AMSA
AMSA's Local Chapter Project Directory
| PROJECT DESCRIPTION/CONTACT INFORMATION | |
| Project title | Refugee Welcome Baskets |
| Project type(s) | Community Service |
| Date completed | 03/07/2008 |
| Chapter | SUNY Upstate Medical University COM |
| Project Coordinator | Rosemary Froehlich |
| Summary of project | Syracuse, NY becomes the home to hundreds of refugees each year from countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Liberia, Burma, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Vietnam, Columbia, Congo D.R., Burundi, and Ethiopia. Through the help of local organizations, families are welcomed to the area, housed, and led closely through the process of resettlement. Our AMSA chapter saw an opportunity to help make their transition even easier by providing welcome baskets containing personal care and first aid items. By teaming up with our local IFMSA chapter, as well as the 1st and 2nd year class officers, we were able to collect donations (monetary and personal care items) during the month of February and provide welcome baskets for 15 new refugee families. The welcome baskets each contained: - shampoo & conditioner - comb & hairbrush - bar soap - disposable razors & shaving cream - deodorant - adult & children’s toothbrushes - toothpaste - sanitary napkins - Band-Aids - bacitracin - alcohol pads - instant hand sanitizer Students assembled the baskets in the beginning of March. They were donated to the Center for New Americans, 503 Prospect Ave Syracuse, NY 13208, (315) 474-1261. |
| Content area | Human Rights |
| Number of participants | 25 |
| Participant hours involved | 25 hour(s) |
| PROJECT PLANNING | |
| Coordinator roles | |
| Coordinator hours | hour(s) |
| FUNDING & ADVERTISING | |
| Total project cost | $350.00 |
| Project funding | AMSA grant,Donation |
| Funding breakdown of sources and/or donations: | |
| Project advertising | Successful advertisement was achieved by emails to student list serves, campus posters and fliers, announcements at the beginning/end of classes and word-of-mouth. Collection boxes were also placed at 4 locations in the building. Monetary donations were collected by selling baked goods during lunch on 2 occasions. |
| PROJECT EVALUATION | |
| Success rating (1 = unsuccesful, 5 = very successful) |
4 |
| Lessons/suggestions | Enlisting the help of other organizations and groups of students was essential to the success of this project. It would have been difficult to run with only the help of a few students. Mobilizing a larger group allowed us to contact faculty and administration as well as students. |
