By Robertino Simpson, UMHS Student Government Association President
The UMHS Student Government Association (SGA) has embarked on a mission to make a stronger presence for the University Of Medicine and Health Sciences here in St. Kitts. As a part of this mission, the “Each One Reach One Campaign” (EROC) was designed. This program has Dr. Mike Doherty as Faculty Adviser and Mrs. Lorraine Brown, and Cecilia France as Administrative Support. These individuals have played a key role in the development of the program and will prove to be vital to its success in the semesters to follow.
Various clubs such as the African Students Association have periodically had fundraisers and contributed a portion of the funds to the Holy Catholic Preschool in the form of food. The initiative (EROC) was formed to address the need for sustainability in philanthropy that the institution does. With this program, a continued chain of donations can be made through the support of our students.
How does it work? Here on the island, many grocery stores have a Reward Number that customers can sign up for to earn points. These points then can be used toward purchasing items. The University of Medicine and Health Sciences now has a Rewards Number (466 2043) at RAMS and Best Buy Supermarkets. Throughout the semester, we are encouraging students to use the number 466 2043 whenever they shop. These points are seen as donations where each student who uses the 466 2043 number will indirectly be aiding one Kittitian student here on the island.
As budding physicians, we are reminded daily of the importance of health whether physical, mental or emotional. With this in mind, proper nutrition is vital to maximizing any student’s potential in the classroom and encourages health in all facets of life. The dream for this initiative (EROC) is to be able to assist the basic, elementary and primary schools here in St. Kitts with providing healthy, hearty meals for students in an aim to embolden academic success for the students.
(Top photo) HELPING THE KIDS: UMHS African Students Association members & UMHS students with St. Kitts kids at a recent bake sale, with proceeds going to help make food donations for the children. Photo: UMHS African Students Association
About UMHS:
Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciencesfocuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, “personalized medical education,” and it’s what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. UMHS is challenging everything you thought you knew about medical schools in the Caribbean.
Posted by Robertino Simpson
Robertino Simpson, M.D. is a UMHS graduate.
