Editor: David Mills
DOVER-FOXCROFT, ME - Foxcroft Academy junior Grace Joslyn was presented with Mayo Regional Hospital’s “certificate in recognition of 100 hours of volunteer service” at the National Volunteer Week Appreciation Dinner at Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church on April 19. Grace, who has cerebral palsy, shredded paper for the billing department at Mayo during her freshman year, folded wash cloths in the laundry area during her sophomore year, and has filled salt and pepper shakers in the hospital cafeteria this year.
Patti Sprague, who has been Grace’s one-to-one Ed Tech for the past 13 years, notes that Grace has actually done quite a bit of additional volunteer work on top of the 100+ hours she’s logged at Mayo. Grace regularly volunteers at the Dover-Foxcroft Town Office, Pleasant Meadows, Thompson Free Library, Foxcroft Veterinary Services, and around Foxcroft Academy. According to Sprague, these experiences have helped Grace as much as they’ve helped those who have benefited from her service: “Grace has learned some great life skills as a result of the volunteer experiences. Whatever she learns during high school, she can take with her and it will help her find jobs in life after graduation. She really enjoys meeting new people, and the people she works with at these volunteer jobs go above and beyond to communicate with her, and she really responds positively to that. She has forged some meaningful relationships.”
Andrew Sumner, Grace’s Case Manager and a special education teacher at FA, agrees that all the volunteer work has been a boon for Grace: “She meets daily challenges in her life with both her mental and physical disabilities, but these volunteer experiences give her an opportunity to overcome some of these challenges on a regular basis.”
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