Volunteer opportunity: Beta Buddies program

Eileen Doran

Thursday, July 26, 2018

What is the BetaBuddy Program?
It is a mentoring program created through a partnership between the UIC Department Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic, College of Medicine Urban Health Program (COM-UHP), and AHS which pairs a youth patient (ages 10-17), AlphaBuddy, with a UIC student, BetaBuddy, who will serve as accountability partners. UIC students provide support to youth and help them gain control of their health.

Responsibilities
Beta Buddies must be an active participant during Monthly Social Events and supportive to AlphaBuddy through bi-weekly check-ins.

  •  1-2 phone calls/week, attendance at monthly social events,
  • participation at 1-2 diabetes education classes with your buddy,
  • messaging and communicating with AlphaBuddy outside of monthly socials.
  • an open, welcoming attitude is a key part of participation as building a relationship takes time and effort.

Calendar 
Must be available for monthly social events that take place once a month Saturday 12-3pm, starting from August until May as well as trainingon August 21st 5-8pm. Our tentative schedule is as follows:

Monthly Socials:

  • 8/25/18
  • 9/15/18
  • 10/13/18
  • 11/10/18
  • 12/1/18
  • 1/26/19
  • 2/9/19
  • 3/9/19
  • 4/13/19
  • 5/11/19
  • Diabetes Class: 9/29
  • JDRF: February 2019 (TBD)

For UIC News article about BetaBuddy program, click here. 

Application deadline: August 1
To complete the application at the link below to apply to participate in the program, click here.

For more information about this program, please contact Marla Solomon.