Medical Students Donate 100 Care Packages to Unhoused Residents in Fort Worth
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU Students Celebrate Black History Month With A Week of Service-Related Events.
FORT WORTH – Medical students from the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University provided 100 care packages to unhoused residents in Fort Worth.
Alexis Higgins-Williams, MS-1 at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, expressed how important service-learning is to embody the Empathetic Scholar® model.
“That empathetic piece is really important,” Higgins-Williams said. By touching people’s lives even in a small way, it reminds us of why we chose medicine in the first place, she said.
The event was sponsored by Burnett School of Medicine at TCU’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), Street Medicine Student Interest Group (SIG), and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The event was held at Art of Living Fort Worth, which provides various resources to the East Lancaster corridor in Fort Worth and works with unhoused families and individuals.
The event was a part of the Burnett School of Medicine SNMA chapter’s week of service-related events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to celebrate Black History Month.
“As medical students it’s kind of easy to stay in our bubble and just study and go to class, but I think it’s really important to get involved in our community especially our disenfranchised populations,” Higgins-Williams said.
The care packages included essential items such as toiletries, underwear, socks, hand warmers, medical supplies, and food. Students were able to provide free health education and free health checks for unhoused residents with help from the Black Heart Association.
A local barber also chipped in by giving free haircuts.
“It gives me hope that we can make things better for these populations,” Higgins-Williams said. “I’m glad we’re shining a light on it and we’re able to give back to the community.”