#Serve901

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 4:

Today was an incredible day filled with lots of education and excitement. We started off our day at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital with a tour. During our tour, not only did we see the facilities, but we also learned about how the hospital was started and learned the stories behind many of the art pieces around the hospital. I was in awe of the beautiful artwork, a majority of which was completed by the children in the hospital.

We then met with many individuals who work at the hospital and told us about the numerous health and wellness and community outreach programs that they have implemented in the city of Memphis. Le Bonheur is doing amazing things not only to treat current patients, but also in the community to help prevent future health problems. We also got to visit and a Le Bonheur on Wheels mobile care unit that goes to local schools and provides healthcare to children who may not get it otherwise.

One of my favorite parts of the day was meeting with the ECMO coordinators at Le Bonheur. They told us about the history of ECMO and took us to their simulation room where we were able to see the equipment. I found the ECMO machine and devices to be fascinating because of the amazing benefits it can provide to patients. I was also intrigued to learn about the room for improvement with ECMO. They told us about design flaws with some equipment and other aspects of ECMO that need enhancement. This sparked my interest because of how perfectly it aligns with my future goals of working on biomedical device product development.

We then made the drive downtown Memphis to watch the historic Peabody Duck March. It was exciting to witness this Memphis tradition. After visiting the ducks at their rooftop palace, we ventured to the FedEx Forum to watch the Grizzlies play the Suns. The game was lots of fun and the Grizzlies came out victorious!

As the days progress, I am learning more and more about the incredible city of Memphis. Although there is poverty, hardship, and despair here, there is an ever constant message of hope and restoration that has been present with everyone we meet. I have fallen in love with the history embedded in this city as well as hope and excitement for its future.

Love to all,

Sam

P.S. The first successful ECMO machine was at U of M!

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

via Choose901

[theniggaratti]

My friend made this song for his brother/friend who passed away last year. It’s raw and emotional and compelling. Check it out, please. Especially if you’ve lost a loved one in the past, I don’t think you’ll regret it.

[itslovelythanks]

When you think you can catch. #idontknownothin #WeBreakForSocialJustice #whereslee #choose901 #serve901 (at Ronald McDonald House of Memphis)

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 1

This is it! After many months of craziness in the EHCO group, we FINALLY get to go! The 11 hour drive, though gruesome, was a great way for groups to bond. We ate lunch in Ohio at “America’s Sub Shop,” aka Blimpie, and dinner in Más Tacos in Nashville, by recommendation of “Al’s friend.” There’s nothing like an horchata to fuel 11 hours of driving more than a $100 of gas ever could.

Finally we arrived in Memphis, and received a refreshing welcome by Luke and a tour of Serve901’s new Bunkhouse for volunteers! I’d HATE to brag, but last year’s members would be so jealous of the setup. It’s in the same church that they stayed at last year, but as Luke described it, “IKEA basically threw up in the basement.” It’s so true, everything feels fresh and new and contemporary. We always knew there was another group staying with us, but today we found out that the other group is from U of M! Exhausted as we are, “Hi!” was about all we could muster, but there are whispers of game night later in the week. Stay tuned folks.

(The other car was too cool for a blurry filtered selfie)

Tomorrow, we’ll be eating at Central BBQ and visiting the Civil Rights Museum with the other group and Luke, to learn more about Memphis and Serve901. I’m really excited for this, because I want to know what the civil rights and social justice movements look like in other cities with similar issues. I think by stepping outside our comfort zone, we’ll have a lot to learn about these issues and our role in them as students who are interested in health-related careers.

~Saumya G

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 8

7:21 PM. As I write this, we are currently on the last leg of our trip from Memphis, Tennessee to Ann Arbor, Michigan. And what a trip it's been! We had a sweet start to the day at Gibson's Donuts, where we bid a bittersweet goodbye to Luke. Luke's family showed us the epitome of Southern hospitality, and we will never forget his kindness and generosity. After loading up on far too much sugar, we hit the road.

This trip has been such an incredible bonding experience, and it's so evident in the transition from our very first awkward picture as strangers at Blimpie in Miamisburg, Ohio to the last one, in which we're no longer afraid to touch each other (!) and are more like family (shoutout Mom and Dad). Our car ride home was filled with a great throwback playlist, courtesy of Reid, and a taking of the wheel in Kentucky, courtesy of Jesus.

