‘All for the greater good’

More than 230 hours of service work were completed by students, staff, and faculty from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine during its first ever Make a Difference Week.

Held Oct. 17-24, the weeklong dedication to service replaced the one-day version of the event held previous years in conjunction with National Make a Difference Day.

During the week OUWB community members volunteered for a wide range of opportunities to help individuals and families in need: assembling hygiene kits and making blankets; wrapping toys for children who are hospitalized; making and serving meals; and collecting and organizing donated food. They gave their time to 12 different community organizations and also donated enough blood to help save almost 60 lives.

Tonya Bailey, Ph.D., associate dean, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Community Engagement, said Make a Difference Week was expanded to give more people a chance to participate and create more opportunities to meet needs in the community.

“Make a Difference Week is about recognizing the service that we do as a community … (and) taking it to a week aligns with who we are as a medical school,” she said. “We make a difference every day for sure, but to have it concentrated on a week aligns so much with the fabric of our strategic plan and our vision.”

‘Service is not accidental’

National Make a Difference Day is traditionally held the fourth Saturday of October.

It was created in 1992 by USA Weekend magazine in partnership with the Points of Light nonprofit co-founded by former U.S. President George H.W. Bush.

OUWB has participated for many years. It has traditionally been just one of countless ways the school stays true to its mission “to develop compassionate physicians who are dedicated to improving the health of their communities, collaboration, and lifelong learning.”

Service, in fact, is identified as one of OUWB’s core values. It’s also important to OUWB students — the Class of 2030 arrived at the school having already performed a total of about 85,000 hours of service.

Still, Bailey said having a dedicated time like Make a Difference Week is important.

“Service is not accidental; it’s intentional,” she said. “It we are aspiring to be a different type of school that produces compassionate, future-thinking physicians, we have to be intentional about putting them in the face of a diverse community and giving them opportunities to showcase their passions.”

Dylan Matthews, coordinator, Community Engagement and Outreach, said he and Bailey created a community needs assessment and reached out to community partners and organizations. Matthews worked with representatives of 12 organizations that expressed interest in receiving help from OUWB volunteers.

“Working in a nonprofit previously, I’ve seen the need a lot of these community organizations have … (and) they don’t always have a big volunteer base,” he said. “The need for assistance is there.”

‘Leaving a lasting impact’

OUWB’s Make a Difference Week officially kicked off on Oct. 19 with a Lunch & Learn event. Christopher Carpenter, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean, OUWB, was among the speakers at O’Dowd Hall.

He noted that the week of service reflects OUWB’s founding mission to be “a community serving a community.”

“Almost 20 years later, our dedication to communities remains steadfast,” he said. “Serving together this week is a powerful reminder of what OUWB values mean.”

“More than we ever may know, through our actions this week, our values will touch the lives of others, leaving a lasting impact,” he added.

On Oct. 21, a group of OUWB volunteers assembled five warming blankets and more than 60 warming kits for those in need.

David Dulio, Ph.D., Chief Community Engagement Officer, Oakland University, also spoke and praised OUWB’s community engagement work as exemplary. He urged volunteers to take away as much as they can from helping others.

“It’s not just service; it’s a learning experience,” he said. “It’s enhancing what you’re doing as a student at OUWB, and I think that’s something we can take with us.”

On Oct. 20, a total of 10 volunteers assembled nearly 100 hygiene kits for individuals and families in need. Kits consisted of essential personal items like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and more.

M1 Emma Fu was among the volunteers.

“I wanted to be as involved as I could this week,” she said. “It means a lot not just for our class and school, but for the people who are going to be receiving the kits, too.”

M1 Gannon Becker shared similar feelings.

“When you’re students at a great university like we are, you owe it to the people in the community around you to know that they are taken care of,” he said. “Especially when we are helping with these basic things for people who need a little extra help.”

On Oct. 21, another group of 10 assembled five warming blankets and more than 60 warming kits for those in need.

These items will be primarily donated to the Street Medicine Oakland for distribution.

OUWB volunteers wrapped about 30 toys for Bottomless Toy Chest, a nonprofit that delivers new toys, crafts, and other items to hospitalized pediatric cancer and blood disorder patients year-round.

Amani Mubeen, M1, participated in the blanket making. She shared the importance of getting involved in community engagement as a future physician.

“Any part of the health care team is going to be a service to other people, and being hands-on with the community is equally as important,” she said. “Even if it's a small thing like making a blanket for someone, it's a small change that can really help a lot of people.”

Annabel Yang, M1, was another participant who shared similar thoughts.

“It's really important to be able to give back to those communities first because that's what we're going to be doing as physicians in the future as well,” said Yang.

On Oct. 22, volunteers from OUWB were at Gleaners Fresh, a produce and dairy market, to stock shelves for customers, helped serve meals at CARE House of Oakland County, and wrapped about 30 toys for Bottomless Toy Chest, a nonprofit that delivers new toys, crafts, and other items to hospitalized pediatric cancer and blood disorder patients year-round.

The following day, volunteers were once again at Gleaners and CARE House while multiple students sorted and delivered donated items for the OU Food Pantry.

Attendees gathered donation boxes placed in six locations throughout O’Dowd Hall and brought the items directly to the Golden Grizzlies Pantry, located in the Oakland Center’s basement.

William Nebesio, M1, participated in the transportation. He shared the importance of addressing food scarcity as a medical student.

“This is a very easy and simple way to give back and try to provide that food and nutrition to as many people as possible,” he said. “I feel like that's a pivotal part of being a physician, is caring for the basic needs, and then building on top of that to address any other issues that there might be.”

The week wrapped up on Oct. 24 with volunteers helping serve a community breakfast at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Pontiac, sorting donations at Baldwin Center of Pontiac, assisting with operations at Oakland Hope, and participating in the Capuchin Kitchen Trunk or Treat in Detroit.

In all, more than 230 hours of service time were accumulated throughout the week.

“It really brought us together … it was great to see faculty, students, and staff alongside one another and volunteering for a cause,” said Bailey. “Sometimes it felt like a party with a purpose and other moments it was an opportunity to engage and connect outside of the classroom.”

“Either way, it was all for the greater good,” she added.

Sarah Bulgarelli and Matthew Lewakowski contributed to this report.