Carmen Saavedra, left, a craft care specialist, chats with Army Sgts. Tiffany Sokolowski and Jason Scurto at the Medical Transition Clinic at Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Saavedra is seeking more volunteers for the craft center at the Medical Transition Clinic. (Steve Mraz / S&S)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — How crafty are you?
The Medical Transition Clinic at Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany, is looking for volunteers to oversee patients in its craft center.
Volunteers are asked to spend at least two hours in the craft room watching patients while they work on a variety of projects from leatherwork to model building.
“It’s very relaxing to them,” said Carmen Saavedra, craft care specialist at the Medical Transition Clinic on Kleber and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
“It gives them a feeling of accomplishment. This gives them something else to do besides watching TV.”
Roughly 80 patients are housed at the transition clinic.
During the day, they visit nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Matthias Walch, Saavedra’s 16-year-old son, was volunteering at the craft room this summer, but since school resumed, he can only volunteer on the weekends. “It was fun,” Walch said. “I got to talk to a lot of the troops. I learned a lot.”
To volunteer, call Saavedra at DSN: 486-7901 or E-mail her at carmen.saavedra@lnd.amedd.army.mil.
