by Walda Lora, PA-S

Over the 2007 holiday season the 2009 PA class of Nova-Naples was busy juggling community outreach and finals. They sought to give back to the community by collaborating and partnering with the Children’s Home Society (CHS), to individually target and provide specific family needs by adopting children and families for the holidays.  Since 1902, CHS has provided adoption and foster care services, education and support to teens, single and struggling parents, runaway/at-risk and challenged children.

Nova-Naples PA Class of 2009

In order to do this, they creatively kicked off the harvest season by collecting donations and/or non perishable food items in exchange for wearing a costume to school on Halloween.  They continued the aforementioned collection of food and donations by creating “Casual Jean Fridays” which allowed the students to wear blue jeans along with their class T-shirt throughout the months of November and December in exchange for a donation. Ultimately the class raised over $300 dollars and non perishable food items to purchase hot Thanksgiving meals and stock the pantries of 6 separate families. Each family’s supplies were tailored to their individual needs and preferences. The groceries and cooked meals were personally hand delivered by the students to each individual family the day before Thanksgiving.

Following Thanksgiving, the Children’s Home Society provided the class with the wish lists of 100 children, for the students to grant during the December holidays. With this particular project, the help of PA’s in the community was solicited via the monthly FAPA (Florida Academy of Physician Assistants) dinners, along with the participation of the faculty and staff. This wasn’t just your ordinary toy drive; on the contrary, it was an undertaking that sought out to meet the very specific needs of the children in the community. Items from diapers, wipes, and bottles to books, clothes, and electronics, and as specific as a trampoline were purchased, and labeled with the corresponding names of the children. One student, Jennifer Black, adopted 4 newborns and generously provided them each with a personalized engraved baby bag full of newborn essentials. Conclusively, all of the 100 children’s wishes were granted, along with a surplus of necessities. All of the donations were loaded into a 12x6 ft trailer and delivered to the CHS. The estimated monetary value of the donations was well over 2,000 dollars, however the philanthropic acts of community service and reaching out to those in need by the 2009 class of Nova-Naples is invaluable.

Click here to see more pics from the Nova-Naples project events.