>> I Volunteer at a Senior Center,
and I enjoy bringing my rabbits for pet therapy.
They already have dogs and cats coming to facility.
Some of the residents have dogs or cats.
I wanted to go for something unique
that would really be special for them.
>> Every Sunday, Michelle has been bringing her bunnies
for the last eighteen years.
And the residents truly enjoy the bunnies, as well as Michelle.
>> They're small, they're fluffy. They love getting attention.
So it was a good match with the residents.
>> She takes them around, and the residents hold the bunnies,
and they feel so cuddly and they feel so happy when they see the bunnies,
and they look forward to it.
Some of them don't even go back upstairs
after their afternoon dinner.
>> It is amazing how it gets people laughing and focused,
and just out of their own space for a little while.
I kind of meet them where they are. If they don't want to hold the bunny,
if they want to just look at the bunny,
if they want to pat the bunny while I'm holding it --
it's important to meet them where they are.
I'm with the Office of Trade Relations.
We manage communications between all the key stakeholders,
so that everybody who wants a voice on issues
that impact trade is assured a seat at the table.
Volunteering at the Senior Center has helped me at CBP,
because it's taught me flexibility and patience.
Things don't always go the way you've planned.
You're going to have to repeat yourself,
sometimes several times, and you just learn to be patient.
Not everybody's heard the same thing. You just need to go with the flow.
It's important to give back to the community,
and it's such an easy and fun way to do it,
and it benefits everybody, benefits the residents.
The staff enjoy holding the bunnies as well.
It benefits the bunnies, because they get social interaction.
So it's a win-win for everybody involved.