By Kara Donnelly
Planned Parenthood paired up with Generation Action on Feb. 18 to host an orientation for students interested in being volunteers for the organization.
The orientation was hosted by Planned Parenthood advocate Anna Eskamani, who spoke at the Women’s March in Orlando.
Eskamani spoke about why it is so important to acknowledge the many services offered by Planned Parenthood, and how they benefit each woman.
Amy Rooker, President of Generation Action, said, “We work to protect patients as they’re coming into the clinic and just making sure they feel comfortable, we want our patients feeling safe in that space,” Rooker said.
Volunteers also have the opportunity to work one of Planned Parenthood’s biggest events and one of Rooker’s favorites, the Condom Crawl, held frequently in downtown Orlando. “I love this event; we go down to Orlando and pass out hundreds of condoms to people on the streets of Orlando,” Rooker said.
There are many ways to get involved as a volunteer, such as calling a state’s Senator and attending events locally. More can be found on the Planned Parenthood website, plannedparenthood.org.
The orientation was about training students to be able to talk about why a volunteer decided to support Planned Parenthood, or what they like to call, “the Story of Self.”
Each student that attended learned how to articulate to a crowd the story behind how they discovered Planned Parenthood and why they advocate for it.
“The ‘Story of Self’ is why you got involved, what motivated you to change to action,” Rooker said. “It does not even have to be about Planned Parenthood; it can really be about anything.”
Planned Parenthood representatives encouraged volunteers to reflect on any story, even if it is unrelated to the cause.
“Everyone has a story, and a lot of people do not think they do but there is always a story behind why they decided to support Planned Parenthood, so we try to help them get it out,” Rooker said.