As much as I love hoMe, I will miss our week in Memphis dearly. Admittedly, I had my reservations about Memphis at the beginning of this trip, but my perspective has changed completely in the last seven days. Yes, Memphis has problems with crime and poverty, but it's so much more than that. A city is a culmination of its people, and Memphis is filled with some of the most passionate people I've ever met. I'm so thankful to have met a fraction of those who devote their lives to improving and rebuilding the city.

From Mike at Landmark Farms to Noah at the Binghamton Development Center to all the wonderful people at Le Bonheur, St. Jude's, and the Ronald McDonald House to Randy at Tech 901 to Brandon at BioWorks to all the engineers at Medtronic to—of course—Luke and Jeff at Serve901, everyone is contributing to a different aspect of development in Memphis, but they are all bonded by their genuine love for their city and its people.

The current movement of revitalization is so inspiring and especially relevant to us at Michigan, because of our proximity to Detroit. The efforts of Memphians is so moving, and it is a reminder that great change begins with passionate people. As Noah at the BDC said, "We do not love Memphis because it's great; Memphis is great because we love it." And that love is so evident in all the work they do.

Much Love,

Ashley Zhang

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 7

The last day of activities is upon us, and I am sad to be leaving tomorrow. This morning we tried to use up all of our food (unsuccessfully) to make breakfast and a packed lunch for later in the day. We then went back to Landmark Farms where we were able to really do some meaningful work and contribute to Mike’s inspiring plan for his community. We planted flowers along the outside of his gardens and also received some “medical training” by digging up different plants and transplanting them in another garden. It was dirty work, but we were eager to help out in any way that we could and left the farm with a sense of fulfillment.

Instead of eating lunch on the roof of Le Bonheur, we decided a lovely lunch in the parking structure would be more magical. It was a gorgeous day and an even more gorgeous view, looking out over the whole city of Memphis once we made it up to the roof. After taking many pictures of the city and ourselves, we went to our next, and final event for our trip; a visit to Medtronic.

Last year’s group visited the distribution side of Medtronic, but we got to visit the the Museum of Modern Spinal Surgery, where they hold meetings with surgeons and other customers. Within the first five minutes of the visit, we were already drawn into the world of Medtronic. Thankfully we were able to talk to two amazing women engineers, one of them being a Michigan alumni! This was one of the most informational and relevant question and answer sessions that we had gone to, since it was purely about biomedical devices and the engineer's role in the design and implementation of these devices. We were also able to tour their verification labs where they test parts to make sure that they are FDA approved. Instead of being their the one hour we were planning on, we spent two and a half hours finally getting insight into what the majority of us were on this trip to learn about.

The rest of the night was our group hanging out with each other and becoming even more close as a group. We dined, we shopped and we bonded over a final game of euchre that would wrap up an amazing trip to Memphis that none of us will ever forget.

~Jenna Bolster

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 6

Day 6 was a beauty.

It all started with a lovely drive to the wrong location, however, after this miscommunication we made it to our destination, Crosstown Concourse. This was our second visit to the previous Sears Distribution Warehouse, which had been abandoned for 35 years. During this visit, we met with Randy who gave us a tour of his project within the Crosstown Concourse. His project is Church Health which provides low cost medical check-ups, physical therapy, fitness center and dentistry services. Randy and his team are doing amazing things by providing these opportunities for the community.

After our departure from Crosstown Concourse, we had a gourmet lunch that consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made by ourselves. We then proceeded to Memphis Bioworks, a company that invests and facilitates start-up biotech companies. After getting past their ultra-secure defense system in the parking structure, we made our way to the 9th floor to meet with the CFO, yes, the main man himself. He explained the company to us in detail and answered a swarm of questions from our eager group before giving us a tour of the labs and testing facilities. Afterwards, Luke met us after the tour and took us for a romantic walk through the University of Tennessee’s Medical Campus.

The next order of business for our group was to visit the Memphis Escape Room. Memphis Escape Room is a game where you have 60 minutes to escape a room full of clues. Our excitement was met with one of the best experiences of the trip so far. Our highly superior engineering group did not disappoint as we escaped the room, which only 33% of people in the past had made it out alive, with 9 minutes to spare. This intense battle with the room built up an appetite only the Blue Nile could satisfy. This Ethiopian restaurant was a unique culinary style that was new to all of us. Even though we were full of good food, we made room in our hollow leg for some cupcakes from Muddy’s Bake Shop.

