Union College physician assistant students are raising money to help provide medical care for low-income residents of Lincoln during the sixth annual Dash for Compassion. Proceeds from the race will be donated to Clinic with a Heart, an organization “dedicated to providing health and hope to those [they] serve.”
At this Lincoln-based non-profit, patient care is provided on a volunteer basis for free to individuals in need. Over its 16 years of service, the clinic has expanded to provide our community with medical, dental, vision, hearing, physical therapy, chiropractic, mental health, and spiritual services.
“As future health care providers ourselves, we are confronted with the obstacles many people face when they need medical care,” said Kacie Moeller, a PA student from Walcott, Iowa and one of the event organizers. “Clinic with a Heart is often the best and only choice for the most vulnerable members of our community. That’s why we want to contribute to their mission through this fundraiser.”
The five-kilometer race will take place at Pioneers Park on September 23, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m.
The Dash for Compassion was created in 2013 by Anne Mullin, now a Union College alumna. The idea came to her while attending an annual physician assistant conference in Washington, D.C. “We got the idea from another PA student who we met at the conference,” Mullin explained in a 2013 interview. “As PA students, our purpose is always to serve and help people with our knowledge and compassion. By forming this philanthropic partnership, we will be exhibiting the compassion and medical service that has come to define our profession.”
Dash for Compassion is just one of the ways through which Union College PA students demonstrate the responsible servanthood modeled by Christ. Students engage in their community through service all year, such as at Project Impact, supporting the Union College Foot Clinic once a month during the academic year, and providing free medical care in Peru every summer.
Everyone who registers for this event will receive a t-shirt and will also be entered into a drawing for prizes from local organizations.
Support your community, show compassion and please participate in this event.