This winter, the staff, faculty, and students at the Ross Medical Education Center campus in Kokomo, Indiana wanted to do something new in their community. So, after one of their On-Ground Associates Degree Program students, Teresa Roe, came to the staff with an idea, they were excited to join in. After talking with one of her friends that had been raising supplies for the local homeless population, Teresa decided she wanted to help out too. She then talked with Edith Hensel, Assistant Campus Director of Education, and the entire Ross campus decided to be a part of it.
The campus all began collecting items for Backpacks of Hope, a Kokomo charity that partnered with the Kokomo Rescue Mission to collect items to put in backpacks to help the homeless of Howard County. The Kokomo Rescue Mission serves as the contact point for the homeless of Howard County to access one these backpacks. The goal is to provide basic toiletry items to individuals who do not have stable housing.
Throughout the month of December, the campus worked to collect the needed items. Some items they collected included socks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, toilet paper, blankets, hats, gloves, scarves, shampoo, razors, bottled water, flashlights, and a variety of other things. The students, staff, and faculty pulled together to bring in items. They were excited to work together on the project and were thrilled as they saw what their efforts were able to produce for the homeless in their community.
This was the first time that the campus has participated in this event and they are already looking forward to working with these organizations and this program in the future. The Kokomo Campus Assistant Campus Director of Education, Edith Hensel, shared about the experience, “when students are passionate about worthy causes such as the homeless in our community, our campus will support them anyway we can.” Everyone in Kokomo is looking forward to their next chance to work to benefit their neighbors!
To learn more about this organization, visit the Kokomo Rescue Mission’s Facebook page or their website at www.kokomorescuemission.org.