SIUE School of Pharmacy Adds Yard Cleanup and Beautification for Seniors to Community Care
On the mornings of April 13 and April 20, a large group of students, staff, alumni, faculty, retired faculty and future Cougars from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP) pitched in to clean and beautify the yards of 12 area senior citizens. The work ranged from small projects to large. After each shift, all homeowners were left with beautiful yards that they could safely enjoy.
The project was the idea of Chris Lynch, professor and director of clinical programs in SOP. While performing medication management home visits for area seniors, Lynch noticed that often lawn care was an expense that many seniors could no longer afford, and downed limbs and other obstacles made for serious fall risks for the homeowners.
"The one thing pharmacy students and the team of educators at the school have in common is a spirit of caring for members of our community," said Lynch.
“Volunteering at events such as these is the cornerstone of our community, and it is always heartening to see everyone come together to support our neighbors,” said Jessie Icenogle, P4 student and volunteer. “The hard work we put in is rewarding in itself, but the smiles and gratitude from our seniors are the icing on the cake. It’s inspiring to be part of a program that extends care beyond the classroom and into the lives of those who need it most.”
Lynch added, “We are so grateful to our community partners, without whom this would not have been possible.” Partners include The Main Street Community Center, who helped identify those in need of service.
“Main Street Community Center was thrilled to hear that the School of Pharmacy wanted to serve our local area seniors,” said Jessica Johnson, Executive Director of Main Street Community Center. “While the Center provides many programs and services on site, we are not able to help seniors at their home. This act of kindness from the pharmacy volunteers impacts the seniors in a way that we cannot.”
“Many seniors are on fixed incomes and simply do not have the disposable income to be able to afford to pay someone to clean up their yard. Not only does this benefit the seniors, but it also benefits those in the neighborhoods they live in. We hope to continue this partnership in the future.”
Partnerships also included Joe's Market Basket, who donated several hundred bags to collect the yard waste, and Hot Shots, who donated pizzas to feed the crews after their shifts.
Well done, Cougars!
PHOTOS: SOP volunteers; Noah Sutliff, P2 student; Logan Gray, P3 student; Homeowner with SOP volunteers
