This week at LifeCare Alliance was full of collaboration, facilitation, and the exciting start of new projects. Much of my time was spent preparing for and executing our Meals-on-Wheels Customer Journey half-day session. I started the week printing and assembling all materials including mock journey maps, empathy map takeaways, participant packets, and sticky tabs for the heat mapping activity. It was rewarding to see everything come together after weeks of research and planning.

On Tuesday, I met with Molly to discuss an upcoming project focused on marketing and outreach for the Savor & Select Meal Program, specifically aiming to capture new clients through Franklin County Senior Options. I also joined Molly and Andrea for our final prep meeting before the half-day session. That afternoon, I helped facilitate the session at Harmon, guiding a small group through activities like empathy mapping, customer journey visualization, and heat mapping. I was responsible for leading discussions and capturing insights on a playback sheet. It was energizing to see how staff engaged with the materials and shared ideas for improving the volunteer experience. After the session, we stayed to clean up and reflect on how it all went.

The following day, I went through all the physical posters and sticky notes to start building a recap presentation that summarizes our key takeaways. I also began diving into marketing materials for Savor & Select, taking notes on messaging strategies that could be reused or refreshed to better connect with seniors and their families.

Later in the week, I met with Anne to discuss two additional projects: creating marketing materials for Winter Gifting Program volunteers and helping to set up the agency’s eBay page. I also joined the fan distribution event, which offered a great opportunity to observe another side of LifeCare’s service efforts. In my weekly meeting with Andrea, I shared early reflections on the half-day session and offered suggestions for improving future workshops, like extending them to two days and removing distractions like phones.

As the end of my time with LifeCare this summer is creeping closer, I’ve started to feel a little melancholy, but also incredibly grateful. Reflecting on this experience, I realize how much I’ve learned and grown over the past several weeks. It has truly been an incredible time, and I’m not quite ready to leave just yet.

Until next week,
Kat Jolley