Day of Service 2022

More than 30 students volunteered throughout the community as part of Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine’s Day of Service.

The annual event is held on a Saturday early in the school year, affording students opportunities to give back to the metro Detroit community. This year the Day of Service was Sept. 10.

Volunteer opportunities take place at various locations throughout the region.

This year, students volunteered to assemble care kits for people in need, and at Pontiac’s Baldwin Center.

“It’s special because it’s a time for OUWB to focus on giving back to the community,” said Trixy Hall, coordinator, Graduate Program and Community Outreach.

“It about assessing and addressing community needs.”

Hall said OUWB reaches out to community partners to identify their needs and assess if the OUWB community can meet those needs.

In the past, OUWB students have volunteered at places such as Grace Centers of Hope, World Medical Relief, Hope Warming Center, and more.

This year, there were two primary groups. One based at OUWB’s O’Dowd Hall and another at Baldwin Center. (A third venue was scheduled, but canceled.)

In O’Dowd Hall, a dozen students assembled about 150 care packages for people in need. Kits included various necessities, such as hand sanitizer, shaving kits, shampoo, over-the-counter pain relievers, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and more.

Kits will be given to organizations throughout the community, who then will hand them out as-needed.

Corey Shafer, M3, was among those who volunteered to create the kits.

“Being in the health care field, it’s good to step outside of the classroom and give back to the community that we are going to serve one day,” he said. “It also gives me a chance to get to know the other people in my class.”

Felicia Fong, M3, also helped assemble kits.

“I did service days for my school back in undergrad and I found it really enjoyable just to give back to our school and the community,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

Urvashi Singh, M3, echoed Fong’s sentiments. She, too, previously volunteered.

“It’s really helpful to give back and see that you can make a difference, even at a stage where we are still medical students,” she said.

Across town, students cleaned the grounds of Baldwin Center  and helped organize its Clothes Closet, which accepts and redistributes clothing to people in need.

They primarily sorted and logged clothes and shoes.

Giuliano Romano, M1, was among those at Baldwin Center’s Clothes Closet.

“It’s nice to be able to give back to the community,” said Romano. “We’re always busy studying so it’s nice just to be out here together as a group and at the same time giving back to people who need it.”

Danielle Carter, manager of the Clothes Closet, said “it’s very helpful” when students like those from OUWB volunteer.

“We don’t have a lot of help here…and we have a huge building so it’s a lot of work to try and organize it,” she said. “When I get a group like this, I’m so happy because I can get a lot done.”