Every Thursday, Lizzy Duncan and Sadie Stevenson load up a Point Loma Nazarene University minivan to visit their friends’ home in Clairemont. They pile craft supplies, games, hand sanitizer and volunteers into the car, excited for their weekly trip.
The home they visit, the Helen Bernardy Center for Medically Fragile Children, a facility part of Rady Children’s Hospital, has walls lined with photos of the children who live there alongside colorful handmade artwork and seasonal decorations. Duncan describes it as an extremely welcoming, joyful and positive place, and she said that their trips are her favorite part of her week.
Duncan, a second-year nursing major, and Stevenson, a fourth-year child development major, are the leaders of Beloved, one of PLNU’s Community Ministry programs. PLNU and the Helen Bernardy Center have maintained a relationship for more than 13 years, according to Janelle Nettles, one of the center’s recreation therapists and Healing Arts/Community Arts coordinators.
“The Point Loma volunteers make a huge impact,” Nettles said. “They are able to give our residents one-on-one attention by interacting and spending quality time with them.”
The children who live at the Bernardy Center are considered medically fragile, which, according to San Diego County, means that they have a serious, ongoing illness or chronic condition requiring continual care. To be admitted into the Bernardy Center, children must have a medical condition that needs 24-hour care and be unable to walk independently.
Duncan and Stevenson bring four volunteers a week and participate in fun activities with the children.
“I think Beloved is important because we get to be the fun in their day,” Stevenson said. “The children we interact with live at the facility we go to, and the things they have to do on a day-to-day [basis] aren’t as much fun, like blood draws and medical treatments. We get the privilege of bringing some joy.”
Duncan and Stevenson got involved with Beloved as volunteers in the 2024-25 school year and have stepped into the leadership role together for the 2025-26 school year.
While Duncan wasn’t initially planning on leading a Community Ministries group, after personal redirection, she said she contacted Dana Hojsack, director of Community Ministries, and was able to join the leadership team.
“I think it was definitely the Lord’s timing,” Duncan said. “I’m so grateful for where I’m at and the people that I’m with.”
Lydia Poteat, a third-year biology major, is the student director of the Children, Youth and Visiting Ministry branch of Community Ministries. She oversees Beloved and four other ministries and works closely with Stevenson and Duncan.
“Part of what makes them such a great team is that they each bring a perspective that is then united,” she said. “They have more understanding than I think really any other leaders I could have asked for. I’m so proud of Lizzy and Sadie for loving those kids so fully, because I can imagine how hard it would be to love them fully when you’re scared of losing them.”
Kara Tascoe, a third-year biology major, volunteered with Beloved last semester. She felt drawn to volunteer because she has a brother with cerebral palsy, and said she has a lot of experience with children with disabilities and wanted to help out the children at the Bernardy Center.
“It’s really humbling and fulfilling playing with the kids,” Tascoe said. “Especially when they start warming up to you, sometimes you’ll even earn a giggle or a smile.”
Duncan and Stevenson said their favorite memories with the children at the Bernardy Center include singing Jack Johnson songs and wheelchair racing. They said that Beloved has brought excitement into their lives, while also acknowledging the hard reality of working with people with whom they cannot verbally communicate.
Last semester, Beloved was only allowed to bring volunteers to the Helen Bernardy Center four times, due to the center’s medical lockdowns. This semester, Duncan and Stevenson said they hope to attend more regularly and continue to grow their personal relationships with the children at the center.
“If I had to define Beloved, I would say that the name really reflects the heart behind the ministry,” Stevenson said. “Every student, every child and everyone who we interact with is God’s beloved, chosen child. We really believe that everyone is created in the image of God, and we just want to show them love and care.”
Olivia Roberts