“I’ve helped my buddy go from swimming with a noodle to swimming by themselves and it’s a really great feeling to be able to make some sort of difference on a child’s life and help them be able to swim,” remarked Emma.
Emma Yin has always had a passion for helping others and a love for working with children. Having previously volunteered at a camp for teens with special needs, Emma was inspired to find more volunteering opportunities through Children’s Specialized Hospital. Emma began her volunteering journey at CSH as a sophomore in high school and now as she enters her senior year, has gained a lot of hands-on experience helping the children in her community. Emma’s passion goes beyond volunteering as well. Inspired by her time with CSH, Emma has also organized five “Children Helping Children” craft fairs where she has raised over $2,000 and created an inclusive coloring book.
Emma mainly volunteers at CSH by helping children with special health needs learn water safety and swimming. By creating the “Children Helping Children” craft fair Emma has raised money for CSH while also inspiring children to think about those in need and encourage them to give back to their community by raising money for the Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation. She loves seeing the children get excited about raising money and donating!
Emma has also worked hard in collaboration with Children’s Specialized Hospital to create a coloring book. The coloring book has illustration of animals that have different disabilities and special health needs. Emma found it important for the children at the hospital to be seen and have representation in various media outlets like coloring books. Additionally, after seeing the lack of representation in her own community, Emma is determined to bring recognition to ability, disability, and individuals with special health needs.
“Volunteering at CSH is a wonderful experience, and it has shown me a different perspective on disability and ability. Before volunteering I was a little bit unsure of how to approach the topic because no one around me knew how to talk about it. CSH has opened my perspective and it has inspired me to do projects in disability advocacy, something I want to bring into my future,” explained Emma.
Emma is inspired by CSH’s purpose and loves volunteering with programs such as Social Club, an opportunity to provide direct guidance in peer-to-peer social interactions, as well as Adaptive Aquatics, an opportunity to interact with patients one-on-one and engage them in swim activities and, under the guidance of our staff, ensure safety.
“I’ve helped my buddy go from swimming with a noodle to swimming by themselves and it’s a really great feeling to be able to make some sort of difference on a child’s life and help them be able to swim,” remarked Emma.
At Children’s Specialized Hospital, there are numerous volunteer opportunities. There are recreational therapy programs opportunities for our Mountainside Long Term Care Facility, Toms River Long Term Care Facility and New Brunswick Inpatient Facility as well as activity connection program opportunities for these locations.
Activity Connection Programs are offered through the Community Recreation department at Children’s Specialized Hospital, and cater to each participant’s specific needs, creating a safe and fun environment to build skills and reach goals through recreation. Activity Connection programs include Adapted Aquatics, Play Group, Social Club, Teen Nights, Summer Camps, Special Events, and more! Volunteers with Activity Connection provide assistance and supervision to participants during our social and recreational activities. Volunteer responsibilities include assisting staff with activity/program set-up and clean-up, helping to facilitate interaction with peers, modeling appropriate behaviors, and ensuring that all participants remain safe during the program.
There are also therapy observation positions in Bayonne, Clifton, East Brunswick, Egg Harbor, Hamilton, Monmouth, Mountainside, Newark, New Brunswick, Toms River, Union and West Orange. These are opportunities for students/volunteers who are looking to pursue the therapy fields by assisting therapists with a variety of non-therapeutic duties.
Applications are accepted and placed on an ongoing basis throughout the year. You must be 15 years of age to apply. Prior to being placed as a volunteer, you must complete the following requirements: an application, provide two references, an interview, medical requirements, a drug screening, a background check, and attend a hospital orientation.
Click here to apply to a position today! For question about volunteering, please contact the Volunteer Services Department at MTVolunteer@Childrens-specialized.org.