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Project Details
Created:
04/07/2009
Project Title:
Growing Hope
Project Category:
Health
Project Status:
Proposal
CASE Competition
CASE Competition:
East Wake Academy - EWA - Winter 2009
Grant Winner
Project Snapshot
Problem: Patients in managed care facilities have their physical needs met, but often do not have enough family or friends in their lives to prevent isolation and depression.
Solution:
The 'Growing Hope' project at the East Wake Total Life Center will pair patients with a volunteer who brings a plant to nurture. East Wake Academy students will recruit community adults and other students as volunteers. By growing a plant, the patient will witness not only the beauty of life, but feel a restoration of hope as they care for another living organism and build a friendship with a community volunteer. Data will be collected to track biological outcomes for plants and surveys will track psychological outcomes for patients and volunteers.
The 'Growing Hope' project at the East Wake Total Life Center will pair patients with a volunteer who brings a plant to nurture. East Wake Academy students will recruit community adults and other students as volunteers. By growing a plant, the patient will witness not only the beauty of life, but feel a restoration of hope as they care for another living organism and build a friendship with a community volunteer. Data will be collected to track biological outcomes for plants and surveys will track psychological outcomes for patients and volunteers.
Student Information
College or University:
East Wake Academy High School
State:
North Carolina
Student Name:
Ashleigh Bilodeau
Year in College:
Sophomore in High School
Major:
High School Student
Faculty Advisor
Advisor Name:
Crystal Cockrell
Community Partner
Partner Name:
East Wake Total Life Center
Student and Community
What societal problem does your project solve?
The 'Growing Hope' project will seek to lesson the pain of depression and isolation that many elderly or disabled patients in managed care facilities face today. Due to a higher level of needed medical and personal care, many times these patients may not have enough family or friendship in their lives. Patients will be paired with a volunteer and given a plant to nurture. In a growing plant, the patient will witness not only the beauty of life, but feel a restoration of hope as they care for another living organism and build a friendship with a community volunteer. "Growing Hope' seeks to grow not only a small frond of foliage, but a true sense of hope, courage, and peace.What would be the measurable outcomes of the partnership that you propose to create between the community and your educational institution?
In proposing a partnership between Eastern Wake Senior Center and East Wake Academy, there will be many measurable outcomes. This opportunity will create lasting friendships, give each participant an enriching experience, and educate students about the isolation and depression experienced by many elderly or disabled patients in managed care facilities within their own communities. Many studies have suggested that as a person provides care to another living organism, both organisms receive benefit from their interaction. By providing students with an organization through which to volunteer their interests in plants and the care of others, a foundation for future service in their communities will be fostered.How would you, with the support of your faculty advisor on campus and some one from the community, work together around this specified community issue?
Accompanied by my faculty adviser, I will organize special volunteer and educational meetings at East Wake Academy on the subject of isolation and depression among elderly or disabled patients in managed care facilities. We will network to meet the patients and distribute a questionnaire to determine which patients may want to participate in our program. Our endeavors will be assisted by Eastern Wake Senior Center, who will identify patients in need and provide educational materials for volunteer training. We will seek to positively encourage all volunteers and patients as the program progresses. Jointly, we will create and distribute surveys to evaluate the effects of 'Growing Hope' on the participants' lives.How would you envision sharing power and decision making in the partnership? In other words, instead of doing something for the community how would you do something with the community?
'Growing Hope' seeks to encourage the community to step out and assist our endeavors. By passing out detailed fliers and by promotion to East Wake Academy school clubs, we will recruit many volunteers and accomplish the goals of this enlightening project. Eastern Wake Senior Center will provide and direct the educational content for our volunteer training and oversee the contact of elderly or disabled patients in managed care facilities. By working together, we can build a bridge to connect school curriculum to our real community.How would you collect data on what the project was doing and use it in the decision making process?
