Students volunteer support to elderly battling cancer

Elderly cancer patients will soon get welcome telephone calls from University students, as part of a plan developed by the Penn Cancer Center. The Students Stay in Touch Program, which aims to match up volunteer students with patients, officially kicks off this Friday. "For some of [the students], it's a way of giving back," said Beverly Ginsburg, executive director of the Cancer Center. "For some it's a way of being connected with the medical program" of the University. Participating students are expected to spend at least one hour a week talking to a cancer patient. According to the framework of the program, they will call their assigned patients twice a week. Last semester, the program operated on a trial basis. Six students participated. "The students were fantastic," said Randi Marcus, the program's volunteer coordinator. "They were all committed to the project and they all reported back that the patients appreciated [the program]." College sophomore Jillian Benda, who participated in the project last semester, called the program "really rewarding." "To help someone through their illness and recovery is wonderful," she said. "It's a good feeling." Three students, including Benda, are still in touch with their patient contacts, Marcus said. "From where I sit, I think people are excited about it," he added. Patients are identified through the medical staff at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Patients that volunteer meet the students one-on-one at the Cancer Center before the first phone call. Some students volunteer because they have family members with cancer. "When [my father] was going through [cancer], he had a support group that helped him," Benda said. College junior Gerianne Kauffman participated in the program for credit in her anthropology class. She also characterized the project as rewarding and is still in contact with her patient. "It made me more appreciative of life," the Spruce College House resident advisor said. And while she recognized that "the program may not be for all people," she said the program would be an "uplifting experience" for new volunteers. "It makes you aware of your own mortality," Kauffman added. Marcus hopes for a large turnout at the first of three orientation sessions this Friday. "It's just win-win," she said. "The patients benefit. The kids benefit. It's a fun project."