Kindred, a local service program, is seeking volunteers who are interested in dedicating time at Pacific Hills Manor, a skilled nursing facility located at 370 Noble Court in Morgan HIll, and “help residents enjoy the local community through group excursions and indoor activities.”
“Kindred is a program which aims to pair residents at Pacific Hills with a volunteer, their ‘companion’ with the goal of providing the residents with the joys—big and small—that come with being a part of the Morgan Hill community, many of which the rest of us often take for granted, from checking out our favorite books from the library to going for a movie or enjoying live music downtown on warm summer nights,” explained Sruthi Mantri, a volunteer with the activities department at Pacific Hills Manor.
Interested teens (age 16 and older) and adults who want to become part of Team Kindred should email ki***********@gm***.com or call (831) 236-4190.
Volunteers must have completed a 2-step TB test within the past year and be compassionate, friendly and enthusiastic about spending time with residents individually and in groups, according to Kindred.
“As I spent more and more time with residents individually, I observed the impact that quality time, no matter for how long, had on their emotional well-being,” Mantri siad. “With limited interaction with people outside their medical team, our residents immediately respond to visits from others.”
Through those experiences, Mantri, along with Pacific Hill Activities Director Yelena Pogadaeva-Swan, developed the volunteer program they call Team Kindred “as a way to bring together members of our community, from upperclassmen at Sobrato and Live Oak (High Schools) to retired citizens, who are interested in making a difference in the residents’ lives through group excursions and individual visits.”
To learn more about Pacific Hills Manor, visit covenantcare.com/Locations/Pacific-Hills-Manor/Programs-Services.
