Health Careers Clubs Hold Several Charity Events

by Joan Andrews
South Hills Public Relations Specialist

with Jodie LeMaster
South Hills Webmaster

STATE COLLEGE — Even as they work on end-of-the-year class projects, students from the Health Careers Clubs at all three of our locations have generously organized events to collect donations to benefit members of their communities.

Monetary donations were collected from a bake sale held in the Common Area at our main campus to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Danville, which serves families of children hospitalized at Geisinger Medical Center.

Our Medical Assistant students asked classmates, faculty, and staff for their old eyeglasses to recycle for New Eyes for the Needy. A grand total of 681 pairs were collected from all 3 of our locations. Since it started, New Eyes has provided clear vision to over 8 million people in the United States and throughout the world, distributing over 195,000 recycled eyeglasses in 30 different countries last year.

At our Lewistown location, our students provided free blood pressure screenings and taught the kids how to hula-hoop during the annual Kid Connection, an event that is planned and organized by our very own Venus Shade, who is a Criminal Justice instructor.

And finally, Health Careers Club members at our State College campus collected food, treats, and toys for dogs like Natalia, seen in the photo above, who are enrolled in New Leash on Life USA, a volunteer-based dog training program operating within the State Correctional Institute at Rockview. The program rescues dogs from high-kill shelters and works with inmates to train the dogs to assist veterans with PTSD. Vets are given the dogs free of charge.

New Leash on Life is not funded by the Department of Corrections, so the group is actively seeking contributions from the community to keep the program running. Visit their website to find out how you can help.