Before today’s service, I had little
knowledge of childhood healthcare, and I had no idea how many factors influence
the health of a child. For our first service project, we worked with today was
Kids Grow at Hulsey elementary school, teaching first and third graders from
high poverty areas about water awareness in the school’s garden classroom. I
always am hesitant about working with kids because I am always afraid that I am
not good with kids, but it was very rewarding. I was amazed at how smart the
kids were, and how open they were to eating fresh vegetables from the garden. I
think it is important for kids to grow up with an awareness of where their food
comes from and how much work it takes to grow it, since most only know that
food comes from the grocery store. They gain an understanding of this from
growing vegetables in the garden. Today they also learned that in many
countries other than the United States, clean water can be very difficult to
obtain.
The
second service project of the day brought us to the Lowcountry Food Bank where
we packed 360 boxes of food to be distributed to families in need. This was my
favorite project of the day. I really enjoy physically working, watching full
boxes being stacked up and sent off to families. It really made me feel
accomplished and satisfied. I really felt like I was doing something good for
the community.
The
third project of the day led us to Medical University of South Carolina
Children’s Hospital, where we learned of a program that tries to combat
childhood obesity with a holistic approach. The program focused on both child
and parent education involving cooking healthy meals, buying food on wa budget,
exercise improvement, lifestyle changes, and portion control. This lecture
really helped me understand the many factors that lead to obesity in a child.
It is not just overeating—it is a combination mental health, physical health,
and family habits. The approach to combat the problem therefore must be
holistic, addressing all aspects that contribute. I learned that this is truly
the case for all issues involving childhood health care, and all solutions must
address this.
This trip has really caused me to
think about what I should major in. I am always wavering between biology/Pre-Med
or something else like environmental science and policy. However, visiting MUSC
and spending a week thinking about health care is making me want to pursue
Pre-Med again. I always think I am not smart enough and get nervous about
challenging myself. Today, though, I was inspired by the women I encountered
and all they had accomplished. Both Kids Grow and the heart healthy program
were started by women—women who had a dream and made it a reality. I admire
these women, and after today I am newly inspired to pursue my dreams.
~ Annelise Buck
~ Annelise Buck
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