Continuing Connections
Volunteer Profile:
Whitney Alpaugh
Whitney Alpaugh started volunteering for CMHA – Calgary
Region’s Continuing Connections program two-anda-half years ago after moving to Calgary to study at the
University of Calgary. The PhD student is presently studying
reproductive and regenerative medicine; however, her
interest in the medical field first began in mental health.
“I think I always was interested in
mental health,” Whitney says. “In the
fourth grade, we had a project to dress
up as the person we wanted to be
and made presentations, and I chose
Sigmund Freud. I have no idea of how I
even knew who that was. That’s kind of
where it started — I was always interested in it.”
Although she eventually chose to
not pursue psychology as her career,
Whitney says volunteering in mental
health and mental health awareness is
still very important to her.
“I go to school full time, so I can’t do
something all the time, every day, but I
still think it’s important to do what you
can,” she says.
After being placed as a volunteer in
the Continuing Connections program,
Whitney was paired with a woman who
is a resident in long term care.
Whitney spends about an hour with the
woman each week doing activities such
as reading, painting her nails or going
walks outsid H[