Kimberly leads her team in a dice race game at Reconnections Sterling.

Interns Build Community at Reconnections

This summer we were grateful to have two Claude Moore Community Builders volunteer interns working with our Reconnections Sterling program. The Claude Moore Community Builders (CMCB) program has been connecting Loudoun County teens with meaningful volunteer opportunities at local non-profit organizations since 2007. CMCB participants (a.k.a “Builders”) are matched with non-profits where they serve as volunteer interns.

Insight's Sterling location offers the Reconnections early stage program four days a week. This early-stage, social model day program offers small group, engaging activities for those living with MCI or an early dementia diagnosis, surrounded by peers and in a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental setting. 

Carl, the Reconnections early stage coordinator at Sterling shared "This summer at Reconnections Sterling, we were blessed with two volunteer interns through the Claude Moore program. Kimberly and Aditya are both rising seniors who showed ambition, tenderness and most importantly, they had fun and learned a lot. They chose to spend their summer with us, and we were thrilled to have them."

Here is what our summer builder interns had to say about their experience.

Aditya: I enjoyed volunteering at Insight Memory Care Center. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and the participants of the program were who really made the difference. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, and I feel like I fit right in. I learned so much about dementia, including what it really means, and how to navigate some of the difficulties that come with early stage dementia. Some of my favorite activities included doing OTAGO with the participants (a fall prevention exercise) and it showed me that so many of them were much more mobile than one would really expect. My views about early stage dementia have changed, and recognizing the different stages has become much easier.

Kimberly: Over the past few months, I really enjoyed spending time with people at Insight! I like the activities that all people enjoy and can be involved in, such as the dice rolling game. I'm also always excited about the activities we do at the end of the day. Playing ping pong with the participants was different than the bigger group activities, but I really enjoyed it! People with dementia didn’t seem like the kind of people I knew before. Sometimes I don’t even realize they have dementia. They can still enjoy their life and have fun and they're all very nice as well. They make me feel more comfortable with speaking, for example when I was helping with brain fitness, to be honest I don’t know a lot of the words. But everyone would help me out and answer. The only thing that I regret is that I haven’t beat Carl in ping pong!

Both Aditya and Kimberly were able to build relationships with participants and get involved in all aspects of the program during their time with Insight. Not only did the Reconnections participants and staff benefit from the hard work our community builder interns put in this summer, it is evident that they will leave this experience with more knowledge and understanding about living with early stage dementia that they will be able to share with their families, schools, and communities.