Sarah Moor is the Volunteer of the Month for May 2022!

Sarah joined NRS back in January of 2021, making her among the first of the fully remote volunteers we took on. In fact, Sarah would not have been part of the NRS team if not for being fully remote since she is currently living in Connecticut, while going to Yale Medical School! Sarah is among the many NRS volunteers who dedicate their lives to helping people, only to then turn around and do that in her free time with NRS. Amazing! Her 118 hours of service on top of medical school responsibilities speaks to her selfless nature and incredible willingness to be of service to those in need. Thank you Sarah, you deserve this recognition!

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We sat down with Sarah and asked her a few questions:

NRS: What made you decide to volunteer with NRS?

Sarah: As a Medical student, I had been seeing a lot of kids and teens coming to the hospital having a difficult time with COVID and isolation and wanted to see if there was a way I could help those types of people. The NRS platform is unique in that it is a great way to relate to kids who would otherwise be too afraid to call when they want to reach out. It’s great that we give a space to kids to talk that’s not as scary or intimidating as calling on the phone.

NRS: What keeps you coming back to volunteer week after week?

Sarah: When I have a good chat, one that just makes them tell you how much they appreciate your time and what you said, it is so satisfying that you’re always looking for that feeling again. When you have a conversation and you think that you worked through so much, it is so motivating to continue to work on those com skills and to be there for anyone that wants to.

NRS: Tell us something you’ve learned from your experiences volunteering with us?

Sarah: I really got a greater appreciation for just being there and telling someone that their experience sounds like it’s hard and what they’re feeling right now is valid. I’ve realized that we don’t have all the answers, no one does, there’s not going to be perfect solutions. There’s something really therapeutic telling a kid that their opinions are important, even if they don’t feel like they are heard at home.

NRS: Give us a Fun Fact about yourself that you don’t think someone would be able to guess just by meeting you.

Sarah: I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro!

I was stationed in in Uganda, doing research. I went to Tanzania with my best friend time after the research concluded.

NRS: Wow! That’s incredible! Tell us a little more about this, I am not sure many people are aware of how much of a feat that is. It’s not like a climb you can just do in a day, right?

Sarah: Oh, no not at all! It’s the 2^nd tallest peak in the world, tallest in Africa. Altitude sickness is real and it will affect you there. It takes a week to get used to it and gives your body time to adjust. We got to the top and then had to wake up at midnight and climb to the peak at sunrise.

There were really strenuous parts of the climb, parts of the rock face you needed to walk through that was steep. You really do feel the altitude. That was the hardest part, being short of breath. You really do feel the altitude and the effects of being so high up.

NRS: What would you say to someone who was thinking of volunteering with NRS?

Sarah: I’d tell them that this is a unique opportunity that creates space for vulnerability. You get unparalleled insight into young people’s worldview. A window into their mind that you can’t achieve anywhere else. You connect on a special level and provide support in a special way. Volunteering for NRS is a truly amazing experience.