AND VOLUNTEER Sacred Heart Students Put Their Hearts Into Their Work

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Cody West
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Winter Issue 2014 Intern Recognition Event Wed. March 19 3 pm - 4 pm (Recreation Room at 39 Lindeman Dr.) Don t Miss It!

..6 Caitlyn Doyle (right) one of two social work interns from Sacred Heart University does beading with Kennedy Center participant Scott Como.

Interns from Sacred Heart s three department s, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Social Work, are volunteering or doing internships at The Kennedy Center, and couldn t be happier!

1 Winter Issue 2014 Intern Recognition Event Wed. March 19 3 pm - 4 pm (Recreation Room at 39 Lindeman Dr.) Don t Miss It! AND VOLUNTEER Sacred Heart Students Put Their Hearts Into Their Work Table of Contents Sacred Heart...1 Wonder Wall...2 Meet Our Work Study Student Meet Volunteer Stephen Cohen..5 Camp Tepee...6 Caitlyn Doyle (right) one of two social work interns from Sacred Heart University does beading with Kennedy Center participant Scott Como. Temperatures may be hovering above zero this month, but for Sacred Heart, University it is hotter than ever! Interns from Sacred Heart s three department s, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Social Work, are volunteering or doing internships at The Kennedy Center, and couldn t be happier! For several years now, The Kennedy Center has provided an opportunity for students from the Pre-PT Club to get experience working within the Senior Options program, just one of 27 Community Experience day programs serving people with intellectual, and often, other disabilities. This month, several first year graduate students from the Occupational Therapy department, with joint supervision coming from the school, have begun their interning in a variety of Kennedy Center programs. One undergraduate and one graduate social work student are presently doing internships at Project Option in Woodbridge and Project Spirit and Senior Options in Trumbull. Goals of the program are to learn about the agency including specific language used in the industry, the culture, setting and the mechanics of the program. Throughout their internship, students work towards developing a rapport and trust with the clients including documentation regarding their interactions while regularly meeting with faculty and fellow students to discuss their experiences. Being able to work in their chosen field, and to work with people having disabilities, for many is a life changing event that they will never forget.

Our Wonder Wall of Interns and Volunteers Our Stars!

Spirit, one of the newest Community Experience programs to open in Trumbull, CT.

2 Our Wonder Wall of Interns and Volunteers Our Stars! Caitlyn Doyle (left) a Sacred Heart University social work intern at Project Spirit shows off a photo with Kennedy Center staff member Sarah Diaz (right). Diaz, a recent social work graduate at Sacred Heart University, has become a wonderful mentor to Caitlyn at Project Spirit, one of the newest Community Experience programs to open in Trumbull, CT. Marilyn Joseph (right) a Therapeutic Recreation student from Utica College, poses with supervisor Chris Gerety. Joseph is doing a hour internship during the Winter/Spring semester. Cathy Lindstrom, a dedicated volunteer, helps support the agency with various administrative and office related tasks.

Sacred Heart Physical Therapy Student Jackie Rizzitelli Skates Through Her Work Study Jackie Rizzitelli may be one of the busiest students at Sacred Heart due to her hectic schedule of participating

3 Sacred Heart Physical Therapy Student Jackie Rizzitelli Skates Through Her Work Study Jackie Rizzitelli may be one of the busiest students at Sacred Heart due to her hectic schedule of participating on a synchronized skating team, school, practice, work study and job teaching skating. Somehow Jackie manages to do it all...and do it well! Jackie is one of the work study students at The Kennedy Center currently interning at Project Ability and Seniors Options in Trumbull doing over 100 hours within two semesters. Jackie is an undergraduate physical therapy student majoring in exercise science. Ms. Rizzitelli chose The Kennedy Center partly due to the urging of her mother, the Director of The Lighthouse after-school program in Bridgeport, but primarily due to her interest in the field of physical therapy. Jackie began competitive ice skating at the age of 6 and as a result of some skating injuries began seeing a physical therapist. Jackie believes the time she spent with her physical therapist gave her the idea to consider it for a future career. Jackie felt The Kennedy Center would be a perfect place to do her work study since she had already worked with children having special needs at a local hockey camp. The overall experience of creating relationships with consumers is something that really appeals to me, Jackie said. Currently Jackie is doing exercise routines and some one-on-one work with a senior participant, including utilizing puzzles and money as a way to help improve her memory. Jackie said she was pleased to see the progress her participant was making in many areas. Jackie looks forward to going out on more community outings in the Spring. The best part of my internship is every day when I arrive, the consumers always greet me by my name. That means a great deal to me! she added.

experience program where she is currently doing her internship.

