Lea la historia en español: http://friendsofelsol.org/encuesta-anual-de-clientes-2018/
The average El Sol client is male, in his 30s, single, with a monthly income between $1,000 and $2,000. He is Guatemalan and has a high school education. A bicycle is his primary means of transportation.
El Sol staff members and volunteers analyze survey data to learn about the people they serve. Does the center foster a sense of community? How effective is its labor program? One hundred forty-one men and women responded to these and other questions for the center’s last annual client survey.
“Surveys have been taking place since 2008,” said Chase Goldsborough, El Sol’s community impact evaluator. “We’ve been adding new questions in with new programs being implemented.”
For this year’s annual client survey, Chase and about 20 volunteers have collected responses from more than 100 participants.
The bilingual volunteer survey collectors grow to better understand people who use El Sol services, he said. “They are able to see what the clients here at El Sol go through, what they receive from our services and how they are beneficial to them.”
Chase and his volunteers plan to collect at least 150 responses by the end of January. They have been working with men and women in the El Sol computer lab on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
After the collection of surveys is complete, Chase plans to release an annual client survey report in February.
A Jupiter High School and Florida State University alumnus, Chase committed to a year of service at El Sol through the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Working full time as the center’s community impact evaluator, he has also volunteered regularly at MyClinic, Jupiter’s nonprofit primary medical care and referral center for low-income, uninsured adults.
At MyClinic, Chase has registered patients, measured their vitals and managed their medical records. “He has been an integral part of helping us navigate patients in the clinic,” said Diane Williams, MyClinic’s program director.
“We are anxious for him to get situated with medical school so he can continue his career in medicine. He will be a great asset and value to the community.”
Chase plans to begin medical school this fall, but he is still exploring what path he will take in the field. He has shadowed physicians and other professionals specializing in primary care, ophthalmology, cardiology, and intensive care.
Working with MyClinic patients and El Sol clients has helped him become more aware of Jupiter’s diversity, he said. “This is definitely the type of field I’d like to go into, helping underserved and uninsured populations.”