When given the opportunity to shine, Coral Gables Senior High School students have so much potential, talent, and energy to offer to our community. For those students who are interested in learning new skills and maxing out on their community service hours, Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) now offers a volunteer program open to a variety of ages.

There are countless ways to help out at MCH, considering the fact that the hospital is compiled of over 60 departments and areas. A volunteer will rarely do the same thing everyday; they can assist by playing music for the patient or by simply leading them in the right direction from behind the Information Desk.

“I think that, by offering such a vast amount of options, the volunteers are kept motivated to try each and everyone of them,” Activity Assistant Jenny Oquendo said.

This program is growing bigger and bigger each year. With over 225 teenage volunteers annually, the hospital staff has hopes of improving this program and making it one of the top volunteering programs in the country.

“The teenagers usually come help out in the summer, but we also have college and adult volunteers year-round,” Volunteer Director Lynn Heyman said.

Miami Children’s Hospital Volunteering Program is a diverse community where volunteers have the chance to become well-rounded individuals. These kind-hearted people are bound to leave this program with great experiences and skills, even if they choose not to pursue a career in the medical field.

“When I first volunteered at the hospital, I was in high school and at the time I had dreamed of becoming a surgeon. I then realized that medicine wasn’t really for me, but, even then, I still loved spending my time at the hospital. I definitely recommend high schoolers to at least try it out,” University of Florida student Claudia Lievano said.

MCH takes great pride in its volunteers who devote so much of their personal time assisting the patients, their families and the hospital staff. It is a safe and fun environment where former surgeon’s knowledge is advantageously used to teach the volunteers. This program is definitely one to check out when searching for volunteer work.