WEST COVINA, Calif.—Students and Team Members at North-West College (NWC) joined together to take on a number of service projects during the 2018 holiday season—all with the goal of giving back to the surrounding communities. From food and clothing drives to visiting local nursing homes, the efforts made a lasting positive impact on all involved.
“It was amazing to see these students who are going into health care, serving with such huge hearts for other people,” shared Maggie Macias, Campus Director for North-West College’s Long Beach Campus. Students and Team Members at NWC Long Beach participated in a five-week food and clothing drive, bringing in more than 750 items for Casa Youth, a shelter for teens, and Precious Life Shelter, which supports pregnant mothers and new mothers in need. “I am so proud of the way our students and Team Members more than rose to this challenge and gave so generously,” Macias said.
The College’s Riverside Campus also participated in a food drive—theirs benefiting the local chapter of Feeding America. “Our students and Team Members were excited to be able to support an organization that goes into the community to be sure people have the food they need,” explained Associate Dean of Education Peggy Stedman. The drive, which took place in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, brought in more than 12 huge boxes of food. “It was eye opening for our students to see real need up close. And it ties back so well to what we do here at North-West College. We don’t believe in simply providing an education to our students—we want to help them realize they are part of something bigger in this world as they join the ranks of health care professionals.”
NWC West Covina hosted a food drive as well, collecting boxes of non-perishable items for Project 29:11 in Covina, California. In addition, Vocational Nursing and Pharmacy students from the campus spread holiday cheer to individuals at West Covina Healthcare Center and Rowland Convalescent Hospital, two local skilled nursing facilities. They brought gifts donated by students and Team Members from NWC West Covina and gave them to the nursing home residents and sang Christmas carols to brighten spirits.
“Family members of the residents thanked us profusely and it was so neat to see some of the residents joining us in song,” shared Clinical Nursing Coordinator Nicole Soriano. It was great to not only give back, but to also give our Vocational Nursing students the chance to connect with the types of patients they may serve,” she said. “At North-West College, we have always been about more than equipping our students with the skills they need—we’re about equipping them to care for their patients as real people and make a positive difference in the health care field each and every day.”
Interested in learning more about North-West College’s programs? Please contact Nancy Aguillon at NancyA@success.edu for more information today!
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