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MUSC Gives Back Awards celebrate community service by Cindy Abole Public Relations Baptist minister and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described volunteering as an act of service in which anyone can participate if prompted by “a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”      That same spirit of service and willingness to help others has been the goal of dozens of MUSC students and the MUSC Gives Back student volunteer program since its inception in 1993. To help celebrate group and individual achievements through volunteering, the program recognized students at its annual MUSC Gives Back community outreach awards luncheon at the Harper Student Center April 19.      Each year, the MUSC Gives Back program recognizes student groups and organizations from each of its six colleges and one universitywide student organization who have performed exemplary service acts or made contributions to the Tri-county community. Remarkably, these efforts are achieved in addition to students’ busy academic schedules.   At MUSC, community volunteer experiences that allow students to observe, participate and respond to health care problems in the community compliment a student’s formal health care education. Volunteering helps students understand about health care issues affecting a specific community. Students also learn to work effectively with students and practitioners from other health care disciplines to accommodate patients and promote wellness and overall good health.   “I like to think that our students receive ‘added value’ for their education through such outreach experiences,” said Liz Sheridan, director of MUSC Gives Back program. “They can learn invaluable lessons from their results to meet unmet needs in our community.”   Judges for this year’s awards were: Joe Brown, Dental Medicine; Sarra Hedden, Graduate Studies; Erin Carlton, Health Professions; Mike Drake, Medicine; Harmony Edelman, Nursing; and Amy Goodwin, Pharmacy.      In addition to the group recognition were individual awards for top volunteers from each of the six colleges. The MUSC Gives Back Most Outstanding Individual Student Volunteers are: Jennifer Hirsch Doobrow, 140 hours, Dental Medicine; Julia Norton, 89 hours, Health Professions; Natalee Sheppe, 230 hours, Medicine; Layne Hepler, 164 hours, Pharmacy; Victor Fresco, 110 hours, Graduate Studies; and Alicia Porter, 36.5 hours, Nursing.   The 2005-06 MUSC Gives Back Student Community Volunteer Program community outreach award winners were: American Student Dental Association/College of Dental Medicine This group of 216 dental students provided more than 250 hours spread among a variety of Tri-county volunteer activities. They initiated donations from wine tasting sales to benefit the Charleston women’s shelter known as My Sister’s House. Members also supported the Special Smiles Dental Health Program as part of the South Carolina Special Olympics and worked numerous hours supporting free dental clinics in John’s Island, Mount Pleasant and North Charleston. Graduate Student Association/College of Graduate Studies Composed of 29 students, the GSA members focused on fund raising, plus several other volunteer efforts including a uniform clothing drive to benefit needy students at Sanders-Clyde Elementary School. Participants organized a fund raiser-social involving students, faculty, post-doctoral students and lab technicians, which raised $184. Members also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity organizing shelves, maintenance and yard work on Oct. 8.   They also sponsored seven teams of five student members as they raised money for September’s Lowcountry Heart Walk benefiting the American Heart Association. The group collected $1,175, which included $165 collected earlier as proceeds from the Heart Walk Hustle. Association of Black Health Professionals/ College of Health Professions Following the group’s own mission to strengthen the Tri-county community by sharing their knowledge for health and wellness, the ABHP chose to support Project Breathe Easy, a community service agency that supports children with asthma. Their aim was to promote asthma education and prevention. Members organized and sponsored several fund-raising events including bake sales, ice cream sales, handbag and T-shirt sales, advertising and ticket sales, etc. They also hosted an information table at the Student Activities Fair. In summary, the group contributed more than 192 volunteer hours and donated a check for $2,500 to Project Breathe Easy, which was presented at their Autumn Gala. The CARES Clinic/College of Medicine Originally organized by a group of second-year medical students last spring, the CARES (Community Aid, Relief, Education, and Support) Clinic is a dedicated, student-run free medical clinic for Tri-county uninsured patients. Since last August, College of Medicine and College of Health Professions’ physical therapy students volunteer at the clinic twice a week. Each night the clinic is open, volunteers assume one of eight student positions—clinic manager, lab technician or one of six patient interviewers. Physical therapy student volunteers work under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Medical students work under the supervision of attending physicians and perform a full medical history, a physical exam, plus develop a treatment and follow-up plan for patients. The clinic has teamed with a local Wal-Mart pharmacy to accept vouchers from clinic patients for a limited amount of medications. They are also working with other area businesses and organizations to provide other types of support. So far, student have logged more than 1,440 volunteer hours towards clinic and administrative/organizational time devoted to this effort. Student Nursing Association/ College of Nursing This100-member group chose to support the Alzheimer’s Respite Group at St. Matthews Lutheran Church as their semester service project. Members organized schedules to work with senior participants working with arts and crafts, serve meals and support basic health care needs from changing bandages to assistance with feeding. Student feedback claim that the experience has been mutually positive and are further re-organizing to fill vacant spots for the summer and fall. APhA-Academy of Student Pharmacists/College of Pharmacy With a goal to serve as an active voice for pharmacy in the community, the Academy of Student Pharmacists participated in numerous community service projects and events with the Ronald McDonald House, American Heart Association, the Tri-county Immunization Coalition, S.C. Think First, Tri-county Special Olympics, Lowcountry AIDS Services and American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge and other activities. They supported Operation Immunization, a project which the group originally founded in the Lowcountry area, and Operation Diabetes and Heartburn Awareness Challenge held April 16. They are particularly proud of their progress with the Medicare Student Outreach, a joint project between MUSC and USC pharmacy students aimed at providing a clear explanation of Medicare Part D initiative, plus its choices and benefits to people with Medicare. MUSC Student Government Association/Universitywide Organization Working with 45 elected students and 2,500 student members, MUSC SGA is not only focused on the welfare and services to students, but also to encourage involvement in community service activities and volunteer opportunities. The group contributed more than 350 service hours helping with various Lowcountry volunteer activities from clean up and neighborhood improvements with the River/Beach Sweep, Habitat for Humanity and Playground Enchantment painting at Mitchell Elementary School.   They also hosted fund-raisers and promoted community awareness causes with Taste of Charleston (benefiting the Ronald McDonald House), World AIDS Day Celebration and Relay for Life (benefiting the American Cancer Society). Other service activities included member support with the MUSC Sugar-free Fall Festival, MUSC Holiday Lighting Ceremony, Cooper River Bridge Run, and Charleston Miracle League.   Friday, April 28, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island papers at 849-1778, ext. 201.