St. Jude’s Volunteen Program offers hands-on learning experience for teenagers

They have glue on their fingers and smiles on their faces; crayons spread before them and kids crowded around them. It's all part of a day's work for the Volunteens of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The Volunteen Program offers a hands-on learning experience as well as opportunities for personal growth and creative fun to a select group of teenagers who give their summer vacations to work closely with patients and their families at St. Jude.

Each year, the highly competitive program seeks 30 participants between the ages of 16 and 18 with strong character and high spirits. Each applicant must write an essay as part of the stringent application process.

"It's more than an opportunity to give back your time," says Kathryn Berry Carter, Volunteer Services director. "It's a learning experience where teens learn about our mission and one day, hopefully, become more involved as donors, adult volunteers or even employees."

The program is divided into two, five-week sessions, one beginning in May and the other in July. During each session, Volunteens visit the hospital two days a week. To plan activities for both patients and siblings, the teams begin by perusing scrapbooks from previous summers. Each new team, in turn, leaves a scrapbook for future groups. Projects have included arts-and-crafts or game themes. Participants also help with story time for patient families or with the Happy Cart—a game distribution system on wheels for children at St. Jude.

In addition to helping patients, Volunteens develop leadership and team-building skills, improve their interpersonal skills, increase their self-awareness and interact with a diverse population of people.

As part of the program, Volunteens learn about careers in research, child life, social work and many other areas, by meeting with meet clinicians, scientists and other hospital staff.