Gretna Provence has been working for six years as a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Curaçao. During her previous job, she had great communication with the pediatric section of the hospital. By that time, she noticed the volunteers doing their job with so much love and dedication. The moment she stopped working, she signed up to be a volunteer at the RMHC. One of the important incidents she experienced along the years, was the moving from the Sehos Hospital to the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC). “Even though the transition was smooth and easy, we had to use everything at our disposal. We kept working hard to have everything into place. As a result, we could only give service in the most urgent cases. That was definitely a challenge! Looking back now, I am so grateful we are located at CMC. We have the much needed and comfortable space. It feels like we were always there, so familiar!”
For Gretna, being a volunteer at Ronald McDonald House Charities Curaçao means giving love and tranquility to the clients. As a life coach and meditation therapist, being in touch with family members who need support during difficult times, is a blessing. “Besides giving comfort to our clients who are going through challenging moments, it is also our task as volunteers to entertain the children, be there for siblings of a sick child, do domestic work and just be there as a listening ear and support. When a child has a severe illness, the whole family suffers. It is our main goal to keep families together during these difficult times. Furthermore, it is also important to support the doctors, nurses & caregivers, our “Heroes”, in challenging situations. Our work as volunteers is definitely love in motion!”
Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Curaçao changed Gretna’s life in such a positive way. “I have learned to have and show empathy for others, to be there for others through the difficult times and to enjoy life to the fullest, because everything can change in a blink of an eye.”
