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N479 Professional Activity Evaluation Form

Your Name: Alison Schlichting

Date of Activity: March 17th, April 14th

Faculty name: Beverly Bias


Describe the community service/professional activity/s you attended or participated with
(be specific about the purpose and your role):
I volunteered at Beads of Courage. Beads of Courage is an organization founded in Tucson that
provides children with serious illnesses with beads that they can keep with them forever. The
point of the beads is so that children can tell their story to others regarding what they have been
through. Each bead signifies a specific event. For example, one white bead represents one round
of chemotherapy. Children with serious illnesses, such as heart conditions or cancer, that require
them to be in the hospital often receive a bead for each event and can add it to their string. These
beads signify difficult times that each child has gone through and give them courage to know that
they can overcome the challenges that lie ahead. During my volunteer experience, I helped
package beads to be sent out to children in different hospitals.
Where was this held and what was was program/activity length?
The experience was held at the Beads of Courage headquarters in Tucson, AZ (3230 N. Dodge
Blvd., Suite J). I volunteered one day for five hours and a few weeks later volunteered for an
additional three hours.
Discuss the value of this experience to you (be specific).
This experience was very valuable to me. While I was there, the employees received a package
with a string consisting of hundreds of beads. The package was from a father whos daughter

passed away several weeks ago. The string of beads not only represented all of the suffering that
this child had to go through but also represented the courage she had to go through such
extensive treatment. The father explained that the beads had meant so much to his daughter and
that he wanted to send the beads back to be displayed in memory of her. This situation, as well as
my volunteer experience in general, really touched me. It opened my eyes to what so many
children have to face at such a young age. I believe that this experience allowed me to gain even
more compassion for children with serious illnesses. Overall, I believe this will make me a better
pediatric nurse.
Would you recommend this specific communnity/professional experience in the future; why
or why not? (Describe)
I would recommend this experience in the future. I believe that it allowed me to see a different
side of what children go through in the hospital, other than what can be seen from the nurses
perspective. I think very highly of this organization and can see that they are very busy and can
use all the volunteers that they can get. I think that others would enjoy this experience and that it
can truly make a difference in their lives.

Brochure or proof of attendance obtained? No brochure available. Proof of attendance


verified through validation of clinical hours form.
Signature on validation of clinical hours form obtained? Yes

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