COM Outlook - Winter 2016

College of Osteopathic Medicine 15 Students committed to working with individuals who possess physical or intellectual disabilities volunteer with Special Olympics Florida, where dedi- cated students provide wellness screen- ings, sports physicals, and education services at Special Olympics wellness events and competitions. Volunteering in the community was certainly nothing new to NSU-COM students, but the diverse range of service activities is what makes them shine as community volunteers. Stu- dents benefit from being in a college that leads in school-initiated interna- tional medical outreach trips. In fact, anyone who has even casually perused COM Outlook would recall the images of students and faculty members mak- ing a profound impact in developing and third-world countries. Less told, however, are the stories of students who play vital roles as the primary volunteer teams for so many community organizations or students who ventured off to faraway lands, in- dependently joining medical outreach trips in countries such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Nepal Nicaragua, and Peru. Fond Memories, Good Times Whether it’s the 46 students who volunteered at Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, Florida, as counselors for chil- dren living with spina bifida and other conditions; the first-year students who ventured to Rutledge, Georgia, to spend a week at Camp Kudzu for children diagnosed with type 1 diabe- tes; or the Muscular Dystrophy Camp counselors and Miami Children’s Hospital Camp Funrise volunteers, the students readily shared their fond memories and good times. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to have volunteered for Camp Boggy Creek,” wrote third-year student Nicholas Bastian in his community- service journal. “The staff members and volunteers really get in the kid zone and act like kids themselves, so the real kids can forget about their conditions and just experience the joy of being a kid. There were times when the physical pain of the disease limited my camp buddy’s ability to participate in activities such as horseback riding, swimming, or dodgeball, and this broke my heart, but then there were many alternatives, such as boating, woodworking, and archery. I taught my camp buddy how to properly cast his bait, and he was such a trooper.” Third-year student Brittney Tages can still be spotted sporting her sentimen- tal parting gift—a backpack with a deeply meaningful note handwritten in permanent marker by the family of her camper—an eight-year-old girl with spina bifida. “Her brothers and sisters, and even Normandy, her service dog, joined in the fun of camp,” Tages ex- plained. “One of the best memories was the big Saturday night dance. Despite my concerns, my buddy’s wheelchair was no barrier to us having an absolute blast. I had truly grown close and made a connection with the family mem- bers, and I am privileged and forever changed for getting to know them.” In the Sigma Sigma Phi Doctor’s Bag outings at local preschools, students interact with the kids while giving their stethoscopes, tuning forks, flashlights, and reflex hammers a good workout. While this program helps young kids to understand the importance of proper hygiene and taking care of their bodies and to feel less anxious about visits to their doctors, it has a similar effect on Volunteering in the community was certainly nothing new to NSU-COM students, but the diverse range of service activities is what makes them shine as community volunteers. Students benefit from being in a college that leads in school-initiated international medical outreach trips.