Our volunteers are at the heart of what we do at Alzheimer’s San Diego. From ALZ Companions and VITALZ volunteers to social activities and Walk4ALZ volunteers, they are incredibly appreciated for the help and heart they provide not only to us, but to our community. The connections they make with clients come in a variety of ways. Take long-distance volunteer Jacob Moore from New York for example. He was talking to his companion about his time in the Navy, and Jacob was inspired to find a video of his companion’s old ship. In his words, “it unlocked so many great, really vivid memories for him. It was amazing!”
Volunteers come from many different backgrounds, ages, cultures, and experiences, so we love seeing what route they take in their journey to learn about dementia and helping how they can. One VITALZ volunteer, Ron Peterson, lost his vision a few years ago but has still found ways to continue volunteering and helping the Alzheimer’s community has given him “greater purpose” in life. To celebrate our volunteers, we’ve highlighted a few people whose work provides real value and helps us learn more about Alzheimer’s disease through different lenses.
Omar Castro
Omar Castro is a 23-year-old student attending California State University, San Marcos and is one of our remote service learners. He’s majoring in Psychology with a minor in Biology, and aims to become a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral and cognitive psychology. Omar enjoys activities like reading, calisthenics, and playing guitar in his spare time. Click below to check out one of Omar’s various submissions, an analysis of various advertisements targeted towards paid care partners.
Daniel Nunez
Daniel Nunez is a 22-year-old student in his final semester at California State University, San Marcos. While he hopes to work assisting individuals living with schizophrenia at Crestwood Behavioral Health, he’s open to other possible career prospects, such as trade school. Outside of academics, Daniel enjoys spending his free time rock climbing and skateboarding. See Daniel’s thoroughly written summary of the 150+ page National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease: 2020 Update.
Akeisha Iskandar
Akeisha Iskandar is one of our current virtual interns. At 20 years old, she’s a dedicated psychology student currently studying at the University of San Diego. Akeisha aims to discover accessible UX designs that would help her to contribute to making a difference in the lives of individuals living with disabilities in Indonesia. Akeisha is a morning person, loves going to the gym, reading, baking, and playing golf. Check out one of Akeisha’s various intern submissions, a summary of our Dementia 101 class.
If you’d like to volunteer or intern at Alzheimer’s San Diego, contact our Volunteer Specialist, Lindsey Proctor, at lproctor@alzsd.org or visit our volunteer page. On the page you may also access details regarding the positions we are currently seeking, Social Activity Assistants and VITALZ volunteers.
By Lindsey Proctor & Braulio Ambriz
