Juan Diego CHS seniors spend week of service

IC photo/Linda Petersen

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State Officer Berni Davis (left) explains to the JDCHS volunteers how billing works at the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home.

DRAPER — Close to 160 Juan Diego Catholic High School seniors engaged in a different kind of education during the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 3: service learning. For Senior Service Week, the students left their classrooms and went out into the community. This is the seventh year of the program where each student completes 40 hours of service.

“Like many others, we began to recognize that service and the spirit of giving is about so much more than just logging hours and serving occasionally when you are required to do so,” said Senior Service Week Coordinator Michelle Moynihan of Juan Diego’s program. “In addition, we, like many others, saw a need in our community for our students to be a part of and to give their time and talents to those who may be in need in some way.”

For Service Week, JDCHS partners with 28 agencies, mostly from around the Salt Lake Valley, so students have many options to choose where to serve. Along with several elementary and special needs schools, students could spend the week working directly with clients at day cares, senior centers and community organizations such as Catholic Community Services, Neighborhood House, Utah Community Action and Youthlinc.

Because students choose where to serve, different agencies have different numbers of student volunteers. Kauri Sue Hamilton School in Riverton and Jordan Valley School in West Jordan, which serve students with multiple disabilities, see the greatest number of signups generally, Moynihan said.

This year, five students, Hayden Nippert, Michael Furgis, Mateo McCullough, Lance Ebner and Stephanie Martinez, volunteered at the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home. They spent the week visiting with clients, helping nurses, accompanying clients to Walmart and participating in a Bingo game with them. They also visited each department and learned about the operation of the facility.  All five described it as a fun experience that benefitted them along with the residents.

“I liked learning about all of the seniors’ pasts, hearing the fun stories they have to share,” Hayden said.

“Most importantly, I think we got to build relationships with some of the residents, and there are a few that I’ve actually become very close with, talking with every day,” Michael said.

The residents were very appreciative of the students’ help, Mateo said. “I really liked how we were able to help them with activities such as Bingo, going to Walmart. I just think it’s really fun being able to spend time with people; I feel like they really enjoy us being there to listen to them.”

Although the tasks the students performed were often small, they had an impact, Lance said. “I’ve learned that little actions go a long way. The smallest thing like asking if you can do something for somebody means the world to some of these residents.”

Stephanie said she was surprised to see the senior citizens participate in a Zumba class even if their physical ability was limited. It’s a lesson she will take with her for the future when she needs to take care of her parents as they age, she said.

Like Stephanie, students often take away lifelong lessons from Senior Service Week, Moynihan said. “Many students recall the senior service project as one of the most formative things that they do here at Juan Diego. We spend a lot of time forming them with retreats, fun and intelligence, but this is the experience that really helps them to dig into the experience of being a servant leader and even more importantly, an active member of their society where they care for the ‘least of these.’”