Med Student Gains Insight Through Volunteering
Amelia Harrison started working as a volunteer at Brother Francis Shelter literally at the bottom: helping with the foot care clinic over 3 years ago. She quickly found an affinity for the work and the people she served.
“It’s an incredible experience to help others in this way,” she says. “I’m so humbled by working with each person I serve.”
When she began her journey into medical school, she found the arrangement with the Caring Clinic and WWAMI—a partnership between the University of Washington School of Medicine and medical programs across the Northwest—as a natural connection, and began giving her time as a volunteer.
She loves working with Caring Clinic Coordinator Alisa Vickrey. “She is so incredible. So devoted, tirelessly working on behalf of the clinic and the people at the shelter,” she says. “She’s such an inspiration.”
To express what she values most about that volunteer experience, she offers a family saying: “A man doesn’t know what a man doesn’t know. If you want to know what’s going on in your community, you have to be a part of it.”
Amelia has gained valuable insight as a Caring Clinic volunteer by providing for those most vulnerable in Anchorage. She’s still deciding what to do with that insight, but for now she’ll continue serving guests at Brother Francis Shelter one person at a time.
As we expand Caring Clinic hours, we would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers over the years for the time and expertise provided to make Brother Francis Shelter more than a shelter. THANK YOU!
Read more stories of hope at CSS in the Media or in the CSS Faces Of Hope Spring 2017 Newsletter.