First-year KU medical students volunteer around community

Jul 29, 2010

As part of their orientation week, 176 first-year University of Kansas School of Medicine students participated in M1 Community Service Day on Thursday, July 29. The annual event stresses the importance to medical students of giving back to their communities and the citizens who live there.

“We have all been very fortunate to get to this place in our lives,” said Mark McHaney, a first-year medical student from Manhattan, Kan., who spent the day painting at Friendship Inn, a hospitality house for families of patients at The University of Kansas Hospital. “It’s great that we get this opportunity to pitch in and help out residents and organizations in this community.”

Students participated in 20 different projects around Wyandotte County this year.  They included repairing and painting homes, landscaping and weeding, sorting school supplies, and working with residents at community gardens.