During the first two weeks of December, the students from Ross Medical Education Center in Charleston, West Virginia worked tirelessly to organize a tissue donation drive to benefit students of Bridge Elementary located in Elkview, West Virginia. Although tissues may not seem like much, they are a sign of comfort in each classroom and they allow the teachers, students, and schools to focus on other matters.
As much of the nation may have seen on television, many communities located within Kanawha County, West Virginia were devastated by flood waters in early June. Buildings and community infrastructures were completely destroyed. Even months later, many of these buildings were left with their inhabitants just trying to pick up the pieces. As a part of this community, Ross students focused their efforts on one such school.
In August, further pressure was put on this community as parents were alerted that Clendenin Elementary would have to be completely torn down and a new structure built. In the meantime, students would share facilities and resources with Bridge Elementary. Due to this shift, class sizes more than doubled, but in the true West Virginia spirit of resilience, community leaders, teachers, and volunteers have been working together to help bridge the gap in resources. Ross students came to their aid and donated 75 boxes of tissues as well as a variety of cleaning supplies including hand sanitizer, band aids, baby wipes, and disinfecting wipes.
Cyndi Tawney, Campus Director of the Charleston campus, stated, “we at Ross wanted to do our part in helping these students. Our Ross students held a tissue donation drive and came up with the slogan: We want to help you beat the sniffles with tissues! I’m so impressed by our Ross students. Many of them face economic crisis at home and yet they find a way to help others.”