Why Volunteer, Why Rett Syndrome, Why Girl Power 2 Cure?
These are
some tough questions, directed at an Illinois High School Junior, Laura Irwin, when she
reached out to us to volunteer for Girl Power 2 Cure.
Her answers
had us double-checking that we were actually speaking to a 17-year-old, and not
a 37-year-old. ;)
Laura is a
competitive rowing athlete, an honor student, and one of our newest volunteers
for GP2C. She reached out to us in February while working on a school
research/community service project for her IGSS (Integrated Global Study
School) class. She wanted to know
how she could help, and how she could make a difference in the lives or days of
a Rett family.
Laura says she chose Rett Syndrome, and GP2C for her project because
the syndrome intrigued her; she was captivated by the families, and found
herself believing in our girls, and the mission behind GP2C.
She had no previous experience volunteering,
and has yet to meet a single Rett girl, yet she has spent countless hours
researching, learning, talking to parents, and helping give some of our
girls a voice. Laura’s project entailed making a Communication Eye Gaze
Board for the families she worked with, and presenting her final project to her
classmates. She worked with three families, and tailored each communication board
to fit the needs of each individual Rett girl.
Watch this beautiful video that she put together for us - and see her Eye Gaze Boards in action!
We asked
Laura "What were the best and worst parts of doing this project?" She said there was not a worst part,
only a slightly difficult part.
“Cutting the boards out, and finding a good system that would work for
each girl was challenging, just when I thought I had a good system, I realized
I didn’t. Once I figured it all out, it
was full of rewards.”
Laura’s
highlights include: Speaking with the families, seeing pictures of the girls
being able to communicate using her boards, knowing that she made a difference
in their lives, and sharing her findings and experiences with her classmates.
“Speaking
with the families, realizing how similar the girls are, and yet how unique and
individual they each are was eye-opening.
I thought I would be helping them, teaching them, but I think I learned
the most in the end.”
GP2C would
like to thank Laura for the countless hours she put into helping enrich the
lives of some of our Rett families. She
gave her time and talents. She helped
open the door to communication, and she shared her new-found love and respect
for our Rett community with her school.
In doing so, she made a difference.
Volunteers
come in all ages, shapes, sizes, and from different places. Contact us to see how YOU can
help. Learn more.
