Service Day Success

Despite the afternoon downpour on Friday, May 8, more than 100 SIU medical students and volunteers were able to provide a little sunshine to the residents of the Enos Park Neighborhood during the second annual SIU Student Day of Service.

Some of the students even made some new friends. “I met a few residents from the area,” says Yuri Fedorovic, MSIII (pictured, left). “However, the most prominent was Hasson, a three-year old who wanted to help us with everything we did. This day was an important part of building connections with the local residents.”

This year’s groups cleared brush, cleaned playground areas, alleys and abandoned homes and worked on landscaping projects around the neighborhood before weather intervened.

“We have so many opportunities to volunteer, but this opportunity is different,” says Lacey Wood, MSIV, who volunteered the last two years. “The service day is a day for us to help with Enos Park’s mission, and it’s fun to work with another large group of people who are so passionate about bettering the community around them. It really hits home when you can make an impact in an area that is so close to where we spend so much of our time.”

Above Image Caption: Jaleen Sims, MD, received the 2015 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee during the Student Day of Service lunch. Dean J. Kevin Dorsey presented her with the award, which recognizes medical students who have demonstrated a commitment to public health and public health service.