Members of the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine community honored Martin Luther King, Jr. by volunteering at service organizations throughout southeast Michigan on Saturday and Monday.
On Saturday, medical students and staff served breakfast at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Pontiac and lunch at Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit.
On Monday, students prepared warming kits for distribution at Capuchin and Hope Warming Center in Pontiac, made blankets for Hope and Baldwin Center in Pontiac, and helped sort donations at Zaman International Hope for Humanity Center in Inkster.
Such service falls directly in line with OUWB’s mission “to develop compassionate physicians who are dedicated to improving the health of their communities, collaboration, and lifelong learning.” It makes sense to adhere to that mission while honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., said Trixy Hall, coordinator, Graduate Programs and Community Outreach.
“(King) stood for many things and bringing people together was his number one goal,” said Hall. “Here, we have all types of people who have joined us to help communities that need our support and wraparound services as best as we can offer them.”
On Saturday, students served 30 breakfast meals at All Saints’ and 180 lunches at Capuchin. Faculty and staff joined the students to cook meals and wash dishes.
“When you’re in medicine, you need to be exposed to your community … (it) helps you gain empathy for future patients and better understanding of their situations,” said Hall.
At O’Dowd Hall on Monday, students assembled warming kits that contained hand and foot warmers, socks, and lip balm. The students assembled a total of 50 kits.
They also made 50 blankets for shelters in Pontiac.
Hall said she works with community service organizations to identify what is needed most.
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| Jarod Carol (left), M1, and Ket Crum, M1, make one of 50 blankets assembled by OUWB students on Jan. 19, 2026. |
Funding for the kits and blankets comes from the Compass budget and money raised through OUWB’s partnership with Security, Athletic Facilities & Events (SAFE) Management at Ford Field in Detroit.
Students opted to step up and volunteer generally said they felt it was important to be part of the service efforts.
“It’s important to give back to the community,” said Kit Crum, M2. “These (service opportunities) are really easy ways that we can do it while we’re still in school. It just feels good to make a difference however you can when you’re so busy.”
Lindsay Schwartz, M2, said she views it as a way of paying it forward.
“We have so many people helping us get through this (medical school) experience … providing us with so many resources. It’s important for us to set aside time to help others in a similar way,” she said. “I feel lucky to have this day and this opportunity because school can be so busy.”
“It’s important for us to be involved with our community because these people are going to be our future patients, and it’s important to give back to the people we’re going to eventually serve,” said Sophie Condron, M2.
Later in the day, nine students volunteered at Zaman International.
The organization is based in a 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Inkster and has an overall mission to provide crisis assistant and vocational training to marginalized women with children. The nonprofit was started by Najah Bazzy, RN, Ph.D., who was conferred with an Oakland University honorary doctorate degree in 2020, and named a CNN Hero in 2019.
Before students got to work, they received a tour and better understanding of the many ways Zaman helps people. Gabriele Seilo, M1, said he appreciated the information.
“Knowing why (Zaman) exists and how it functions is going to stay with me more than if we came here and just started sorting cans,” he said.
“Now that I understand it’s an important place for people, I’m going to tell others about it and I’m going to come back myself.”
Monica Boomer, chief impact officer at Zaman, said volunteers like Seilo are critical.
“Over the past 30 years we’ve had about 6,000 volunteers and wouldn’t be where we are today without their support,” she said. “Everything they do helps us serve our clients, which is always most important.”
Students sorted food that was collected during a recent drive called “Battle Against Hunger.” The competition at Dearborn Public Schools yielded 18 tons of food. The food sorted by the OUWB students will go to Zaman’s Client Choice Food Pantry that allows families in need to select culturally appropriate and nutritionally balanced food. (The pantry serves about 500 families monthly.)
“For me, it gives me the perspective of why I’m here in the first place…it really grounds me, it motivates me to want to work in the community in the future,” said Taylor Thomas M1.
“It’s important to remember how we wanted to give back to the community when we first started medical school … being out in the community is a good reminder,” said Ayden Krueger M1.
For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, senior marketing specialist, OUWB, at [email protected].
To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.
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