When Jill Mentzer
wants to know whether she’s making a difference, she only has to do one simple
thing: she checks for smiles.
Jill will be the
first to tell you– it’s the kids that keep her motivated. “I love doing fun
things with the kids,” she says. “It’s really hard not to fall in love with
them.” Whether she’s rocking children, or pushing a child’s wheelchair while
participating in a walking group, she enjoys the satisfaction she gets from
helping both the children and the staff.
“Sometimes when you’re
doing something you wonder, ‘Am I really doing good?’ At ChildServe, all you have to do is see the big smiles
the kids give you and you know they appreciate what you do.”
After a few years
working with adults, Jill wanted to see if she still enjoyed working with
children. She started volunteering at ChildServe in August of 2006, and has been creating
smiles on the faces of the children here ever since!
One day, Jill
showed up to volunteer at ChildServe as usual. Her planned activity was reading to two boys, Blake
and Joey, but there was just one problem: their wheelchairs were parked in
front of the books, blocking Jill’s way. Instead of just moving their chairs,
Jill immediately started joking around with the boys. She asked Joey, “Did you
hide the books from me so I couldn’t read to you?” then turned to Blake and
asked, “Do you do this on purpose?” Both Blake and Joey cracked up at their big
joke. “It’s really nice to hear the kids laugh,” Jill says.
For Jill,
volunteering was about finding the right fit. At ChildServe, she found that fit when she realized many
of her favorite hobbies matched up with volunteer opportunities. Her love of
reading opened the door to reading books to the children in the Continuing Care
Unit. Taking walks in her spare time translated to joining a walking group, or
walking kids individually. Even Jill’s love to swing had a matching volunteer
opportunity– she spent an hour a week rocking children.
Apart from her
hobbies, volunteering also gave Jill the chance to branch out into new
activities. She assisted with swimming and spent time in the Tweedlebugs room
of ChildServe’s
Childcare Center in Johnston.Currently, Jill volunteers her time with the Switching Group. Using
adaptable switches hooked up to lights and toys, the Switching Group helps
children at ChildServe
learn cause and effect. Flipping their switches results in a sound or action
from a toy or sudden appearance of light, which the children here recognize and
find enjoyment in.
Jackie
French-Kreuder, ChildServe
Recreational Therapist and leader of the Switching Group, has great things to
say about Jill. “Jill helps us with set-up and tear-down and is great at
personalizing which types of switches are best suited to each individual child.
She’s someone who is always willing to go above and beyond. Lots of times she’ll
jump in to help us set-up for a second group without even being asked!"
Although Jill
counts graduating from high school and receiving her AA degree in Human
Services as one of her life’s biggest accomplishments, she appreciates how
volunteering is different from a job. Jill enjoys the freedom she finds in
volunteering because she is able to try new things when one situation isn’t
working. “In a lot of ways,” she says, “I like volunteering at ChildServe better than working!”
Volunteer Spotlight
