Celebrating service

CSER volunteer receives award and scholarship for commitment to serving the elderly

When Anna Cooper began volunteering at Spring Arbor of Albemarle Assisted Living in Albemarle, North Carolina during her sophomore year of high school, she never could have imagined the impact she would have on the elderly or the lessons she would learn.

“The experience of learning from them is far richer than my ability to serve them,” Cooper, a junior nursing student at Liberty University, said.

Cooper was honored at Convocation Friday, April 22 for winning this school year’s Christian/community service (CSER) volunteer of the year award.

Dr. Lew Weider, director of the CSER department, presented the recipient with the award, while Tyler Falwell, the director of Alumni Relations, presented Cooper with a $5,000 scholarship from the green cord campaign.

At the award presentation, Cooper was joined by Christy Crisco, activities director at Spring Arbor, and the CSER supervisor who nominated Cooper for the award.

“It did not matter what was asked of her,” Crisco said of Cooper in her nomination. “She was there, and she did it cheerfully, lovingly and always with a smile. She brought a joy and a young spirit with her each day that she came. The residents would look forward to when Ms. Anna was coming.”

Cooper began volunteering at Spring Arbor for her senior project in high school, but it has developed into a passion she has maintained in college and also the place where she completes her required 20 hours per semester of CSER credit.

She said she would spend time with the Spring Arbor residents doing whatever was needed.

“Women all love manicures, so I would do that,” Cooper said.

“Then (I’d be) getting them into the dining hall and doing various activities, games, going on outings,doing Bible readings.” Crisco said Cooper was a special volunteer that residents would always enjoy having visit. “Their eyes would just sparkle when she would come in,” Crisco said.

Cooper said her goal in volunteering at Spring Arbor was not to get the hours and be done.

She wanted to get to know the residents personally.

“I wanted them to feel like I didn’t want to just pop in,” Cooper said.

“I wanted to create relationships with them if possible. There’s a lot of Alzheimer patients as well, and just to learn how to help with them and to be there alongside them and their struggles and just to be patient with them is a lot of times just what they need.”

Crisco spoke highly of Cooper, saying she would put in more hours than necessary because she was deeply invested in the lives of the residents of Spring Arbor.

“She would come even when I didn’t know she was coming,” Crisco said.

“It wasn’t like it was scheduled when she was coming. She would just pop in when she had free time. She would come in before she went to her job. She would come in when she got off of her job. She would come in on holidays… She was just wonderful. She went above and beyond what a volunteer did.”

Despite a busy schedule of nursing classes and a double minor in Spanish and psychology, Cooper still makes time to visit the residents of Spring Arbor whenever she can.

Crisco said her commitment and kindness were why Cooper deserved the award.

“I think it’s just her compassion, her willingness to want to be there,” Crisco said.

“It wasn’t like she was there because she had to have hours. She was there because she wanted to be. Volunteers don’t get paid. She was a willing volunteer. She wasn’t there because she had to, and that’s why I nominated her. I wouldn’t nominate somebody that was just doing it because they had to.”

Rodriguez is the news editor.