With one more day to go in Memphis I can reflect on everything and be so satisfied with this trip. The people we have met and the programs we have interacted with have changed my perspective on so much. I see passion every day that I can only hope to possess one day.

- Reid Bailey

P.S. The hawk is gone.

P.P.S. So is Al.

P.P.P.S. Coincidence?

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 5

Even though today started off by sitting in puddles because we forgot to close the sunroof the night it poured, it was yet another day of eye opening experiences. We started off in the Ronald McDonald house which is a part of the St Jude’s hospital. We labeled food with expiration dates and restocked their pantry and what amazed me is that in the 3-4 hours we were there, the amount of food that was brought in by members of the community was astounding! It showed how much love and support there is for parents and families with children in the hospital. After this we were able to tour the hospital and see these fascinating children and their artwork, showing the immense amount of hope they have each day.

After touring the hospital, we visited Tech 901, which works toward community development by using professional development. There, we were spoken to by its founder, Robert Montague, about professional development. What stuck with me is how much emphasized the importance of passion when working towards your goals. He said “don’t [just] take a job, build a career.” I think this is important for everyone because you won’t be your happiest until you are making a life of what makes you the happiest and not just settling.

After seeing what Tech 901 was about, we made our way back to the Ronald McDonald house to serve dinner. While we just warmed up some bread a put the food out, it may of not have seemed like a lot of work but seeing the families being able to enjoy warm meals, warmed my heart. After dinner a man came to the kitchen to personally thank us and it just shows how grateful these families are and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my night any other way.

We ended the night at our host’s house for dessert and were able to spend time with his family. Through these few days we have met an incredible number of people all so knowledgeable and passionate, and time here has truly opened my eyes to so many intriguing things happening in Memphis. I didn’t know what to expect from this trip at first, but so far it has been more than I ever could imagine and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to come here!

Much love,

Reesha Talati

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 3

Today we visited Landmark Farms, an urban garden in the historic Orange Mound neighborhood of Memphis, and Binghampton Development Center, an organization devoted to bringing positive change to the struggling Binghampton district of Memphis. The founder of Landmark Farms, Mike Minnis, showed us around the garden and showed us how to pick carrots, feed chicken, and prepare soil for planting. His practical, yet romantic thoughts on the world gave me a lot to think about. After a late change in plans, we made an impromptu visit to Binghampton Development Center. Noah, the executive director, gave us a quick tour of the area and showed us how much of an impact the organization had made in just a few short years. From the conversion of an abandoned apartment lot to a senior living center to the establishment of a community arts center, Noah showed us how quickly positive change could be created when driven people worked with, and not for, the community.

I’ve always had ambitious dreams of bringing great positive change into the world. The last few days have challenged me a little bit. It’s taught me that progress is not made in huge strides by one powerful visionary; it’s driven by local communities changing one at a time. Money is not what drives change; people are.

“If something is ‘new and improved’, what does that say about the old version? It was old and bad?” – Mike Minnis

- Albert Cai

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 2

From stuffed French toast, to standing just feet away from the place of Dr. Martin Luther Jr.’s assassination to crossing the Tennessee/Arkansas border by foot, what an eventful day our second day in Memphis was!

We started off this lovely 60-degree day by walking over to Café Eclectic for brunch which consisted of lots of Nutella stuffed French toast, omelets, and Pookie’s pancakes. After being such early birds for food, we had about an hour and a half before we had to meet our host from Serve901 for lunch at Central BBQ. This time allowed us to take a walk on a beautiful trail as well as play on the playground at the church.

Around 11:30am we headed into the heart of downtown Memphis to have some good ole BBQ! There, we not only were able to bond with Luke’s very cute 6-year- old, 4-year- old, and 5-month-old, but also with the members of Mosaic Church that have come to serve from Michigan, just like us!

After eating, we were able to see what Memphis was really about. This city is so rich in history that I had no idea about until today! We were able to hear, from Luke, about how the city has developed and grown and also how it became the hub of medical technology due to young people coming from around the world to solve yellow fever epidemic! We also visited the National Civil Rights museum and learned about the injustices back then and learn even more about the injustice that has carried over into the present, all at the very location of MLK’s assassination.

This was a day of really exploring Memphis and understanding where we will be working the next week and what we will be working towards. The day ended with us walking on a bridge connecting Tennessee and Arkansas as the sun went down. Cannot wait to see where tomorrow takes us, and it’s only day 3!

