Each of the Ross Medical Education Center campuses strives to teach students the importance of philanthropy while playing an integral role in the local community. “Instead of being in the class together, we are out helping other people together, so it not only gets us acquainted in class with what we’re learning about but it gets us acquainted as people outside of class,” said Kristyn Hutchinson, Medical Assistant student from the Dayton campus. That’s a sentiment that many students share and that the staff and faculty at the campus are proud of as they work so hard to cultivate it.
Recently, the students, staff, and faculty in Dayton joined together to raise money for the Miami Valley Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald House Charities is an international organization that helps families get medical and dental care and also provides financial support and temporary housing for families with children combating illness at hospitals. “Ronald McDonald House is important, because people that are spending that much time in the hospital need a place to rest and relax and get away for a little bit,” said Cristin Butler, Assistant Director of Education at Ross in Dayton.
One of the ways that the Ronald McDonald House receives support is through the donation of pop tabs from aluminum pop cans. Ross students have collected thousands of aluminum pop tabs to be recycled. The profits donated to Ronald McDonald House will help support local families. Ross students look forward to continuing to help support their local charities. “Every year the Ronald McDonald House of Dayton raises nearly $16,000 dollars by recycling pull tabs for their salvage value,” said Cara Wells, the Operations Manager at the Miami Valley Ronald McDonald House.
To continue community involvement, Ross Medical Education Center also plans on holding a blood drive at the Dayton campus this fall. “Community service is important to me because it gives us a chance to interact with our community, to find out what is going on with other people, gives us information about what is going on with the community, and it is also good for networking,” said Medical Assistant student, Shameka Crawford.
To find out more about the Miami Valley Ronald McDonald House and how you can help, visit their Facebook page or their website at https://rmhcdayton.org/.