November Community Service Hours - 8 hours
Cumulative Fall 2016 Community Service Hours - 22 hours
***UPDATED as of 12/14/16***
December Community Service Hours - 9 hours
Cumulative Fall 2016 Community Service Hours - 31 hours
Strangely, it felt great to return to New Orleans after Thanksgiving break. Not strange because I expected to be unexcited or sad to return. It was strange because I have only lived in New Orleans for a few months. I enjoyed being home in North Carolina, seeing family, and hanging out with old friends. But, by the end of the week away, I was ready to head back to the Crescent City. Over the last few months, beyond just getting into a routine, I have truly built great relationships within the Pharmacology program and in my community involvement. My work with NAMI New Orleans this fall has been a huge part of that.
Early in November, I met with the Helpline
Coordinator and other volunteers interested in assisting NAMI with their
Helpline. During this orientation, we learned about the purpose of the
Helpline, that being to assist callers in reaching appropriate resources such contacts
for finding housing, establishing a provider or counselor, or joining a support
group. We received a guidebook that covers the majority of the information we
will likely need to assist callers. I was unaware of all the ways in which NAMI
helps individuals living with mental illness in the New Orleans community.
Just
before Thanksgiving break, I was able to volunteer individually my first day. I
am still learning the basics of the help line, the hardest of which may be just
answering the telephone and transferring calls; however, I am really excited
about the potential of this volunteer experience to help an incredibly
underserved group within the New Orleans community. During my first day, I
learned that NAMI resources are generally for individuals living with mental
illness; however, the Helpline often receives calls from family members or
friends of individuals living with dementia and developmental disorders.
Despite NAMI resources being directed towards individuals living with mental
illness, Helpline volunteers can assist these callers with reaching the
appropriate supportive organizations or identifying overlapping resources that
may be helpful, such as contacts for housing, obtaining health insurance, or
establishing a provider. In addition to that, I worked on cleaning the
formatting of the housing resources document that the Helpline volunteers send
via email to any callers seeking to establish affordable housing with available
support for those living with mental illness. I look forward to sharing my
ongoing experiences with NAMI and New Orleans in general.
