Bedside Fun Co-ordinator (Evelina)

Isabelle Schiff

I have been involved with Bedside Fun Evelina for the past three years, two as a volunteer and one as an officer, and would love the opportunity to be co-ordinator this coming year. I always enjoyed the shifts that I was lucky enough to do in previous years and think it is such a great programme to get involved in. Although this year has been different, I have really enjoyed being an officer and would love to have a bigger role next year!

As co-ordinator, my main aims would be to secure funding early on and set up the information and training evening early in the year, including promotion during Fresher’s week. This way we could buy much needed new supplies and toys and students will be able to start volunteering as soon as possible! As well as setting up a WhatsApp group with all volunteers in it, I would always make sure that I’m available to call or text around the time of shifts to deal with any issues that might arise. I would also set up a Google form to make it easy for volunteers to give direct feedback and improve the programme as we go.

Through my role as Bedside Fun Evelina officer this year, although we were not able to start volunteering, I still loved the role and being on the Paed Soc committee! This has given me experience in being part of a volunteer programme team, promptly responding to queries via email and attending committee meetings. Through this, I have improved my organisation and communication skills which would allow me to continue the great working relationship between Bedside Fun and the volunteer coordinators at Evelina. Better organisation and communication also means everyone can focus more on volunteering and spending time with patients. I also know what it is like to be a volunteer so will prioritise being approachable and contactable during shifts to reply to any questions or issues. Overall, I would truly value the opportunity to contribute to this amazing volunteer programme which I’ve loved being a part of for 3 years.