Teenager Gives And Receives As Volunteer At Nursing Home

(From Valley Voice, February 6, 1997:) The subject of the “Saturday’s People” profile in the Feb. 1 edition of the Valley Voice, Kristin James, was identifed by the wrong name, as was her father, Ron James. Our apologies.

Thirteen-year-old Kristin Smith has the wisdom of a woman far beyond her teens.

The Greenacres girl sees importance in the young supporting the old and knows, firsthand, the blessing senior citizens can be to a teenager.

For almost a year, Kristin has been volunteering on Saturdays at Spokane Valley Good Samaritan Village, a skilled nursing and assisted living facility.

“Not many people volunteer here,” she said. “But if people went for a visit just once, I know they’d like to go back.”

Her stint began as a way to earn extra credit at school and soon became something she loved to do.

“She has yet to fill out one slip to get the credit,” says proud father, Ron Smith.

Playing games, serving coffee and doughnuts, sharing small talk are some of the things that make time spent there so worthwhile.

“And if we run out of things to do, I go to the secretaries to ask for extra work,” she said with a giggle.

But her favorite thing to do is spend time with resident Mackey Brown, 88.

The retired man has taken up writing and taken a liking to watching Kristin’s literary talents unfold.

“I usually help him write letters to telephone companies in other states and countries,” she said. “He uses them to find people in other cities who he needs to talk to for books he’s writing.”

In time, Brown began encouraging Kristin to write.

“I’d written things before but my heart wasn’t in it,” she said. “Then I wrote a poem about him.”

With this poem, she was writing for someone else, wanting to reach out to them.

“Your work turns out better when you write things with your heart,” she said.

Brown came back with another challenge for the budding writer: write a poem about Good Samaritan Village.

Then, write a poem using the Apostles’ Creed as a guide.

“That’s the one I just couldn’t do,” she said.

There’s not much she shies away from doing, though. When residents request something of her, she is more than happy to help out.

“It’s wonderful that a young person cares so much for older people,” said Kristin’s mother, Mary Ellen.

“The bonus in the deal is that she’s our daughter,” said Ron.

Throughout the week, Kristin, a Greenacres Junior High student, pours her heart into math, a subject she “just loves.” Social Studies? “I’m learning to like it.”

She also is learning how to train her family’s new puppy, a 10-week-old German Shepherd named Duke. “He likes to lick my hair when I’m going to sleep,” she said. Then the two cuddle up for the night.

As for her work at Good Samaritan, Kristin sees herself staying there for a while. “I don’t think it’s boring at all,” she said. “One of my friends quit because she said she couldn’t relate to the older people.”

But not Kristin. She knows how much her time is appreciated by the chuckles and smiling faces that come her way each Saturday. Precious time for both. It makes her feel good about herself.

Said Kristin, “It makes them feel young.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: Saturday’s People is a regular Valley Voice feature profiling remarkable individuals in the Valley. If you know someone who would be a good profile subject, please call editor Mike Schmeltzer at 927-2170.