Elaine Loft, Staff Writer
Senior Laurie Best has attended Derryfield since 6th grade, where she has been involved in a plethora of activities, from field hockey to Investment Club. Among her interests, one has risen above the rest—her commitment to serving the community. “Our family has always been very involved in volunteer projects—when I am not giving back, I feel like something is missing from my life.”
For Best, her first significant volunteer experience occurred when she was in sixth grade. Led by former history teacher Laura Russell, Derryfield students traveled to Webster Elementary School on Elm Street in Manchester to work with non-English speaking students.
“The first time I went to Webster School, I was a sixth grader trying to connect with even younger kids who either struggled to speak English or didn’t speak it. Pretty soon, even the kids who started as the most shy were excited to see us come back every week, and we were just as excited to do whatever made them happy, whether it was playing games or checking out the playground.”
Throughout middle school and continuing into her freshman year, Best volunteered every weekend at Sato Heart Rescue, an animal shelter in Milford. Sato (Puerto Rico slang for “stray dogs”) works exclusively with the Second Chance Animal Rescue, in Villalba, Puerto Rico to find homes for small to medium size Satos.
Last winter Best traveled north to Waterville Valley with a large group of Derryfield students, where they joined athletes from around the state at the New Hampshire Special Olympics Winter Games. The Games commenced with an opening ceremony on Sunday night and continued with two days of competitions.
“There were so many challenges that weekend, but despite the fact we had little to no snow for the winter-themed Olympics, I never once saw a single athlete complain; instead, each volunteer did everything they could to keep things running (including moving snow gifted from an ice rink into the center of a grass field to conduct races), and every athlete responded with enthusiasm and neverending positivity.”
During March break, Best participated in a week-long experience as part of the Derryfield Global Education Program. For the 17th year, Derryfield students partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build homes alongside construction staff and local volunteers. Aside from learning new skills, Best and her classmates came to appreciate the need for affordable housing. It was her first Habitat experience, but she concluded, “I would definitely like to do it again—there was so much positive energy.”
In the summer of 2022, Laurie Best took on her most significant volunteer experience to date, paying visits to the residents of Bowman Place on Saturday mornings. Her introduction to Bowman Place was via her grandmother Sherry, who resided at Bowman. At first Best tagged along with her mother, updating her grandmother about her school activities and friends. As her grandmother began to lose her ability to speak, Best pitched an idea to the Bowman staff—could she bring along Ted, the Best family’s Golden Retriever puppy, on her weekly visits? The staff thought it was a wonderful idea, and Ted started to tag along with Laurie.
After her grandmother passed away, Best realized there were Bowman residents who didn’t have family close by who could visit on a regular basis. She continues to visit nearly every Saturday, with Ted in tow, and the two of them make the rounds.
“Several residents that I see every week struggle with mobility, and in some cases, they aren’t able to communicate verbally with me. But I can always spot the dog-lovers when I walk in with Ted; their faces never fail to light up with a smile and the room fills with murmurs of “Good boy,” and “Isn’t he just precious?” It’s very rewarding and I love the little conversations I have with the residents.”
Best hopes to study psychology at college. Her volunteer experiences, especially her recent work at Bowman Place, have given her insights into the elderly population, and the human condition.
