Midwestern Medical Students Care for Community with Service Day

Before beginning their rigorous course of study, first-year medical students at Midwestern University participate in an annual day of service. This year, 205 new students at the University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM) packed food, sorted donations, cleared brush, and more as part of their orientation program. The following are just some of the nearly 20 projects completed by the students:

• packed nutritious meals for hungry children around the world at Feed My Starving Children in Aurora and Schaumburg;

• sorted food donations at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva and the People’s Resource Center Food Pantry in Westmont;

• organized medical supplies and performed general maintenance at Almost Home Kids in Naperville;

• cleared brush and performed general maintenance at Family Shelter Services, Lyman Woods, and the Indian Boundary YMCA in Downers Grove; the Little Friends in Naperville; and the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Participation in service projects gives students first-hand experience with the needs of the community they will one day serve as health professionals. The projects also reflect a University-wide commitment to community service.