Volunteering in Cape Town!

Taran Lancaster Start Date: May 15, 2016 - End Date: Jun 25, 2016
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Volunteer Trip
  • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

My Travel Story

by: Taran Lancaster Start Date: May 15, 2016 - End Date: Jun 25, 2016
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Volunteer Trip
Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for looking at my Cape Town funding page!
In July, I will gratefully be living in Cape Town, South Africa for a month while I volunteer at the Red Cross Children's Hospital.  As a Child Life student, this experience will allow me to grow more professionally and diversify my experiences working with sick children.  I have volunteered at the American Family Children's Hospital for three semesters, and have fallen in love with my future career even more.  I would love to see how hospitals across the world are implementing their own child care services and bring back those ideas to Madison. 
As I have been working toward this aspiration for the past two years, I have put forth a solid effort to obtain funding.  I have worked on and off campus during the school year and summer to create savings.  However, I also live quite the busy and dedicated college life.  Many of my days this semester went from 8 AM - 8 PM with a small window in between it all.  This is due to my involvement in work, theatre, courses, volunteering, and practicum hours.  However, I have managed to obtain a 4.0 GPA 3/4 of my semesters at Edgewood (silly Statistics class).  My effort has proved how dedicated and passionate I am for the Child Life field.  I will portray this same dedication to the children in South Africa. 
In May, I am lucky to be attending the National Child Life Conference in Florida to learn more about my field and network with future places of employment.  I am so excited for the educational resources that I will gain, but this trip also adds expenses, which has cut into my Cape Town fund slightly due to flights, hotels, and transportation. 
In Cape Town, I will not be provided with complimentary transportation to and from the hospital on a daily basis.  I will also have food expenses, and would love to experience any local excursions.
Thank you for reading about my dream, and I cannot wait to share it with you soon,
Taran Elizabeth Lancaster
  • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

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