Andrew NHS returns to visit Providence Healthcare residents

By Ashlee Renich-Malek
Andrew High School Senior

Back in December, Andrew High School’s National Honor Society visited Providence Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Palos Heights for its annual Christmas event. This year members of NHS enjoyed the trip so much that they decided to return again for the spring. On March 1st, seventeen members came back to Providence bearing gifts such as stuffed animals in their arms just to give the residents some company.

“One lady came up to us and asked, ‘why are you guys here?’ I just smiled and said that we wanted to come back to visit,” reminisced Yee Mon Han, president of Andrew’s NHS. “I’m really glad I came back”, noted Kevin Sivak, vice-president of NHS, “It was a wonderful experience, especially the conversation I had with this one lady about Elvis.” Each member carried bright smiles as they frequented rooms that they remembered from Christmas and others made new friends in the facility. “Though I saw some familiar faces, some of the residents even remembered us from our Christmas visit,” said secretary of NHS Jeanine Murrar, just showing how much of an influence the visits have on the residents at Providence.

Conor Yerkes, current historian of NHS, says, “They just want someone to listen. They have at least fifty years of stories; Yee and I stayed about fifteen minutes after the others had left just to hear the end of [one of the woman’s] stories.” Even member Natalia Bak notes that “it is interesting to see their perspectives based on their experiences [and their lifetimes]” since they are so different from the high school’s current generation.

Along with conversing with the residents, students brought stuffed animals to gift a few of the residents. Surprisingly to the members, the residents appreciated the small presents way more than they expected. “If I had known [the residents] would have enjoyed the stuffed animals this much, we would have brought more!” explained Han when remembering the gift-giving. Jacqui Calderon, service coordinator of NHS, brought in a green stuffed frog and gave it a lady at Providence, expecting a polite thank you. What she received was a sudden big hug and a frog parade for the rest of the morning. “She kissed the frog and said she would take it everywhere and even sleep with it,” Calderon recollects, “she held it like a baby and wouldn’t let it go. [The best part was that] she named it after her brother, James.”

Once again, Andrew’s NHS successfully brought smiles, laughter, and warm company to the residents of Providence, leaving there with more wisdom and unforgettable memories. The residents cannot wait until Andrew visits them again.