Bay Pines VA welcomes summer student volunteers

Bay Pines VA welcomed 39 student volunteers to its summer program during an orientation in early June. The annual program affords local students the opportunity to work with other Veteran volunteers and employees as part of Bay Pine’s Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE).

Student volunteers are liaisons with their communities and provide a valuable element of caring for Veterans that allows student volunteers to learn more about health care career options, gaining experience in a health care environment and learning new skills.

“We’re proud to have these young men and women step forward and express a desire to learn more about Veterans and ways they can support their needs within our community,” said Army Veteran Frank Jones, Bay Pines CDCE chief.

“Each of these student volunteers has grown up during a time when our country has been at war,” added Deputy Director Kris Brown. “Every student volunteer will have the opportunity to connect with Veterans across our campus and we feel this presents amazing opportunities for Veterans and these student volunteers to share experiences and learn from one another.”

The importance of giving back

The support from family members remains critically important during the application process for volunteers each year.

“We have a lot of applicants who have military ties with family and friends who served. I believe that’s one of the reasons we have such strong turnouts for applicants each year. The parents in this community continue to reflect through their own actions the importance of giving back to their community. We see that reflected in their sons and daughters who volunteer each year,” Jones added.

Bay Pine’s Lee County health care center welcomed an additional eight student volunteers during the June orientation. See the latest news, stories and Veteran health care information available on our website.