Volunteering is almost always satisfying but sometimes in surprising ways. I am one of very few in the world who has been rewarded with an original poem quoted expressively by the poet as she sat waiting for her 15 minutes to pass. All six of us in the room leaned forward to hear her confident delivery through her mask. I’m picking up her book of poetry at my branch library next week!
The conversation among the next group of newly vaccinated folk and a staff member was a sobering contrast when they spoke of a mutual friend who had died as a result of CoVid19.
From other staff who came through to grab their lunch from the clinic's small kitchen, I learned about the heart of this clinic—the founder, Pastor Mary Overstreet—and her legacy of conviction about the clinic’s work. The current Medical Director, Dr. Jill Ginsberg, stopped to talk, and shared the news that NxNE will welcome Dr. Gina Guillaume as its new Medical Director in November. Dr. Guillaume is one of fewer than 20,000 Black female physicians in the nation.
I stood in the kitchen doorway adjacent to the post-vaccine waiting area as the Clinic Director, Suzy Jeffreys, made her lunch while reflecting on the past year, the value of the grant from ninety-nine girlfriends, the pleasure she takes in fund-raising as part of her work, and news of the pop-up clinic NxNE has been offering at a small market down the road. Their strategies for outreach also include a video supported in part by an additional grant I helped them apply for through First Unitarian Church’s Women’s Alliance.
As the day ended, three J&J shots were available, and those waiting to leave were asked to reach out for takers. As I headed to my car just outside the clinic, I asked a woman walking down the street toward me if she’d like to be vaccinated. She hesitated and then passed, but in the course of our exchange, I learned that she’s had the virus, is one of the long-haulers with continuing medical issues, but will only get the vaccine when it’s safe to fly to Italy where she’ll see her fiance from whom she’s been separated since a year ago February. She wanted to know if I was a doctor because she’s a student in Gerontology at PCC and is looking for an internship.
Oh, the surprising turns a volunteering experience can take, this one made possible by NxNE Medical Clinic. What a privilege. For more information on NxNE, visit their website at: nxneclinic.org
— Sherwin Davidson