After a 33-year career as a Registered Nurse (RN), SOAR365 volunteer Kim Lynch brought her valuable skills to Camp Baker this summer. There, she served a group of campers who benefited from her expertise and attention to detail gained through decades of working with patients and their families.
The camp experience was new for Kim because her nursing career had been dedicated to labor and delivery – first as a nurse manager and later as an investigator for the licensing boards.
“I enjoyed learning more about SOAR365 and seeing the Camp Baker facility, as well as meeting the campers and their families,” she recalls. When Kim saw counselors greeting incoming campers, she said they made “an instant connection.” She also appreciated the experience that the counselors brought to camp. “The counselors had such diverse backgrounds. They focused on helping the campers feel comfortable,” she said, “and they never looked tired!”
In her volunteer role, Kim verified and checked in medications that participants require during their stay at Camp Baker. Each pill must be counted, and the lists can be extensive. For example, one camp session with 55 participants required the careful logging of more than 300 medications. This is a critical responsibility and a valuable service to help campers stay healthy.
Kim recruited her friend Cindy LaFever, also an RN, to volunteer on two camp check-in days. Cindy recently retired from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at MCV. “She was very familiar with the needs of camp participants and jumped at the opportunity to help,” said Kim. “We had conversations after camp ended and talked about how much we valued our time there.”
Based on her years of service, Kim has discovered that choosing to volunteer is a personal decision that is unique for each individual. “Volunteering incorporates the sharing of your time, talents, and treasures. There also has be a connection with the mission of the organization.”
Growing up in the Methodist church fostered Kim’s volunteer spirit from a young age. She helped the elderly through church service projects, assisting with youth activities, and later oversaw her church’s involvement with hosting CARITAS. She knows that she has been blessed and is committed to giving back as an expression of thanks.
Since retiring last year, Kim has been giving back a LOT. She volunteers regularly at the GoochlandCares Food Pantry, including that organization’s golf tournament and Jingle Bell Bazaar fund-raising events, as well as at the Goochland Animal Shelter. Kim also enjoys reading for children at her church daycare and serving as the acting co-chair of the auction committee for the American Cancer Society Cattle Baron’s Ball!
“Through volunteering, I have met some of the most interesting people and developed longstanding friendships,” she adds. “I find that I always learn something through volunteer experiences.”
Kim is building on a long career of helping others. “Being a nurse means you are often called for advice about medical issues or to help with care. I always welcome these calls and the chance to help and promote good health practices,” she explains. “In the last 10 years, I have taken care of my parents who both had a terminal illness, assisted in the care of two close girlfriends with breast cancer, cared for my best friend from diagnosis to her untimely passing from colon cancer, traveled to assist an elderly cousin having joint surgery, and am currently the primary caregiver for my mother-in-law who is being treated for bladder cancer. I don’t feel burdened by helping my family and friends. I feel blessed that I can and am able.”
SOAR365 is very grateful for Kim’s assistance at Camp Baker and her ongoing commitment to serving others!