4 Staff at Seniors Options enjoy a moment to pose with their intern. Jackie Rizzatelli (right) displays two skating outfits she has worn at skating competitions to seniors at the community experience program where she is currently doing her internship. The event ties in with the Olympic week part of the programming at Senior Options where they "compete" in different games. Jackie also brought in her ice skating medals and pictures including videos from her synchronized ice skating competition

5 Volunteer Steven Cohen Gets People Moving! Steven Cohen (right) works with Christopher Johnson (center) and Marisela Valentin at Project 20 in Strat- What began as an idea to volunteer a few hours a week before starting a new job, has become more of a labor of love for Steven Cohen. Cohen, a Certified Personal Trainer who resides in Monroe, said his main motivation for volunteering was to positively impact someone's life through exercise. His decision to volunteer at Project 20 and Project Voyage of Stratford, two of 27 community experience day programs at The Kennedy Center has been incredibly rewarding, although not without it s challenges. My primary goal in bringing a fitness program to The Kennedy Center is to increase each person's overall functional mobility to make it easier to navigate their day to day environment. This is a real challenge for this population and needs special attention. To achieve this, I've employed exercises that focus primarily on strengthening ligaments, tendons, and the core, all of which have a direct impact on improving a participant s range of motion, balance, stability, core strength, cardiovascular endurance, and agility. This can also result in enhancing a sense of well-being, self-esteem, and self-reliance, Cohen said. It's been very satisfying to watch some of the consumer's faces light up when I come in to train with them! said Cohen who received his Certified Personal Trainer certification in 2008 from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). His past volunteer work includes being a den leader for his son's Cub Scout troop, a coach for his Little League team; and "Lunch Bunch" reading enrichment program volunteer at Monroe Elementary School. More current volunteer work includes The ARC Sacred Center in Monroe and a member of the ARC-Angels Congregational Singers. He also is a newly appointed member/ vocalist of The Connecticut Chamber Choir based in Trumbull. My work as a fitness trainer helps to improve the flexibility, balance, and functional strength for those who are experiencing limited mobility. Working one-on-one or in small groups enables me to provide the eye contact & physical guidance necessary to hold each person's attention and keep them connected and engaged throughout the workout session. A majority of the exercises I incorporate are designed to use the consumer's body weight as the resistance mechanism, as opposed to using free weights or dumbbells. Maintaining a safe workout environment is essential for working with this population. Another important factor is to make the exercises fun. Participating with others also helps removes much of the boredom that can come from the often repetitiveness of a regular exercise program, added Cohen.

Winter Issue 2014 Share Your Ideas With Us! Do you have any great ideas for future articles? How do you like interning? Is your internship what you expected it to be?

org Volunteer Larry Ross (left) a student at Sacred Heart University, shows off his flower design, one of the Community Experience craft projects he helped to create

Yarn or yarn type materials are needed for consumers to use for knitting and crocheting projects.

6 Winter Issue 2014 Share Your Ideas With Us! Do you have any great ideas for future articles? How do you like interning? Is your internship what you expected it to be? What types of internships interest you? How has your internship been beneficial to you? What social media sites do you look at? Please us at Volunteer Larry Ross (left) a student at Sacred Heart University, shows off his flower design, one of the Community Experience craft projects he helped to create at Project Spirit in Trumbull. Please help donate to the Project Spirit Community Experience Program. Yarn or yarn type materials are needed for consumers to use for knitting and crocheting projects. If you would like to donate, please drop off materials at 39 Lindeman Drive in Trumbull or call Camp Tepee Volunteers Needed! June 23 August 15 Call for more information For more information contact Barbara Germak at (203) ext. 270 or us at bgermak@kennedyctr.org

Internship Application

Internship Application Bellin Health and its partner D1 Sports Training of Green Bay offer a unique opportunity for students studying Kinesiology, Exercise Science, Health Science, or other related fields.