We will collect data on how 'Growing Hope' progresses by creating a time line and compiling patient and volunteer survey results. In tables and graphs, we will include such details as the number of volunteers, plants, patients, and their individual outcomes. By doing so, we can access the project and form a conclusion about the effects of caring for a living organism on elderly or disabled patients in managed care facilities, the friendships that are being established, and what enriching experiences are occurring. We will use any unpredicted/ non-beneficial outcomes to reflect on the process and how that information can be used to improve our program.What would be the project activities? Give examples of how the strengths already existing in the community will be acknowledged, built upon, and enhanced in the partnership to solve the problem.
Project activities will include an initial meeting with my faculty adviser, the East Wake Academy community partner coordinator, Eastern Wake Senior Center and myself. Next we will plan a volunteer meeting and education session about the project. We will recruit Sociology, Psychology, and Biology teachers to participate in our project. Their strong knowledge of curriculum will tie students learning from the classroom to the real world. Patient questionnaires will be developed, distributed, and collected. After determining the number of plants and volunteers needed, an action plan will be created. Plants and containers will be acquired and personalized. Volunteers will use their cultural art skills to design plant containers based on the patient surveys. Volunteers will then deliver the plants and spend some time with each patient. After 'Growing Hope' is established through the partnership between Eastern Wake Senior Center and East Wake Academy, volunteers will re-visit the patients and give a five to ten question project survey. Data will be collected for assessment of the progress of 'Growing Hope'.What obstacles or challenges might you encounter in implementing your project, and how would you address them?
There are many challenges that we may encounter in implementing 'Growing Hope'. For instance, permission to enter the care facility and distribute the plants must be obtained. The advocates at Eastern Wake Senior Center will share their technical expertize in accessing local managed care facilities. Also, there is the hurdle of a patients' willingness to participate in the project proceedings. If; indeed, a patient refuses to participate, they will not be required to take part in our project, but where possible we still hope to visit and talk with those who are experiencing feelings of isolation and depression. The vast amount of patients also raises the issue of possible allergies to our project plants. To avoid any allergic reactions, the initial patient questionnaire will inquire about known allergens.
Recruiting Volunteers:
Would you recruit additional student volunteers? If so, how?
much more enjoyable. Using this principle, we will recruit additional student
volunteers during the creation and life of 'Growing Hope'. To build interest among fellow classmates, we will distribute detailed interest fliers and host educational
meetings concerning the project and the effects it will have on our community.
I will invite East Wake Academy clubs, such as the National Honor Society and the Student Government Association to participate. We will work with Eastern Wake Senior Center to link to other potential volunteers. Finally, we will make school announcements and post notices on our school website to spread the word about 'Growing Hope'.
Enlisting Partners:
Do you envision enlisting businesses, or other organizations, etc., to help; if so, how?
How would the award money be used here?
If your project idea is an innovation of an existing
program, what are its current funding sources?
What do you anticipate learning from engaging in the service project?
'Growing Hope' will combine all of my classroom knowledge in Sociology, Psychology, Earth Science, Math, English, and Biology. I anticipate learning much about organizing meetings, teaching about this societal issue, plant growth and development, volunteer recruitment and organization, and project management. I wish to observe the effects of plant care on elderly or disabled patients in managed care facilities. I wish to observe and learn about human isolation and how interactions with caring individuals effects their lives. I also desire to apply the scientific method to the project and use surveys as data to report results.If the above questions have not enabled you to convey the essence and value of your project’s impact, use this space to supplement your answers.
It is my desire to provide a living symbol of hope to those who have witnessedthe pain of isolation and depression. From past studies, it has been observed
that having a living organism present in one's life can actually increase
emotional health. Not only will this project assist the patients, but also
will encourage the community to get involved through volunteer meetings, educational sessions on isolation and depression, and will ultimately foster new friendships.
Please submit an abstract (clear summary) of your proposed project idea.
'Growing Hope' will establish a valuable partnership between East Wake Academy, Eastern Wake Senior Center, and the local community. Through the development of this project, elderly or disabled patients in managed care facilities will have an opportunity to provide care for a plant and establish new friendships with volunteers. As the living plants and friendships grow, it is my hypothesis that some of the feelings of isolation and depression experienced by many elderly or disabled patients in managed care facilities in our community will be reduced. I also believe that 'Growing Hope' volunteers will experience the joy of reaching out and working in the community.User Login
