For my ACES pillars project, I chose to research a Northeast Ohio, non-profit organization named Fostering Hope.

Fostering Hope aims to help with raising awareness for youth and children within the foster care system and it helps them experience things and activities that they may not have been able to otherwise, whether it were for any reason, including, but not limited, to financial need and limited resources. This organization is very big on letting kids be kids and helping to connect them to valuable resources that they may need to continue on sort-term and long-term.

Fostering Hope is very big on advocating for kids and youth being just that: kids. They are there to show these youth that there is always someone there that can and is willing to help. The volunteers are always ready to help make someone’s day, whether it be hosting events, making goody bags for the kids, making a community garden for all, and helping over 2,000 kids, teens, and overall youth.

During my Junior and Senior years of high school, I was presented with the opportunity of volunteering in different areas of the community; as a result I chose to get involved with a local hospital: University Hospitals – (Elyria Medical Center) EMC.

Volunteering with University Hospitals EMC, I learned a lot; not only about the community but about my position there and how it helped advocate for the patients. Volunteer-wise, there was a wide age range, from high school sophomores to older, retired seniors. Overall, a lot of people looking to better the community and help out however they could, whether it be answering simple phone calls, transporting basic and confidential information and/or specimens to where they had to be/go, showing patients around the hospitals and guiding visitors to where they had to go, to even delivering over 500 orchids, that were donated, up to the lobbies so that the hospital staff could have a nice little pick-me-up after a long shift at the hospital.

I primarily worked at the desk right when one would walk in, from 4 hour shifts to 6 hour shifts just helping out and working with others who just wanted to help and give back to the community. By helping with a variety of activities and different jobs, we helped insure that the little things were also being taken care of, as well as, the big things; from something as small as just calling someone down to change and restock masks and hand sanitizer or taking flowers that were sent to a patient, to something as big as being able to help a loved one locate their family member who was getting treated and/or helping nurses get paperwork and specimen to where they had to go.

I was very fortunate to be able to help out such a wonderful staff and be able to meet some of the greatest and sweetest people just by volunteering at University Hospitals Elyria Medical in the short year that I was able to and am very grateful to the staff and volunteers that became a secondary familiar community to me.