Kayla Rastedt, a Marine Corps Veteran who now volunteers at the Minnesota Veterans Homes - Fergus Falls, is described by Mary Budke, the Home’s Volunteer Services Coordinator, as having a special way of making Veterans feel comfortable, engaged and genuinely cared about.

“Kayla is friendly and outgoing, with a wonderful sense of humor that our Veterans absolutely love,” Mary notes. “She makes meaningful connections with Residents very naturally and her fun personality delivers a lot of joy and energy to the Home. She is willing to help with a variety of activities and always brings a positive presence when she is on site.”

It's been about eight months since Kayla began volunteering at the Veterans Home; she focuses approximately 26 hours each month to help make Residents’ daily activities something they happily anticipate.

Kayla spends much of her time sitting with Residents as they compete in bingo games, helping them fill out their cards, listening for numbers and celebrating when they win a round. She also accompanies groups on outings into the community. Other times, she simply sits and has a conversation with a fellow Veteran. Kayla says, “I like to be there for them, to talk or to listen and just bring a brighter day their way.”

Because she knew several people who worked at the Fergus Falls Veterans Home, last year Kayla started thinking about what it might be like to volunteer there. Her curiosity was buoyed by her family’s legacy of a strong commitment to our nation’s military: her two grandfathers, uncle, great uncle and pastor (who she refers to as a “spiritual father”), all served in various branches of the armed forces—one each in the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force and two in the Navy. “I wanted to do something meaningful,” Kayla says. “And the Veterans Home opportunity was right up my alley.”

Kayla recalls the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday last November as her favorite memory so far when volunteering at the Veterans Home. “A group of us traveled over to the VFW and shared a meal together; it was a wonderful celebration, making personal connections about our service with other Veterans.”

Like many volunteers, Kayla has found spending time at the Home to be a fulfilling learning experience. “Going through training and understanding how to assist with different activities has been a real confidence builder. And these Veterans put a smile on my face every time. I’m happy to see them and they’re happy to see me.”