UW-Whitewater Student Maggie Reinert, Sophomore from Warrenville, Illinois is a Human Performance Major and Allied Health Minor. Maggie volunteered at Fairhaven this past semester and plans to continue doing so.
We had a little AQ&A with Maggie about her experience with Fairhaven and what made it so great.
Our Q&A with Maggie:
Q: Did you know about Fairhaven prior to volunteering and if so, how?
A: I did from one of my college classes mentioning it as a volunteer place that many students went to complete volunteer hours for their degrees.
Q: Why did you choose to volunteer at Fairhaven?
A: One of my classes had an option to volunteer for class credit and I liked doing it every week so after the class ended, I kept doing volunteering.
Q: What have you been doing while volunteering?
A: It changes every time I volunteer but usually I either spend time with residents or help with whatever activities are going on the day I am visiting like bingo or making dog treats.
Q: What have you enjoyed about volunteering at Fairhaven?
A: I love hearing stories about the lives of the residents and joking around with them. The community is welcoming, and they all have such different backgrounds that makes it such a rewarding experience.
Q: Has this experience change your mind about the Older Adult Population?
A: This experience has altered my mindset on the older adult population. I used to be uncomfortable and not really know how to relate to the older generation and had believed some of the stereotypes of the older population. After spending time with them, they are much more like me than I originally thought and have a good sense of humor. I am much more comfortable around the older adult generation after volunteering and spending time with so many of them throughout the semester I’ve been at Fairhaven.
Q: What would you say to a student who was thinking about volunteering and why Fairhaven should be the place for them to volunteer?
A: I would highly recommend the place to them because it is not challenging to add volunteering for a couple hours a week, the volunteering is fun and goes by quickly because every time is different and involve hands on activities most of the time. It’s a highly rewarding experience for every college student and will help further your career because of the expanded knowledge on the older adult population.