On just the second day of medical school, OUWB’s Class of 2029 prepared 500 care kits that will be distributed to people in need throughout southeast Michigan.
The service project was part of an afternoon focused on inclusiveness and community engagement — two key components of the school’s mission, vision, and values.
In short, the project was about helping the new students understand that OUWB doesn’t just talk about being a community serving a community, said Tonya Bailey, Ph.D., associate dean, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, and Community Engagement.
“We wanted the students to see that at OUWB we’re not just about what we say, but what we do,” said Bailey. “We wanted them to have an understanding that we have good partnerships with community organizations that are doing great work, and they rely on a lot of our support.”
During the event, students assembled 125 personal hygiene kits for HOPE Shelters in Pontiac and Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. The kits consisted of soap, towels, sanitizers, toothpaste and tooth brushes, and deodorant.
Another 125 warming kits were prepared for Street Medicine Oakland and HOPE Shelters. These kits consisted of hand and foot warmers, lip balm, socks and gloves, and a community resource card.
And 250 “superhero kits” were prepared for CARE House Oakland in Pontiac and the pediatric unit at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak, which is one of the hospitals where OUWB students train. The superhero kits were made of a superhero bag, a motivational stress ball, an activity book with crayons, and an inspirational message card.
Assembling the kits was an activity the students engaged in after a passionate presentation by Trixy Hall, coordinator, Graduate Program & Community Outreach.
Hall emphasized the importance of being intentional about service and authentic about community engagement — about respect for those who are being served and not volunteering just to meet requirements.
“What you do matters,” she told the students. “Be intentional…come with an open mind and to want to genuinely help. Come in saying ‘I’m here to help, what can I do, how can I help, how can I make it better?’”
Afterwards, Hall said Tuesday’s service project was intended to send “a powerful message about who we are as a medical school and what we value.”
“I hope students left knowing that even small acts, like assembling kits, can have a very meaningful impact on someone’s life and that service isn’t extracurricular,” she said. “It’s a core part of becoming a well-rounded and compassionate physician.”
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It was a message that seemed to resonate well with students who already have demonstrated a commitment to helping others. According to OUWB Admissions, the class collectively amassed nearly 90,000 hours of community service prior to starting at the school.
Mohamed Wahidi said “it was great to collaborate with peers who we are just meeting.” He called it “essential” to engage in such activities for the community.
“You should be able to help members of your community in all aspects, not just medicine,” said Wahidi. “We start with projects like this that we just did and branch out into those that are more nuanced and advanced…and help advanced the care of all of our patients.”
Brad Zousmer shared similar feelings.
“It was really nice to be able to work on something for that community with a bunch of people that I just met,” he said. “It was a great way to build relationships with everyone and help the bigger, broader community at the same time.”
Cassandra Vyazmensky said the entire session had her excited to get even more involved.
“That was a big reason that OUWB was really attractive for me,” she said. “Getting a taste of (community service) was really nice…it’s really exciting to think about all the different ways we’ll help others at future events.”
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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