![\"Barrett](\"https:\/\/news.furman.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/20201024_Homecoming_CarParade-72-1.jpg\")
Barrett Taylor ’21<\/p><\/div>\n
Her experience is part of the reason she volunteers with Heller Service Corps and why the elementary education major serves as student director.<\/p>\n
One of her favorite Heller projects is preparing stuffed animals that greet children upon being admitted to Prisma Health\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a simple activity \u2013 removing scarves and tags from a thousand new donated plush toys to make them safe for the kids. But that\u2019s the point, Taylor says.<\/p>\n
![\"Barrett](\"https:\/\/news.furman.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Heller-service-Corps-Barrett-Taylor-and-Addison-Smith-22.jpg\")
Barrett Taylor ’21 and Addison Smith ’22.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t take a lot of time to do something that will have a lasting impact on a child,” she says. “I think Furman students might feel nervous about the time commitment for volunteering, which makes complete sense. But we make it so easy and inclusive. Just walk in, no need to fill out an application, just find a cool project and start.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the onset of the pandemic, major events like the Fall Festival have been shelved. The event typically draws 600 children to campus from underserved areas for a day filled with games, carnival food and fun.<\/p>\n
With the resources at Heller, the goal this year is to reach children in other ways, like making crafts for kids at Children\u2019s Hospital and packaging crayons they can take home once they are discharged.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are doing smaller, more intimate projects,” Taylor explains. “Every Thursday, we do a pop-up event where we write cards of appreciation for our public school teachers, firefighters and others.”<\/p>\n
Taylor says the smaller, more manageable volunteer projects are meaningful not only for the children, but also for Furman students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the Furman bubble is very real,\u201d Taylor says.<\/p>\n
Doing something that doesn\u2019t take a lot of time, whether it\u2019s writing a quick note of thanks to the maintenance or custodial staff on campus or making encouragement bracelets for hospitalized children, gives students a chance to step back from classes and exams and focus on things outside of Furman.<\/p>\n
Taylor says taking an active role in the larger community is important. For Taylor, who grew up in Greenville and is a product of the county\u2019s public schools, she\u2019s happy that Heller gives her a chance to give back to the community that gave so much to her.<\/p>\n
For project inspiration, Taylor doesn\u2019t need to go far.<\/p>\n
![\"Nancy](\"https:\/\/news.furman.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Heller-service-corps-nancy-with-student-400.jpg\")
Nancy Cooper speaks with student volunteer Andrea Tucker ’24.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no one like Nancy Cooper,\u201d she says of Heller Service Corps’\u00a0coordinator of volunteer services.<\/p>\n
Known for her perfectly coiffed blond hair and eternal smile, Cooper has made an impression on Taylor and other volunteers at Heller.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s one of those people you meet once in a lifetime and you remember them for the rest of your life,\u201d Taylor says. \u201cShe thinks so deeply about the world around her, and she also thinks about how we can have the most impact on Greenville as we possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, with students returning home before Thanksgiving break, the traditional Holiday Giving Tree has become the Blessings Tree. Look for paper leaves on six trees throughout campus that contain wish list items from various local agencies. Everyone on campus is invited to take a leaf from the tree, purchase the item and drop it off at the Heller office in Trone Student Center.<\/p>\n
On top of the campus community-donated gifts, Heller has received $5,000 from an anonymous donor to purchase items for the agencies. Heller volunteers will distribute gifts before the break.<\/p>\n
Taylor says it has never been easier to volunteer at Furman. For more inspiration, ideas and ways to give, contact Barrett Taylor at barrett.taylor@furman.edu<\/a>, or Nancy Cooper at nancy.cooper@furman.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even if Barrett Taylor \u201921 had not undergone 12 surgeries and procedures over her 21-year span of life, she\u2019d likely still have a soft spot for volunteerism and children. Having […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":257,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,26,28,27,13,1],"tags":[569,570],"class_list":["post-9022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-department-page","category-administrative","category-education","category-student-life","category-top-four-news-4th-story","category-uncategorized","tag-prisma-health-childrens-hospital","tag-volunteerism"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/257"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9022\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}