With Walk4ALZ in the rear view mirror, an event we couldn’t put on without our incredible volunteers, we want to highlight some of their work in our organization. Through different programs like ALZ Companions, VITALZ, social activities, and other virtual roles, they’re able to directly help people impacted by dementia, while incorporating the experiences into their work. Here are three recent volunteers who have written pieces about different aspects of dementia:

Chad Mahony

Chad Mahony was one of our service-learning volunteers continuing his education by completing service hours to reach the schooling requirements for his career. As a recent graduate of CSU San Marcos, he hoped to learn how to better support individuals living with Alzheimer’s, since he has family affected by the disease. In Chad’s assignment, he tackled the increasingly important topic of how to know if research–specifically Alzheimer’s and dementia research–is valid, reliable, and significant. Read more about how to identify best research practices.

Jessica Rodriguez

Jessica Rodriguez was one of our virtual interns from Miami, Florida and has been blind since birth. Jess earned her BS in Social Work from Liberty University, with a minor in Psychology and Special Education. She’s currently earning her master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Kentucky with the ultimate goal of becoming a licensed clinical social worker. Her interest in the field began when her grandfather was diagnosed with dementia and a social worker came to visit their home while he was on hospice in 2013. Jess has always enjoyed helping others and connecting people to resources in the community. According to her, service is at the heart of social work, and she wants to be sure that people have the support they need to live a healthy and happy life. When not studying, Jess enjoys listening to music and singing, as well as spending time with friends and family. In her intern paper, Jessica discussed from a personal perspective how blind and visually impaired children and teens can learn to connect with individuals who are living with dementia.

Michelle Reuwer

Michelle Reuwer was one of our organization’s virtual interns and did a lot in her volunteer role. Michelle (right) pictured with her cousin (left) in front of the Hotel del Coronado is a native of San Diego and loves our coastal city. As a senior at San Diego State University majoring in gerontology and hoping to one day become a clinical social worker, Michelle considers herself to be extremely caring, empathetic, and understanding – traits she hopes to apply to her future career helping others establish support systems. According to Michelle, her social work research class last semester really solidified her love of conducting research on almost any topic. You can read Michelle’s researched and detailed summary of the 100+ page 2022 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report.

If you’d like to volunteer or intern at Alzheimer’s San Diego, contact our Volunteer Specialist, Lindsey Proctor, at lproctor@alzsd.org or visit our volunteer page. Additionally, you can also contact Lindsey at the same email if you’re interested in receiving the volunteer monthly newsletter to see more about our volunteers and what they do.

By Lindsey Proctor & Braulio Ambriz