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Gives Back award honors students, groups by Cindy Abole Public Relations   On MUSC's campus, they are known more for who they are as students, than for what they provide as community volunteers.  Each year, more than 500 student health professionals are encouraged to volunteer in student organizations and individually in the Lowcountry community through the MUSC Gives Back Program. Begun in 1993, MUSC Gives Back volunteers have contributed more than 57,000 total hours in community service within the Lowcountry area. In this academic year alone, students have logged approximately 5,500 volunteer hours.  “I was awed by the number of quality applications submitted for this year's awards,” Liz Sheridan, director of MUSC Gives Back. “Our students have demonstrated the value of hard work and community service which has helped evolve the program to what it is today.” The winning students organizations were recognized for this year’s MUSC Gives Back Volunteer Awards. They include (from left): Ben Pettus, MUSC Student of the Year; Isabel Ghowanlu, CDM;  Eric Sribnick, University wide Award; Catherine Keller, CON; Camille Hoffman, COM; and Faith Matutina, COP. Not pictured is a representative from the College of Health Professions. A total of 16 applications were submitted by student groups. There were particularly more applications received from College of Health Professions student organizations, giving rise to the competition in judging from that category. “I was impressed with the overall participation of students in volunteer service, said David Holman, one of this year's judges. “Many organizations listed several activities throughout the year. As busy as students are in their schedules, it speaks for their commitment to find the time to participate.” Also recognized were top volunteers from each of the six colleges. They are: Isabel Ghowanlu, 416 hrs., College of Dental Medicine; Jerri Lynn Craft, 505 hrs., College of Health Professions/OT; Kathleen Stovall, 86 hrs., College of Nursing; Melissa Fraser, 200.9 hrs., College of Graduate Studies; Ben Pettus, 116.5 hrs., College of Medicine; Tabitha Carraway, 149 hrs., College of Pharmacy. Judges for this year's awards included members of the Student Government Association's Service Committee. They are: Amy Black, Medicine; Rebecca Gregg, Pharmacy; Catherine Keller, Nursing and SGA service committee chair; William Maynard, Health Professions;  Jason Rodgers, Dental Medicine; David Holman, Graduate Studies.   2001 MUSC Gives Back Community Volunteer Award for Student Organizations: College of Dental Medicine/American Association of Women Dentists The group was busy in the role of mentors to students at C.E. Williams Middle School. They also volunteered at the Jenkins Orphanage at Christmas providing gifts, cookies and caroling. They also participated in the city's Adaptive Aquatics program and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's Race for the Cure. Within the college, the group initiated an annual dinner, “Dining with Dentists,” which recognizes the hard work of female staff/faculty members. This year's dinner was held January 18.  College of Health Professions/Occupational Therapy Class of 2003 It was fun and games for OT students as they planned and assisted with the Association for the Blind's Fall Sensation Halloween Festival—a program to serve area children with vision needs. Kids played “beep” ball, “Go Fish,” face painting and other activities.  They also volunteered as sitters during the Caring Connection's Family Festival, the Beeping Egg Hunt in Summerville and the Brighton Place W.I.S.H. Team, promoting well-being, independence, safety and health among low-income seniors. College of Medicine/American Medical Women's Association For fifth straight year, AMWA has been honored with the Gives Back Award in this category. The group has actively participated in various service activities from labor coach training at the Florence Crittenton Home to support for Race for the Cure. For the 2000 Election, members helped to register students during the Student Activities Fair. Earlier this month, they assisted in the Charleston community's Take Back the Night March in support of People Against Rape and the Children's Hospital annual Easter Egg Hunt. Members also volunteered more than 300 hours as volunteer labor coaches.  College of Nursing/Class of May 2001 Nursing's Class of May 2001 prepared and served food at the Crisis Ministries Soup Kitchen. They also participated in a health fair at Summerville Catholic School administering complete eye exams and assessments for students grades K-6, adult screenings for glucose and blood pressure and provided health education material. Their total effort yielded about 102.5 volunteer hours. College of Pharmacy/PharmD Class of 2002 For the annual Halloween celebration, the group donated stickers, coloring books and other dress-up accessories to the Halloween Carnival sponsored by the Children's Hospital. Volunteers assisted in dressing children in costumes, arts and crafts, pumpkin carving and sponge painting. For Thanksgiving, the class agreed to sponsor a family and volunteered money from their treasury to provide a traditional turkey dinner. For Christmas, students collected and distributed gifts to homeless shelter. Gifts ranging from needed toiletries to bed linens. They also called upon campus volunteers to participate in a Teddy Bear giving tree program. The tree was decorated with bears bearing the name of a child and suggested gift. The program yielded many gifts for Lowcountry children on Christmas day. Universitywide Award/Crisis Ministries Clinics The Crisis Ministries Wednesday Night Clinic has won four times out of five years in this category. Physicians, pharmacists and medical students volunteer each Wednesday nights to provide free treatment and care for the Lowcountry's homeless. This year's clinic was able to serve approximately 100 patients. For some, the clinic is critical for daytime workers who may not have any other time to receive medical treatment. For 14 years, the clinic has successfully provided continued clinical experience and medical experience for medical students.       Fourth-year M.D./Ph.D. student Ben Pettus was recognized for the most volunteer hours logging more than 1,100 hours tutoring and participating in a James Island Big Brother program. He was also a participant in several medical mission trips to Venezuela. “Volunteering serves as a reminder to me about why I'm in school and not to lose focus on people and others. As a student, I've learned to balance volunteering and studies. It's a lesson that offers good perspective on life.”     Employees from the Office of Development, Rose Mary Hutchinson, from left, Jane McCullough, and John Nash, load up the Salvation Army Truck which was used to collect clothes during the Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup. More than fifty percent of the employees from the office contributed to the drive. The drive, which raised more than 5,500 pounds and is sponsored by MUSC Gives Back, is part of a national effort to collect clean clothing for needy families across America.