Volunteer Spotlight: Amanda Beering

Amanda Beering spent two years volunteering as a Spanish Interpreter at the Trinity Free Clinic. While Amanda is now pursuing her medical degree at the University of Louisville, she has left a mark on the clinic.

At 13 years old, Amanda discovered a passion for medicine and interpreting when she visited a medical mission in Panama for the first time with her father. After that first trip to Panama, Amanda’s family started Mission Coffee, a company that imports and resells coffee grown at the Boquete Medical Mission in Northwest Panama. Every year, the company front-loads the contributions by buying the coffee retail from the farm. The family then spends time making up the costs by selling their coffee online, at the Carmel Farmers Market and other events.

Since her first visit, Amanda has taken multiple trips to Panama ranging from weeks to months at a time. During her visits, she would tutor kids, interpret for doctors and serve as a medical assistant.

Amanda has the philosophy that global health is not just something that happens in other countries. She believes global health is also an important factor in local communities. With experience interpreting for several years, she sought to find a non-profit where her skill could be put to use. As she looked into a number of opportunities to volunteer as an interpreter, she found the Trinity Free Clinic.

“I thought that the Trinity Free Clinic’s mission was most inline with what my values were,” Amanda said.

Furthermore, Amanda wants people to know going to other countries is not the only way to get mission experience. She believes that in any community there can be language discordance, and the opportunity to work with people from different backgrounds.

“The Trinity Free Clinic provides you an opportunity to share your time and talent in ways that are impactful for people who are facing barriers to care, and that is at the heart of global health,” Amanda said.

Back when she first heard about Trinity’s Run for Wellness race and the need for sponsors, Amanda knew it was a great opportunity for Mission Coffee to get involved with the clinic. She went to her dad and said, “I am volunteering for us to do this.” Since then, Mission Coffee and the Trinity Free Clinic’s relationship has continued to grow.

“I think that the goals and values between Mission Coffee and Trinity are really nicely aligned as far as the value that is based on people,” Amanda said. I think both are very people centered and that the people involved [in each organization] are people who care about people.”

Even though Amanda now resides in Louisville, Mission Coffee still attends the Run for Wellness race. “We really support what the Trinity Free Clinic stands for and what they are doing,” Amanda said. The Trinity Free is so appreciative to have past and current volunteers like Amanda and is so grateful for relationships with organizations like Mission Coffee.