Week One Written Reflection - Kalee Fuller

Over this past weekend, the Best Friends team got the opportunity to go back to the Day Center to have our first official volunteer time. Going back, I was not sure what to expect. Our first visit during orientation had been so interesting as we got to meet everyone involved in the organization that I was excited to see what would happen during the second visit. 

The songs are led by the piano player. 

The participants at the Day Center follow a very structured routine each day. Both times that we have gotten to chance to spend time at Best Friends, we have been there for song time. All of the participants will sit in a circle with song books in their laps as someone plays the piano and leads us through the songs. The majority of the songs are simple songs from the 1950s or before, so most of us students do not know them. It is entertaining to see how much the older men and women enjoy singing these songs, even though most of us can’t sing along very well.

Everyone sits in the circle with the piano to
sing along with the piano.

As we sat in the circle, flipping through the song book, I sat down next to a woman named Virginia. She seemed to be in her 70’s or 80’s so I had assumed that she was just another patient. However, I soon found out that she was actually the founder of the Best Friends Organization. After talking to one of the volunteers, I learned that Virginia had created a method of training for volunteers in centers for people with dementia; and after developing the method, she has been able to travel to world and establish centers that teach based on her methods in 50 different countries. 

To hear that Virginia was so successful, yet still spent time in the Bridgepointe Day Center location with the patients was encouraging. Seeing her passion for the organization and the cause gave me the desire to give my all when working with the people at the center as well.