Student-led Service Project Impacts Local Community Center

Article and Photography byRachelMoutoux, Assistant Professor of Medical Sonography at Kettering College.

In theWinter of 2014, Family Needs, Inc., a Seventh Day Adventist community center in Springfield, experienced broken pipes that flooded the entire building forcing the center to shut down, even though they are located in an at risk community which depends on their services. After many repairs, they still needed volunteers to help clean and reorganize their facility to be ready for their projected grand reopening on Monday, November 3rd.

Jared Houseman, a Kettering College senior in the medical sonography program, became aware of the center’s need for volunteers to clean and prepare the center for their re-opening. Jared’s Grandmother-in Law volunteers at the Family Needs center, and was very excited when Jared asked if they needed help with the preparations for the center’s reopening. Jared’s classmates had been looking for an opportunity to organize a student- led local service project, and this seemed like a great fit. Jared told his classmates about the Family Needs center and when students voted on which project they were most interested in completing, the Family Needs center was the overwhelming winner.

On October 31, the students had the opportunity to meet the needs of the community center. They cleaned the industrial style kitchen from top to bottom and painted the men’s bathroom. They sorted, folded and placed clothing on shelves, and also sorted and organized can goods. The students also did a lot of cleaning and mopping of the center, removing some of the dusty remains from the ceiling collapse.

Ella Barnes, Houseman’s Grandmother-in Law, shared that the students “accomplished in four hours what would have taken the center’s volunteers two months.”

Students commented that the work was very rewarding. Grace Carson, a senior in the medical sonography program, stated, “It was really refreshing to be able to help a small organization in our community that really needed our support”.

Susan Price, the director of the sonography program, remarked that this was the beginning of a great relationship between the Family Needs, Inc. center and the sonography program at Kettering College. Price stated, “I’m so proud of the sonography class’ initiativein seeing a need and then doing something about it.”

The Family Needs Inc. Center, which functions as a soup kitchen, gives out food and clothing to families in need and always accepts donations. If you’re interested in donating food, clothing or finances, visit or contact:Family Needs, Inc. 36 E Grand Ave, Springfield, OH 45506,(937) 322-1662

About Kettering College and the Sonography Program:
The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program at Kettering College is one of the oldest sonography bachelors programs in the nation, established in the year 1981.This year, the sonography department received a 10 year accreditation renewal, which is highest level accreditation the CAAHEP offers. We are one of only three BS programs in the nation that has been granted this 10 year accreditation.The program is also one of the few sonography programs to offer training in all four areas of specializations – abdominal, vascular, obstetrics/gynecology, and echocardiography.

Kettering College is a fully accredited, coeducational college that specializes in health science education. A division of Kettering Medical Center, the College is located on the KMC campus in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, and is chartered by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Kettering College offers a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree, Bachelors of Science degrees and Associate degrees, and certificate programs

To see more pictures from this event visit ourFlickr page.

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