You Get What You Give

“Hospice has a stigma because it comes at the end of life, but it’s really an acceptance of the end of life. We’re all connected to it. We will all eventually die. My experience with hospice made me want to live a better life and do the things I’ve been afraid to do.” — Molly Jones, volunteer

Molly Jones is a very special volunteer at Crossroads. As a student at the University of Central Oklahoma, Molly is focusing her studies on Family Services and Gerontology. She chose to complete her practicum with Crossroads—180 volunteer hours over the course of a semester—after watching her grandmother’s meaningful hospice experience.

“My grandmother spent a year on hospice so I understood it from the family side,” Molly explains. “I wanted to learn more about what social workers, bereavement coordinators and chaplains do for patients.”

Throughout her volunteer work, she completed a life journal, helped with special events at facilities and visited with patients. “I spent a lot of time sitting with patients and listening to music. I spent time talking with one patient in particular who offered me a lot of guidance on the importance of bringing the right people into your life.”

Molly also participated in one of our 12-week Grief Recovery Groups. “I found the Grief Recovery Group benefited me personally as well as benefiting my professional life,” Molly says. “I was able to learn how to better communicate with those who are grieving and see what grief looks life, and to see how people come out of grief as I came out of my own grief.”

When it comes to the entire hospice experience, Molly says this: “I really believe in what it does for families … Most of all it taught me to be thankful for what [I] have and the position that [I’m] in. “

We’re so thankful that Molly will continue her relationship with Crossroads in the future. “Just because my classwork is over, that doesn’t mean my volunteer work with Crossroads will stop. I got so much out of it,” she says.

She’s also become a strong advocate for volunteers, telling others about her time at Crossroads: “I would encourage anyone to volunteer with Crossroads Hospice. It’s a unique experience where you step out of yourself and learn a lot about yourself. Volunteering is important because you help other people, but you don’t realize how much you’re really helping yourself.”