Tuesday, April 12, 2022

VOLUNTEER STORY: JEAN CARLSON

 







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VOLUNTEER STORY: JEAN CARLSON 

Jean Carlson | Staff Volunteer United Stroke Alliance 

Well they say the Lord works in mysterious ways, and he did just that for me! Hi everyone, my name is Jean Carlson. In 2006 my cousin Heather had a stroke. A good friend of mine, Cheri told me about this stroke camp retreat weekend I should take her to. So that’s exactly what I did. In 2008 I signed us up and we went to camp! Having no idea what camp entailed, we were off to see what it was all about being both nervous and excited to go. 

Little did I know how much fun I would have that weekend. We went for 2 years in a row and then I became a mother to a sweet little girl. So I took some time off and decided I wanted to go back and be a volunteer for a camp this time. So, I did just that. Such a humbling and emotional experience for me. I then knew this was my passion and I was exactly where I needed to be. So, I continued volunteering and a few years later I had a sweet little boy so I took a bit more time off. 

Which leads me to 2017 where I was ready to come back being a volunteer once again, but little did I know I would be asked to become Retreat and Refresh Stroke Camp staff. Through the grace of God and my amazing family, I have found my calling with this wonderful organization. Stroke Camp is very near and dear to my heart and I absolutely love meeting so many people and listening to their stories. We laugh, we cry (everyone who knows me knows I cry at camp all weekend), we get frustrated, happy, and sad all together in that weekend. We have this special bond that no one can take away from us. I love for stroke survivors to see that they aren’t alone in this world and to give them the passion to never give up and keep fighting every single day to get better. As we get ready to kick off this season of camps, I can’t wait to meet my new campers and my returning campers! I’m so very blessed by you all!
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