Educating kids about health through germ boxes was a highlight of my experience working with the Mexican migrant community in Livingston County.
As a college senior studying public health and nursing, I had the chance to help develop a 5-week summer camp and to create and lead one-hour sessions on health topics such as nutrition, exercise, and personal hygiene.
The Summer Kids Camp was part of El Cuidado de Nuestros Vecinos (Caring for Our Neighbors), a partnership between Nazareth College and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester Migrant Ministry. This initiative is funded by grants from the Greater Rochester Health and Mother Cabrini Health foundations.
I worked with other Nazareth faculty and students as well as staff from the Diocese.
I got involved in this effort because Dr. Mary Dahl Maher — my advisor — approached me with the opportunity. I was excited to take part, because I had an interest in working with underserved communities, both locally and globally. This project gave me a lot of independence and flexibility in developing my hour-long sessions and I believed it would be a great opportunity to really see what I could do! It felt like a great culminating point in my nursing and public health programs, bringing the two together in a hands-on project with the support of my advisor.
My big hit came during the third week of camp. I chose a theme of personal hygiene and I brought in the special germ boxes from Nazareth’s Nursing & Public Health Department. The kids spread a special lotion on their hands and put their hands in the box, where a black light made the lotion show brightly all over their hands. Then the kids washed their hands and put their hands back into the box, seeing spots where any lotion was still there. The activity showed how washing your hands removes germs and illuminates where to work on washing better.
This week was by far the most enjoyable and it was noteworthy for me because it showed a new level of comfort for the kids with the staff. The kids made everyone working at the camp try the lotion and the germ box, and everyone had a blast.
While one goal of the camp was to teach hygiene, another goal was to provide a safe place where the kids felt comfortable — and this week made me feel confident that we were accomplishing both goals. I felt like our camp truly made a difference in the lives of these kids and made their summer more enjoyable. This was the week that felt like we were achieving our purpose.
Before graduating, Susan Rollinson ‘21 was hired at Highland Hospital as a labor and delivery registered nurse, expected to start in March 2022 after passing her NCLEX. In the future, she plans to study midwifery and become a certified nurse midwife.