to their volunteer shift fact that both of
each week. his parents are

52 Lubbock Senior Link