"I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE TO BE A VOLUNTEER."
Chris Bell joined GrapeVine in the spring of 2016 after needing community service hours for her Doctorate in Nursing Leadership at Edgewood College. Her connection at Edgewood has proved to be an integral part of her GrapeVine outreach -- she was introduced to GrapeVine from a teaching colleague there, and now she enjoys working with the Edgewood senior nursing students to share GrapeVine materials with the community.
Through GrapeVine, Chris is able to reach many women in her church and in the community with health education, but she is also able to instill an enthusiasm for public health in the next generation of nurses. Chris says a favorite GrapeVine experience involved working with the nursing students to offer bone density screenings at the Lafayette County Fair. “The screening attracted all ages of adults (both men and women). The students learned so much by having this opportunity to interact with community members in a rural community."
But the students aren't the only ones learning from GrapeVine. Chris recently attended a training at the WWHF office to learn how to use the Breast Exam Sensory Training Touch Device. She was amazed by this innovative technology and says she is "always learning as a GrapeVine nurse. I feel very fortunate to be a volunteer." Chris plans to use the breast simulator with the members of her congregation and hopes to expose the nursing students at Edgewood to the training as well.
