I am so happy that 2009 Communication Studies graduate Laurel Bentley agreed to let us follow her around for a day! Laurel is the Development Associate and Clinic Liaison for St. Anthony’s Foundation. Here’s A Day in the Life of Laurel: February 2, 2011:
5:45am – Alarm goes off. Lay in bed, debating whether to put off my workout until the afternoon…then submit to the fact that if I don’t get out of bed NOW it’ll never happen.
6:00am – make breakfast. Munch while picking out clothes for the day.
6:30am – Personal emails, check up on NPR and CNN
7am – head out for an hour swim at USF Koret (horray for Alumi’s using the gym!), hour cycle around SF, or 6 mile run in Golden Gate Park (weather and mood dependant).
8:00am – after workout snack (2nd breakfast!) and stretch
8:15am – shower
8:25am –Throw on work clothes, jump on bike to work
8:35am – Arrive in Tenderloin at the St. Anthony Foundation (SAF).
8:33am — Say hello and shoot the breeze with Client Safety Services guy working the morning shift.
Laurel's so green... biking to work!
8:40am – After storing bike in SAF basement, take elevator to 4th floor office space and grab coffee in the break room on my way to my desk.
8:45am – Check emails. Respond to said emails. Repeat until….
9:15am – plug in headphones, wrap up details on a budget for grant for SAF Free Medical Clinic. Send to program staff for review.
9:40am – Meet volunteers in SAF Volunteer classroom. Escort volunteers to volunteer site of the day (today it was the Free Clothing Program down on Mission and 8th).
10:00am – Head to our Dining Room for a quick snack and a chat with some of the guys in the SAF Recovery program. Say hi to Dining Room staff and Volunteers.
10:15am – Meeting with Clinic Administrator to review grant prospects.
10:45am – Dive in to narrative for a different Free Medical Clinic grant. Headphones on, Pandora turned up.
12pm – Grants brainstorming meeting and Advocacy “items of interest” meeting with my fellow grant writer. We get a monthly presentation about State/City-Wide policy relevant to our low-income clients here in the Tenderloin – my coworker and I review and talk about how to use this information in our writing.
St. Anthony's Foundation clinic staff
12:30pm – Head to Civic Center Farmer’s Market to grab something for the Clinic Potluck.
12:45pm — Share a big meal with Clinic Staff on the 2nd floor. We do this about every other week. I love it because it’s a time to share a meal with my program staff and connect with people I may not interact with on a day to day basis.
Laurel getting ready for the potluck with clinic staff
1:15pm – Clinic Staff Meeting.
2pm – Project meeting to discuss details and progress of Pediatric Obesity Prevention Program (information to be used on upcoming report).
Laurel hanging out with the medical assistants
3pm — Back to narrative writing! I typically have a deadline a week, so that means a 5-8 page narrative (or 3 pages if I’m lucky and it’s just a report!) with several pages off attachments (budgets, bios, timelines, etc). Sounds crazy, but it mostly just means I’ve gotta be prepared and collaborate with clinic staff in advance … procrastination doesn’t bode well for grant writing!
2009 Communication Studies grad and grant writer extraordinaire Laurel Bentley
4pm – Grab clinic lab tests from 2nd floor. Cycle the 6 blocks to Department of Public Health to drop them off.
4:15pm – Back to desk, finish up project for the day and send any final emails.
5:00pm – I’m out! Head down to Chiropractor on Market and 2nd for weekly adjustment.
5:45pm – Meet friends for happy hour on Divisidero (tonight, The Page).
7:15pm – Head home to Lower Haight for dinner with boyfriend (Ethan) who teaches preschool in Pacific Heights. Hang out with roommates, drink wine and eat food, share stories from our days.
9:15pm – Wind down reading a book (Currently: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder or Dalva by Jim Harrison…it’s great to get to read for fun again, not that reading for comm. classes wasn’t fun….)
10:15pm – Pass out. Ready to start again tomorrow!
Thanks, Laurel, for taking us through your day! Congratulations on your important position with St. Anthony’s Foundation! Your Communication Studies profs are so proud of you.
Laurel!!! Awesome to hear about your day! Laurel didn’t mention that she is riding the AIDS ride this summer (for the 2nd time). That’s from SF to LA on a bike! Keep up the good work at St. AF!