Pini Paredes used to work as an interpreter for the Arizona Department of Agriculture. Now she enjoys donating her time to the St. Andrew's Children's Clinic, which serves the medical needs of low-income families from Mexico.

Paredes has only missed one clinic in the past year and a half that she has been participating as an interpreter.

Usually she helps with the clinic's Occupational Therapy department, but on April 3, pediatrician Dr. Sandy Newmark's translator was absent, so Pini gladly filled in.

As a Nogales, Ariz., resident, Pini has been aware of the clinic for many years. She heard how gratifying the volunteer experience was, and made the decision to get involved after retiring from her job.

"This has changed me to be a better person," she said. "You get to meet such interesting people."

Even though "you see some heart breaking little stories," Paredes said, you feel good at the end of the day for donating your time to help these people in need.

Pini remembers one volunteer by the name of Carol Cole who left a lasting impression on the clinic, and on all the lives that she touched.

"She was just a volunteer but she went above and beyond," Paredes said. "She was an institution. Her personality was such that everybody loved her."

Cole eventually moved to Minnesota to be closer to her family, but she will never be forgotten at the clinic, Paredes said. Pini feels privileged to have known her and looks up to her as a role model to this day.

Pini has enjoyed her time and experiences at the clinic, and "as long as God gives me health and I'm able to," she will continue to attend.



Return to the St. Andrew's Clinic index page