San Carlos Elms Volunteer

Dear Kathleen,

I never thought I was going to be someone who made a commitment to volunteering. That sounds so horrible, but it's true-at least when I was 14 and began playing the violin at The Elms. That was the summer after my 8th grade. I made a very small mistake at the beginning of that summer and was grounded for 3 months. As part of my punishment, I had to start volunteering at The Elms. I begged and pleaded, but I couldn't get out of it. To make matters worse I had to walk the mile, in the drenching summer sun carrying my violin and music, from my house to The Elms and back. As you may imagine, I did not have high hopes for the experience. My mother had said I had to volunteer for three months, no more, no less.

The reason I kept coming back to The Elms is because of the people and residents I've met. Playing the violin has been a part of me since I was 8; orchestra and private lessons have passed me by, and at this point, all I want to do with my music is to make people happy. I've seen residents smile as I say goodbye. I have made people cry during a slow songs, and made them laugh between in between pieces; I have messed up and no one has noticed, I have performed the best best I've ever played and no one has ever noticed. I was never close with my grandparents, but I felt comfortable with myself and my music and the residents at The Elms in a way I never could anywhere else. You've often thanked me for how much I've given the residents, but the truth is, they've given me that much and more. In the past four years, a lot about my life has irrevocably changed; The Elms has always been a source of continuity. There were some weeks when it was the only thing I looked forward to.

For the first three months that I volunteered a woman came to my sets every week. Her name was Maria. She sat in the same corner, and always said encouraging things and told me stories about her father and her childhood. She was the main reason I came back those first weeks, because she was interesting and comforting. One week she gave me a bouquet of paper flowers. Another week she gave me a banana. Another week she told me I was beautiful and talented and I should never give up on my dreams. That sounds really cliche, but she was one of the most important people in my life for a while there. I have since seen her slip into Alzheimer's disease, s which was painful and tough. I regret not telling her, when I had the chance how much sh meant to me and thanking her for her encouragement.

High school is the beginning of a period of self discovery, and something I've discovered about myself is a large capacity to care. I volunteer at The Elms for 4 years because I genuinely care about everyone there. I wanted to make them happy. I want to thank you for everything you've done to make that possible. Best of luck to you and the residents and all the staff in the coming years; thank you so much, and I'll never forget you guys.

Always,

Samantha Cecil

San Carlos Elms Volunteer