NEOMED Volunteers Serve Local Communities on Make a Difference Day

In honor of Make a Difference Day, Northeast Ohio Medical University faculty, staff and students spent Saturday, Oct. 26, volunteering at local organizations.

Together, 24 volunteers served a total of 85 hours at five locations, including Habitat for Humanity Portage County, the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, Paws and Prayers Pet Rescue, Summa Health and University Hospitals.

Jade Natali, a first-year College of Medicine student, spent the afternoon tidying up the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley with Emmanuel Livchak, a first-year College of Pharmacy student, and Harmony Stanger, assistant director of Student Affairs for the College of Medicine.

Natali shares, “Volunteering at the Rescue Mission was a great way for me to give back to my community. I was born and raised in the Youngstown area and it was so nice to see exactly what the mission has provided for those in need. Not only do they provide hot meals, but they provide shelter, and they have wonderful education and rehabilitation programs set up for individuals who want to grow. During our service we cleaned all of the downstairs public areas where residents ate, worked and checked in, and even heard a heartwarming testimony from a woman who was personally rehabilitated by use of the work-study program. I am thankful I was able to spend my Saturday working along with fellow students while learning about my community and being able to help out a little bit.”

Photo L to R: Emmanuel Livchak, Jade Natali and Harmony Stanger