Learning to give yourself the gift of giving

By Mary-Justine Lanyon

 

When you do something for other people, you are actually giving yourself a gift.

That’s what Lupe McDonald told the girls who are part of the Soroptimists’ Every Girl Counts program at their Dec. 10 meeting.

She challenged the girls: “In this next week,” she said, “notice someone who needs help, something you can do. Then notice how it makes you feel.

“Today,” she added, “is about the joy of giving.”

After enjoying their snack and unwinding with some dancing – led by several high school volunteers – they met Annika Fischle, that day’s special guest speaker.

Fischle explained that she is an activity aide at the Skilled Nursing Facility at Mountains Community Hospital. “I do activities with the 20 residents to improve their quality of life,” she said. They play games, listen to music, have nature time and play Bingo, which the residents love.

Fischle urged the girls to find some volunteer work they would enjoy doing. “You may not know what that service means to someone but it has an impact,” she said.

The girls then filled stockings – each marked with a SNF resident’s name – with word search books, deodorant, body mist, coloring books, See’s candy, candy canes, lip balm and snacks. Then each girl wrote a note for the resident.

“The most important thing to the residents,” Fischle noted, “will be who filled the stocking for them.”

The girls also created snacks for birds, spreading peanut butter on pine cones and then rolling them in bird seed. They made two – one to go to the SNF residents and one to take home.