Meet Chelsi Longworth, Our Featured Volunteer from Las Vegas!
Get to know our volunteers!
Do you volunteer at a specific hospital? With the best at Sunrise Hospital!
How long have you been volunteering with Musicians On Call? 6 months
Are you a volunteer guide or musician? Guide
Do you have any hidden talents? I play the alto, tenor and baritone saxophone. For 5 years I competed in jazz competitions throughout the pacific northwest while in middle school and high school.
What is your story? What connects you with music and why do you volunteer with MOC? Growing up music was always a big part of my life. It mostly began with my grandmother and great grandmother. They both played in a folk country band and most weekends I would tag along to their gigs. They played at senior centers, fairs, and nursing homes throughout Oregon so I got a head start at experiencing the healing powers of music. I decided that I wanted to get back into volunteering. My kids were at a good age to be able to do so, and to recognize what I was doing for the community. I want to be an example to them and I want them to grow up with a desire to do the same, lead by example. I started the process in 2017 to volunteer at Sunrise. I went in with the intention of holding babies and playing with kids (which I still do on Tuesday’s that I’m not with MOC). In 2018 MOC started their program at Sunrise and after speaking to a fellow volunteer guide in the program I knew I needed to get involved. Volunteering has opened some pretty amazing doors, and some incredible relationships.
What is your occupation outside of MOC? I am the Executive Assistant to the President of Las Vegas Events.
What makes MOC different from your other volunteer experiences? MOC is different than my regular hospital volunteering because I get to see a different side of the patients and staff. With Musicians On Call it is like time slows down. Patients relax, their mind goes somewhere besides their pain. The staff stops for a few minutes, they share a smile with each other and their patients. We are solely there to make the day brighter and never has that NOT happened.
Has your life changed because of your experience with MOC? My experience with MOC has given me a more meaningful existence. Yeah, it’s just music to some but to me it’s what unites us, it’s something you can share with anyone no matter the background or lifestyle. It is a reminder that we are all a series of small kind moments. Kindness matters.
What is your favorite #MOCmoment? There are so many! My favorite MOC moment is probably when we came in to sing to a boy and his parents in PICU. The family requested a country song and the musician asked if they knew Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” and the family said “YES, that’s the one we want!” The musician began to sing and half way through the parents began to cry. You never know if tears are from pain or joy. To this family it was joy. They came to Las Vegas to see Lady Gaga perform and ended up in the hospital for 2 long weeks and missed the show. They were so thankful to have a show, especially when it mattered the most. A city far from home, with a group of strangers that cared.
