Health Adventures with Alachua County Schools

Shands at the University of Florida, through the Volunteer Services department, partnered with the Alachua County schools’ Take Stock in Children Program in 1999 to bring Health Adventures to Alachua County. We were the first hospital to bring this program to Florida. In the Health Adventure program, we aim to:

Reach out to at-risk students (ages eight - 14)
Involve students in service learning by introducing them to potential job skills
Encourage students to study and improve grades, especially in math and science
Introduce children to hospitals and healthy living
Partner children with volunteer mentors for the year to introduce the concept of community

Four volunteer mentors from Shands at UF join the students each month as they tour different departments within Shands and the UF Health Science Center. Informational material, t-shirts and meals are provided by Volunteer Services. The Shands Hospital Auxiliary sponsored the program.

In the past two school years, departments at Shands at UF have participated in the program by hosting workshops each month. Students learn about careers in respiratory care, patient and family resources, the Emergency Room, health information and records management, nursing, nutrition, the Operating Room, Pharmacy, and Rehab Services. An average of 17 students have participated in the workshops.