Also P.S. A hawk is stuck in the in gymnasium/chapel that I’m currently writing this in.

P.P.S Shout out to Reido, Ashley, Sam, Al, Jenna, and Saums for being so lit.

-Reesha Talati

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 8

March 3, 2018

The day has come for us to leave the city of Blues.

We woke up bright and early to clean, pack, and say our final goodbyes to the Bunkhouse. With heavy hearts, we hit the road for Ann Arbor at 8:30am.

Our first stop was for lunch at Mellow Mushroom in Nashville. We had the honor and privilege of sharing a meal with Tuzo, a student at Vanderbilt University and Albert’s good friend from Stillwater, Oklahoma. We had a great time meeting him, sharing stories about our trip, and comparing our college experiences with his over delicious Mellow Mushroom pizza.

After a several more hours of driving, we all reunited for a final meal of the trip together in Dayton, OH. And where else to hold this very special occasion than Steak and Shake? Over french fries, chicken fingers, and sugary shakes, we came together one last time as EHCO travelers and recounted the weeks events.

It was said so many times throughout the day, “It feels like it was yesterday when we were driving to Memphis”. It was hard for us to believe the week was already over.

Though the week seemed like it flew by in a blink of an eye, when we take the time to look back and reflect, we can truly appreciate the tremendous amount we were able to see, learn, and experience in the short 5 days spent with Serve901.

It is no question that Memphis is a beautiful city (I mean, it has the biggest Bass Pro Shop in the world after all), but what we each fell in love with most was not the city itself, but the people of the city – the strong sense of community and care for one another that resonates in every interaction made.

As we head to back to Ann Arbor, bracing ourselves for the struggles of midterms and cold weather, we carry with us a week-long experience that will be shared with friends, families, professors - everyone who touches our lives at home. We plan to spread the appreciation for an open-minded perspective and push for awareness around health care disparities within our own communities. In this way, we can ensure that what we gained from this week doesn’t stay in Memphis. Many things we saw and learned have close parallels with other cities in the nation, many of which are very close to our own hometowns.There is always more work to do to improve the social injustices we see within these cities. We can play our part by using our experience on this trip to inform others of these injustices and promote active steps towards change.

From the words of guidance given by the incredible people we met throughout the week, we not only learned about the city, but also about ourselves as students with interests in health care. For many of us, this trip played an influential role in better understanding and discovering our own career paths and passions in life. Though the group has a variety of career interests, each of us has the same overall goal in mind – to use our education for good. This trip reinforced that driving force within us and opened our eyes to the many ways we can achieve this – whether it’s being a doctor, dentist, engineer, computer scientist, we all have something to contribute. We all have the power to make an impact on the lives of those around us. This is a lesson and way of thinking that’ll stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Michigan has a wonderful partnership with Serve901 and the community of Memphis, and we look forward to maintaining this close relationship and seeing the progress to be made in the years to come.

So instead of a “goodbye”, we’re saying an “until next time” to the city that has treated us so well this past week. And thank you, for the learning, memories, and friendships you have given us.

