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Volunteer Appreciation Week 2022

Each year, National Volunteer Week is commemorated in appreciation of the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our volunteer leaders. From our health centers to our communities, Planned Parenthood volunteers live their values, showing up daily for our patients in many forms. Their extra hands are deeply appreciated in times of need.

This year, National Volunteer Week is celebrated from April 17 – April 23. This week, we are highlighting five volunteers, who share their stories about why volunteering for Planned Parenthood means so much to them.

Amanda

Why do I volunteer at Planned Parenthood?

I volunteer as a hand holder at the Planned Parenthood health center in Trenton. As a hand holder, I sit with patients before and after they have had an abortion and provide company, an empathetic ear, or anything else they might need in the moment — including, often, a literal hand to hold. I’m happy to be there for the patients and to help the staff; they are the ones doing the real work.

How do you feel your volunteerism help protect and maintain reproductive justice?

I am a lawyer by training and chose to spend the last decade and a half at home taking care of my family, but I was called to action after seeing abortion rights threatened across the country, and knew I needed to get out and do something to help.

 

Anna

Why do I volunteer at Planned Parenthood?

A few years ago I started to feel that my life priorities have changed and I needed to find something that would feed my soul. So I left a highly lucrative IT executive position and decided to spend my time volunteering. Planned Parenthood was one of the organizations that I wanted to align myself with because they are often the only health care providers in a community that address reproductive health care.

How do you feel your volunteerism help protect and maintain reproductive justice?

I feel that women’s rights in America, and especially reproductive rights, are constantly under assault. It takes each and everyone of us to unite in that fight, in order for women to achieve true equality. I find my work in various health centers a rewarding experience and a simple “thank you” from the staff or a patient gives me that soul-warming feeling that I was searching for.

 

Ciara

Why do I volunteer at Planned Parenthood?

I volunteer at Planned Parenthood because I want to be a part of an organization that prides itself in nurturing and providing unbiased support to its community members. Planned Parenthood does so much to help protect everyone’s sexual health. I’m so thankful to been given the opportunity to volunteer at an organization that genuinely wants to provide a safe space for all people to get the help that they need regardless of what that help may be. The staff and volunteers at Planned Parenthood make people feel comfortable and welcomed when they are at the center. They never judge your decisions and support you from the moment you walk through the doors and the moment you leave them. I could not be more proud to be a part of the Planned Parenthood team. 

How do you feel your volunteerism help protect and maintain reproductive justice?

I feel that my volunteerism at Planned Parenthood helps to protect and maintain reproductive justice because it gives women the freedom to make the choices that they feel are necessary. As a college student, it feels great knowing that Planned Parenthood exists because they are easily accessible for any of my sexual health and reproductive health needs. I have the choice to decide what I want to do with my body and my life. I don’t have to compromise because a solution is out of reach. They provide everything that I need to feel safe and comfortable while at the center. I leave there knowing I made the right decision. 

 

Katie

Why do I volunteer at Planned Parenthood?

I believe every woman - and every person - should have the right to make their own decisions regarding their body and their future, and no one should hinder or make those decisions for someone else. The right to choose belongs to every woman - regardless of background or socioeconomic status. By volunteering with Planned Parenthood, I am supporting that right for all. Planned Parenthood health centers also provide so many other health-related services for all people, which is critical to the overall health of our community.

How do you feel your volunteerism help protect and maintain reproductive justice?

Part of what we do as volunteers is hand holding and making the patient experience more comfortable. I serve as a support system for the center and for the patients that come in. I also work to keep the back office organized and running as efficiently as possible. The more efficient the center, the better the patient experience. To support the Planned Parenthood health center helps its future and protects access to care for so many.

 

Rebecca

Why do I volunteer at Planned Parenthood?

I volunteer with Planned Parenthood, as well as other organizations that provide opportunities to young girls, because I am dedicated to supporting initiatives and programs that empower women.

How do you feel your volunteerism help protect and maintain reproductive justice?

I believe that reproductive freedom is an essential element of gender equality. A woman that doesn’t have the agency to make her own reproductive decisions will have arduous barriers to overcome in order to reach her full potential. As the proud mother of a young daughter, I teach her that everyone should have the right to decide when, how and if to have a family.

 

I was lucky enough to be born into a country where my right to choose was guaranteed to me since birth. With the future of Roe v. Wade in jeopardy, I am frightened that my daughter, as well as millions of other women and Americans, may not grow up with the same freedom. By volunteering, I hope to add my small part to the overall effort to support reproductive justice and fight for access to health care everywhere.