Giving back, gaining joy

Volunteers are an essential part of life at Bluestem Communities, enriching daily life with compassion, connection and purpose. Through their time and talents, they help transform communities from places to live into places to truly belong – bridging generations, fostering friendships and enhancing the well-being of residents and staff alike. 

Karen Regier, a dedicated health care volunteer at Schowalter Villa, shared how her volunteer experience has impacted both her life and the lives of those she serves. 

“At an early age, my parents instilled within me the importance of helping others by sharing my talents through volunteering. When I retired from my career in nursing, I had the tie to serve Schowalter Villa residents by assisting with organized activities. Little did I know, it would benefit me just as much, by adding value to my life through entertainment, joy, dedication and friendship. 

As we advance in age, changes in health care and capabilities can be a struggle to accept, especially when the four walls of a room begin to close inward. Residents experience a wealth of emotions, such as joy, loneliness, separation, grief, love, friendship, frustration, yet they deserve comfort, compassion and happiness each day. Acknowledging their presence by greeting them by name can ignite healthy emotions and self-worth. Visiting about their childhood or young adult life is most interesting and most important for them to tell their stories. We can all learn a lot from aging adults. 

As a volunteer, I direct simple games of dominoes and UNO, assist with fishing at Lake Vista, accompany trips to Walmart, decorate for special resident dinners, accompany residents to enjoy the courtyard, and just take a moment to visit about their day. Volunteering at Schowalter Villa is a commitment of a varied amount of quality time to bring a ray of sunshine into residents’ days. That ray of sunshine frequently reflects back to warm my own heart.”