-Your EHCO travelers of 2018

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Volunteer Odyssey and I Love Memphis make it super easy for you to help the city you love by publishing a monthly list of easy, fun ways to give back. Here are ten ideas for April. 1. Clean Memphis’ Earth Day 30 Days Straight: various dates and times throughout April Join Clean Memphis in celebrating Earth Day not just on April 22nd but for 30 days straight.  The cleanups are located at various neighborhoods around town and include a Soulsville USA Cleanup, a Shelby Farms Cleanup, a South City Neighborhood Cleanup, a Cordova Cleanup and many more.  This is not only a great way to give back but also a way to improve your community.   Sign Up Here 2. Ride-Along w/ MIFA Meals: April 3rd-7th from 9am-noon Have you ever considered becoming a MIFA Meals on Wheels volunteer but not sure what the experience would be like? For one week only, MIFA is giving you the opportunity to test-drive the volunteer experience.  You will be paired with an seasoned volunteer and get an up-close look at what the delivery program looks like in order to decide if you’d like to volunteer there in the future. Sign Up Here 3. Shelby Farms Park Earth Day 5K Fun Run: Sunday, April 9th from 12pm-4pm Join Shelby Farms for a fun afternoon in the park! Volunteers are needed for multiple shifts and roles. Volunteers are needed to be course monitors and manage the water station. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. Sign Up Here 4. cityCURRENT’s Samaritan’s Feet Shoe Distribution: Tuesday, April 11th from 2-6pm Join cityCURRENT, St. George’s Independent School, and Serve901/Choose901 as they serve 350 youth in the community by providing them with new socks, shoes, and lots of love, hugs and hope.  At the event, you’ll also get to hear from the founder of Samaritan’s Feet, Dr. Manny Ohonme, who will be sharing his story of growing up in Africa and how a pair of shoes gifted to him completely changed his life.  Volunteers are needed to help with event set up, to be foot washers, or provide event support. Sign Up Here 5. Shelby Farms Park Earth Day Family Campout: Friday, April 21st from 5-9pm The Earth Day celebrations continue at Shelby Farms with a family-friendly camp out in the Woodland Discover Playground.  Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age, and volunteers will be responsible for helping with check in, campsite set up and a guided hike, and with crafts for guests. Sign Up Here 6. Volunteer Odyssey’s VolunCheers benefitting the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County: Tuesday, April 11th from 6-7:30pm Join Volunteer Odyssey for a volunteer happy hour.  It’s a great way to fit volunteering into your busy schedule and meet new people. Drinks and snacks are provided. Must be 21+ Be The First To Know When Registration Opens 7. Memphis Botanic Garden’s Campfire Date Night: Friday, April 21st from 6-10pm Memphis Botanic Garden is hosting a campfire date night where you can help provide a romantic evening for the adults in attendance.  The event includes delicious food and drinks, and all volunteers must be at least 21 years of age.  Volunteers are needed to help with the food and drink station, crafts, and fire tending.   Sign Up Here 8. Catholic Charities of West Tennessee’s Volunteer Saturday: Saturday, April 22nd from 9am-noon Help Catholic Charities transition their Clothes Closet from winter to spring clothing.  Their Clothes Closet provides free clothing and household items to neighbors in need.  This event is also family friendly and is therefore, a great opportunity for kids to obtain service hours, as well. Sign Up Here 9. Read to Me at St. Jude: the 4th Thursday of the month from noon-1pm Spend your lunch break reading to and entertaining the kids at St. Jude while they wait for their appointments.  Volunteers will help the kids pick out a book to take home with them and read it to them if they’d like.  This is an easy and meaningful way to give back in your day. Sign Up Here 10. Memphis Public Libraries’ Fridays of Free Jazz: April 14th and 28th from 4-8pm The Levitt Shell and the Memphis Public Libraries are hosting 2 more Fridays of Free Jazz.  On April 14th, they are hosting the “(Re)birth of cool” with the University of Memphis Birth of Cool Ensemble, and on April 28th they will have The Legends of Jazz Quintet Ensemble with Dr. Bill Hurd. At these performances volunteers are needed to help greet, usher, and check in attendees.   Email Terrice To Sign Up If none of these strike your fancy, click here to take a tour of 7 different organizations to see if their volunteer opportunities are a perfect match for you. Or, there are more than 80 volunteer opportunities on Volunteer Odyssey’s Calendar: http://ift.tt/1da567q. If you sign up for one of the above opportunities (or find another one through Volunteer Odyssey),please let me know. I’d love to give a shout-out to you next month. Who knows? Maybe your experience will encourage others to give back some Memphis lovin’, too. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout http://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

http://ilovememphisblog.com/2017/03/10-ways-to-give-back-to-memphis-this-month-april-2017/

[mhealatumich]

EHCO Day 1 - Saturday 

What a trek! We finally made it to Memphis after 11 hours of driving and traveling through 6 states! The snack stock is depleted, but our morale is held high. We got to drive over the Mississippi River (twice!), which was a first for all of us! The contact, Luke, for the organization we are working (Serve901) graciously welcomed us into his home when our living arrangements were not available for the first night. After a delicious dinner at LyfeKitchen and a rooftop view of the city and bridge over the Mississippi River, we settled in for the night, exhausted from the ride and from playing with Luke’s adorable kids. 

[itslovelythanks]

#WeBreakForSocialJustice #serve901 #choose901 #whereslee #idontknownothin (at Beale Street，Memphis TN，US)

[itslovelythanks]

Memphis is treating us well. #serve901 #webreakforsocialjustice #whereislee