TCOM student organizations help with back-to-school fair for Fort Worth community
A trio of Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine student organizations partnered with the Brighter Outlook Community Center and Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church to help host a back-to-school fair for students of all ages.
TCOM’s Student National Medical Association (SNMA), Refugee Health Initiative (RHI) and Latino Medical School Association (LMSA) provided free physicals for students. The groups also helped prepare more than 400 backpacks that were given out free to children in the Fort Worth community.
“It’s amazing to see the number of students interested in going out into the community and providing free health care screenings,” said Bisola Dada, President of TCOM’s SNMA Chapter. “There were several events like this going on and we still had over 40 students volunteering at this location alone. Students are eager to apply their skills and ‘serve others first,’ which is why we choose this profession!”
More than 40 students were there to provide physicals for student athletes along with blood pressure and blood glucose checks for the parents.
“I am so grateful that the TCOM community puts such an emphasis on volunteering,” said TCOM second-year student Madelyn Richards. “As medical students, it is so easy to get bogged down in the textbooks and lose sight of why we went to medical school in the first place. Volunteering gives us motivation to study. It reminds us of the importance of what we have learned in the classroom and labs and, at the same time, humbles us by highlighting how much more we have to learn.”
The volunteer effort by the three TCOM organizations shows the importance of serving the community.
“It can be easy to get lost in studying and reading textbooks but events like these are a great reminder of why I decided to go into medicine,” said Callie Angell, President of TCOM’s RHI program. “I always feel more encouraged about the path I’ve chosen after having the opportunity to help other people with their health.”
The volunteer efforts also highlight core elements of osteopathic medicine and the mission of the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC).
“Events that provide health care and education to the historically underserved are extremely important because they not only provide care to those in need, but they are also part of the core mission of both TCOM and LMSA, which is to support the development of osteopathic physicians dedicated to patient care and service to their communities,” said Richards.
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