April 21, 2014 (North Chili, NY) ─ April is National Volunteer Recognition Month! Volunteering costs nothing ─ a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, or a tune to hum. And it pays in dividends uncounted. That’s the motivation behind several young adults who have been spending time with seniors at Westwood Commons, a DePaul Senior Living Community in North Chili.

“I find such happiness and joy when I get to spend time with the residents,” said Breann Hoogenguis, a senior at Roberts Wesleyan College. “I know how much they love and appreciate the younger generation getting involved.”

A nursing student, Hoogenguis began working part-time as a companion for a resident at Westwood Commons over a year ago. That inspired her to ask a few college classmates to join her for an afternoon of singing for the seniors last year. Hoogenguis brought even more of her classmates to Westwood Commons to sing to and to make crafts with residents in March as part of a service project for their senior seminar.

“I think a lot of young adults just don’t know where to go or who to contact to find opportunities to give back,” she said. “The more I get involved with the community, the more I can see these opportunities and needs.”

Pictured above are Roberts Wesleyan students (back row, l-r) Breann Hoogenhuis, Eddie Visagie, Michaela Swarthoutm Rachael Pollak, Becca Smith, (front row, l-r) Sarah Offhaus, Megan Glikes, Jessica Pollak and April Fedale.

Young adults from the Rochester Slavic Bible Baptist Church in Pittsford have also been paying it forward by volunteering at Westwood Commons.

About 10-20 high school and college-aged volunteers from the Webster and Greece area have been visiting Westwood Commons on a regular basis. Pictured above are David Boguta, Pavel Tarasyuk, Oleg Didovets, Oleg Trukhlinskiy, Mira Didovets, Nataliya Nakonechnaya and Sophia Sapyla. The group hopes to recruit members from the Slavic Pentecostal Church in Spencerport for a visit to Westwood Commons in April.

Sergi Boyuk started the volunteer efforts. He said volunteering to care for his elders has given him better perspective in his own life.

“Seeing the differences between how they lived and how we live, things have changed quite a bit and in other ways, nothing has changed at all,” said Boyuk. “At my age, they were having all the same worries, temptations and concerns that we have. They have a lot of stories and a reserve of knowledge that not everyone recognizes or appreciates.”

For more information about Westwood Commons, please contact Administrator Karen Shaffer at (585) 293-2060 or visit us on Facebook.