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Finding Her Niche:
Angela's Story
(Sidebar in original publication)
Angela has always wanted to play cards, but has had difficulty finding a group of people in her community who play on a regular basis. At a meeting with the agency providing her with respite care, Angela suggested that she might volunteer at a local nursing home as an outlet for her card playing. Angela now not only plays cards with the people that live there, but is a valued and regular volunteer. She describes it this way –
“I volunteer in a nursing home. I do the cards…we play cards. I call the cards out. Like I say, ‘Ace of Hearts’ or ‘Ace of Spades.’ Like that. I do that from six to eight, once a week, every Thursday. We play [games] like matching games. They have to match to be able to get their cards into the pile. My mother’s grandmother lives at the nursing home so I thought it would be a good place to volunteer. I know they play cards. There’s a girl named Audrey there. She is the boss, and she is in charge of the residents – getting them through their suppers, lunches, breakfasts, and stuff like that. I talked to Audrey, the one who is in charge, and I asked for the job. It was my idea. I am basically the activity lady. I play cards and sometimes watch “Wheel of Fortune” with them. They love me there. They even have dinners for us maybe every year – for the people who work there. I get to go to that too. They love that I come in every Thursday and help out. I sometimes bring the residents back to their rooms. I love it. It gives me something to do on Thursday nights. It gives me a chance to know the residents better. I get to see the residents each time when I come in. It makes me happy to see them every Thursday.”
Contributed by Angela and by Cheska Komissar, Institute for Community Inclusion, Boston.
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Resources: Resources and Related ICI Publications
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Citation: Shoultz, B., Miller, E.E., & Ness, J. (2001). Impact: Feature Issue on Volunteerism by Persons with Developmental Disabilities, 14(2) [online]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration. Available from http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/142/. __________ Hard copies of Impact are available from the Publications Office of the Institute on Community Integration. The first copy of this issue is free; additional copies are $4 each. You can request copies by phone at 612-624-4512 or E-mail at icipub@umn.edu, or you can fax or mail us an order form. See our listing of other issues of Impact for more information. The print design version (PDF, 448K, 28 pp.) of this issue of Impact is also available for free, complete with the color layout and photographs. This version looks the most like the newsletter as it was printed. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator.
