Everyone has a different idea when it comes to the broad topic of volunteering. Whether Habitat for Humanity, the Ronald McDonald House, or cleaning up your city comes to mind, it’s all about working alongside others to better the community. While at Evansville, fourth-year medical student Erica Greers worked with second-year medical student Meghana Bhaskara as campus representatives for the Indiana University School of Medicine Service-Learning Coalition (SLC).
Greers shed some light on why she got involved with service-learning in the first place. “I think mainly, it was needing something outside of school. Medical school is very stressful because you’re getting thrown in and drinking from the fire hydrant, in terms of knowledge, and I needed a break from that. I think a lot of MD students can relate that you feel guilty taking a break from studying and all that, so I thought this is a good way to feel productive and that I’m using my time wisely instead of just sitting around watching Netflix. It’s just a nice relief from school.” It is effective to engage with the communities close to you in order to address social issues by working alongside them.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that works in more than 70 countries and specializes in building and repairing homes, among other volunteer work opportunities. Luckily, having construction knowledge isn’t always needed. Working with Habitat for Humanity can look like many different odd jobs. One day, you could be cleaning up a thrift store, and the next, painting sheds.
IU School of Medicine–Evansville found remarkable success when partnering with Habitat for Humanity. Students and professors arrived early in the morning to paint sheds. Erica Greers mentioned how fun it was to socialize with the professors outside of a professional setting. They were all able to talk about non-school-related topics and just enjoy their time. With good company and conversation, they flew past Habitat for Humanity’s goal of three sheds and ended up painting a dozen.
How to get involved in your city
Recently, the Evansville campus has cooked meals for a local women’s shelter, walked dogs at the Vanderburgh County Humane Society, served at a local health fair by partnering with the Deaconess Health System, and led heart anatomy and physiology lessons at underserved Evansville middle schools.
When asked what service-learning means to her, Meghana said, “Service learning in Evansville has been a privilege, as I have had the opportunity to build relationships and stay involved in the initiatives that are meaningful to me. Seeing my classmates connecting with the community has been the cherry on top. We have regular participation from our students, and service learning is a great way for them to get to know populations that they will be seeing as future doctors!”
Look out for GroupMe messages containing information on all opportunities to help serve your community!
