January 2007 New Visions High School Students Bring Holiday Happiness to Community
The Ulster BOCES New Visions Health Careers Exploration students have set out on an important mission. They are volunteering their time to brighten the holiday season for some very special people who could use some cheer. Their community service participation will also serve to provide valuable lessons about dealing with the devastation that is sometimes associated with their chosen career field.
Under the supervision of Joseph Huben, instructor for the New Visions Health Careers Exploration program, the Ulster County High School seniors have been busy organizing their annual Benedictine Hospital Food Basket Drive, which benefits over 100 local families in need. Additionally, with assistance from New Visions alumni, they also wrapped donated gifts for two local families of oncology patients who are struggling with poverty as a result of their illness. The families were selected by the oncology support group at Benedictine Hospital and have been “adopted” for the holiday season.
“Cancer is a catastrophic illness,” states Joseph Huben, Ulster BOCES New Visions Health Careers instructor. “It can bankrupt a family, and not just from a health perspective, but from a financial one as well. When students ‘adopt’ families, they are bringing some joy to the families, which enables them to celebrate the holidays.”
According to Huben, participating in this drive will be a multi-faceted learning experience for the students, including understanding the cost of catastrophic illness as reflected in hospital bills, personal loss, separation from cultural events and participation, death, and the resulting impact these factors have on family. “Students will learn the difference between ‘wants and needs’ as reflected in the wish lists of the children, and the utility of used clothing and toys to those who have little or nothing. They will also learn how to plan, organize themselves to achieve goals, establish deadlines, hold each other accountable, and about the efficiency of the division of labor.” The students will also meet the families and experience the heart-warming value that their efforts provided. This meeting will also show students the impact that disease has on families and the meaning of exhausted insurance benefits.
“I hope that this experience will sharpen the students’ appetite to prevent this kind of damage from growing as more Americans approach the ‘disease years’ of later middle and old age and as the number of uninsured continues to skyrocket.”
Huben commends his students for their efforts, especially during the holiday season. “These students do a wonderful job with community service. It is all on a volunteer basis and they are more than willing to donate their time to help others in need.”
For more information on the New Visions Health Careers Exploration program, contact the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center at (845) 331-6680.
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