Donovan Heymer, Volunteer Program Assistant
Our Volunteer Program Assistant, Donovan Heymer was asked to reflect on his overall experience serving at Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly so far this year. Below are some words he shared about his favorite memories of service, lessons he’s learned, accomplishments and places he’s been able to explore while in Boston this past semester.
“Halftime! I’m now almost at my 6 month mark of being part of LBFE Boston and I really love my work here! My work is a lot of fun, I meet different people- elders and students- from several countries with different stories. You must know, this is my first job ever and I’m absolutely happy with my tasks and colleagues.
I never expected it to be so nice here. I really like to go to the CitySites, speak with elders, help them with technology problems and play some games together. The thing I like most is helping elders with technology questions because they are so thankful if I can find a solution. Through my work as a Volunteer Program Assistant for LBFE, I’ve learned different important things for my future life, like how to work in the US (together with other cultures), it’s different than in Germany. I became more focused at work and thankful for little things. I’ve never had a schedule like this and I really like the idea to be organized at work. In the last few weeks, I’ve really gotten the feeling of arriving in Boston, because elders told me at our Thanksgiving party how happy they are to see us every week.
Boston is a really great city! I really like the night skyline and Boston Common, but also Jamaica Pond. My favorite place so far is Dorchester Bay where you can see the planes approaching. I want to explore more in the US, maybe I will go next summer to Los Angeles or visit my favorite City – San Francisco. The wintertime is really cold here in Boston, more than in Germany. I hope the Spring comes fast.
I’m really thankful for my colleagues support here at LBFE. I think the time here will be one of the best memories of my life. I have never grown so quickly, both personally and professionally, like I did here in Boston –learning to live alone, far away from home and first time living together with a flat mate. I am really happy to be here and I can now say, I want to visit Boston after my service in the next years. I wish you all happy holidays and Merry Christmas!”
We are very appreciative of Donovan’s role as Team Leader at our CitySites this year and we look forward to seeing what’s in store for next semester!
Remember to check out next week’s blog to see who will be highlighted then!
If you want to stay updated on what we do at LBFE, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.