"Kristy, it's time to wake up," her mother said as she gently tapped her arm, "remember, we're volunteering at the nursing home today!"

"Mom, do we really have to go? I don't want to be around all the smelly old people." Kristy questioned.

"Kristy, do not call them that! Yes, we are still going. We made a commitment to go," her mother replied.

"If you say so," Kristy scoffed, as she got up to get ready for the day ahead.

After Kristy got ready, she went to eat some freshly made breakfast that her mother made. She continued to try and convince her mother that they should not go to the nursing home.

"Mom, do those old people really even need us to help out? I mean, they have nurses there to take care of them, they don't need us," Kristy pressured.

"Kristy, the elderly don't get many visitors. We could be making a positive impact on their day just by spending time with them," her mother countered.

"Well, I won't be having a good time. I really just want to stay home and practice for soccer," Kristy begged.

"Kristy, I don't want to have this conversation anymore. You are going to the nursing home. Who knows, maybe you will have a good time and learn a thing or two. Come on, finish up your breakfast and we'll get going," her mother declared.

Kristy finished up her food, and they both headed to the car to drive to the nursing home. Kristy maintained a look of disgust upon her face.

Kristy and her mother arrived at the nursing home. They headed inside to receive their volunteer assignments.

"Welcome to Bright Oaks! I assume that you some of our volunteers for today" the front desk assistant said.

"Indeed we are," Kristy's mother answered.

"Awesome, we are so excited to have you. I'll take you and your daughter to your volunteer assignments in just a minute," the lady warmly stated.

 Bright Oaks

    Nursing          Home

The front desk assistant accompanied Kristy and her mother to their different volunteer stations.

"Mrs. Lowe, we will have you in the dining room today! You will be helping the staff serve meals and interact with residents. Your daughter will be a few rooms over if you need to visit her at all," stated the front desk assistant.

"Have a good time, Kristy. If you need anything, I'll be in here. You can do this," her mother comforted.

Kristy's mother walked into the dining hall, while the front desk assistant accompanied Kristy to a room down the hall.

"Kristy, welcome to the recreation room! This a space where our residents can play games, watch television, make crafts, or simply just hang out. Make sure to interact with the residents and get them any activity materials that they would like. If you need any help, feel free to come ask me," the front desk lady exclaimed.

The front desk assistant left, and Kristy stepped into the recreation room with a look of annoyance on her face. She found a chair in the corner to sit, and pulled out her phone to play some mobile games. She mumbled to herself, "even though Mom made me come, she can't make me like it."

A few minutes later, an elderly woman approached Kristy. "Young lady, would you mind helping me cut this paper? My fingers don't have as much dexterity as they did at your age," the woman inquired.

Kristy silently walked over to the table and cut the lady's paper for her. The elderly woman thanked Kristy, but Kristy headed back to her chair in the corner.

A few minutes later, the same woman came up to her, and said "sweetie, how about you come and sit at the craft table with me? It might be nice to take some time away from your phone."

The statement from the elderly woman boiled Kristy's blood. She thought to herself, "what does she even know about my phone and I? She's being so rude!"

However, since it was her obligation, Kristy followed the elderly lady to sit by her at the craft table.

"What type of craft will you make? There are so many options," the elderly lady questioned.

"Nothing, I'm just going to sit here," Kristy said as a snide remark.

"Oh, what a pity, these crafts are so fun! Also, I never introduced myself. My name is Miss Agnes," the elderly woman beamed.

Kristy wanted to remain silent, but she knew that she must engage in conversation with Miss Agnes. Though, she planned to keep her responses to a minimum.

"I'm Kristy," Kristy mumbled.

Agnes replied, "nice to meet you, Kristy! So tell me, are crafts not your thing? What do you like to do for fun?"

"I like to play soccer with my friends. I play on my school's team," Kristy said, disengaged.

"No way," Miss Agnes practically yelled, "I used to play soccer when I was in school, years ago! I was a goalie!"

"Really? I play goalie too," Kristy exclaimed. This caught Kristy off guard, as she never expected for her and an elderly person to have something in common.

Miss Agnes replied, "What a crazy coincidence! How long have you been playing for?"

"I've been playing for 5 years! I really hope to be able to play professionally someday," Kristy cheered.