Hialeah , July 7, 2005 —Young, healthy and full of life, they visit the terminally ill residents of the Susana Wesley Nursing Home in Hialeah . They may rub cream into old hands, walk a wheelchair out onto the patio, play old tunes on a boom box or escort a therapy dog on its rounds. Whatever they do, these Hialeah High School teen volunteers are a weekly bright spot for patients of VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Miami-Dade.

Following eight hours of VITAS volunteer training, members of the school-sponsored Hialeah Network fulfill their community service requirement for graduation in a remarkable way. Some, likeYamile Villamia, have had first-hand hospice experience. Yamile has volunteered for two years, since her grandfather was a VITAS patient. “Hospice did so much for me, I wanted to give something back,” she says. “I’m not someone who finishes everything I start, but I’ve found it in my heart to complete this program. I love my patients.”

Others, like Lillybeth Stephenson, are in the school’s nursing program and find their VITAS experience confirms their career choice. “I look forward to Friday afternoons when I go to the nursing home after school,” Stephenson says. “I think I’ve learned to respect old people, to be more comfortable around them.”

“The goal is for the student to be a friend to the patient and the family,” explains Cathy Agosti, VITAS manager of volunteer services. “Their visits mean so much.”

Agosti is looking for student and adult volunteers. “They can choose when they want to volunteer, and we place them in a nursing home close to where they live,” she says. Every volunteer receives training and ongoing support. For information or to volunteer call Cathy Agosti at 305-576-9333, ext. 2752.