Ideas to present at exec board meeting for community service

[amanda_jsu11]

I was recently voted Community Service Committee Head of Sigma Alpha Pi JSU chapter; aka The National Society of Leadership and Success.
I want to take advantage of this opportunity obviously for purposes of med school applications, but more importantly to create a positive momentum for the Society at JSU. Our chapter is fairly new, only two years old, and has done well so far with recruitment; but the events held, specifically the community service events, give me the impression that the students are only there because it is required to reach the next step in the program. The events have all taken place in the local community center and were limited to games/activities for children.
I want to incorporate healthcare into my idea proposals at the exec board meeting in January. Events can be up to once a week and money/traveling/time have to be taken into consideration. Please send any ideas for events (healthcare related or not). Any suggestions or advice on how to get members on board and excited about the events?
My ideas so far include:
volunteering: animal shelter, hospital
fundraising for local charities-clothing sale/bake sale
environmental conservation? ideas?
community clean up days
blood drives
preventative medicine? maybe an educational/awareness event on prevalent health issues(type 2 diabetes/cardovascular disease) ideas?

Also this is my first leadership position. The president has made it clear that the door is open for pretty much anything I want to do. Any ideas on how I can take this position to the next level and exceed what is expected of me?

I am also going to be competing against other members for awards and scholarships presented by the Society, i.e., Society Service Award (proven dedication to giving back), Better World Grant (essay on your idea of a project/business proposal/other endeavor that serves the community or campus), Emerging Leader Scholarship, Inspirational Leader Scholarship (focuses on creativity and imagination).

Any feedback is appreciated.

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[123456123456]

I like the volunteering for a shelter and/or hospital. Setting up a blood drive once would be nice. When I was a girl scout we did a donation drive for animal food to go to the shelter and put fliers on peoples doors and then went and picked up the food like a week or 2 later (they left it in a bag by their mailbox) and we got like 500 pounds of food

 

[OrdinaryDO]

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, but please..do not make this about your medical school application or you will just make this the most dull experience for all of your society members. Some of your ideas are good, but generic. I say generic because everyone has these same ideas or volunteering for a shelter or doing a blood drive, which both of those are nice, but if I were you I would try to branch our and do something that is not so cookie cutter. Some things I would do is focus on bringing knowledgeable, uplifting, and experienced speakers to give seminars or talks to your society. Adopt the campus cleanup responsibility to keep your campus clean and beautiful. Do the same with a wildlife conservation, clean it up and make it safe for the animals. If you want to do a blood drive, then go for it, the ARC is always looking for more blood donations. I would shy away from giving any medical advice since you aren't licensed or certified to do so. Start-up a handyman service for the elderly where you help them with their daily chores that they can no longer do themselves. I used to mow the lawn, rake leaves, and help plant plants for a few elderly folks when I was in high school. Organize a fundraising run for something not so typical. Do it for crohn's disease, childhood cancer, cystic fibrosis, etc. Tutor little kids in elementary schools, go visit the elderly in assisted living homes, or just find something interesting and dig in! There is so much potential in this society! Tap into it and get things going.

 

[amanda_jsu11]

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, but please..do not make this about your medical school application or you will just make this the most dull experience for all of your society members. Some of your ideas are good, but generic. I say generic because everyone has these same ideas or volunteering for a shelter or doing a blood drive, which both of those are nice, but if I were you I would try to branch our and do something that is not so cookie cutter. Some things I would do is focus on bringing knowledgeable, uplifting, and experienced speakers to give seminars or talks to your society. Adopt the campus cleanup responsibility to keep your campus clean and beautiful. Do the same with a wildlife conservation, clean it up and make it safe for the animals. If you want to do a blood drive, then go for it, the ARC is always looking for more blood donations. I would shy away from giving any medical advice since you aren't licensed or certified to do so. Start-up a handyman service for the elderly where you help them with their daily chores that they can no longer do themselves. I used to mow the lawn, rake leaves, and help plant plants for a few elderly folks when I was in high school. Organize a fundraising run for something not so typical. Do it for crohn's disease, childhood cancer, cystic fibrosis, etc. Tutor little kids in elementary schools, go visit the elderly in assisted living homes, or just find something interesting and dig in! There is so much potential in this society! Tap into it and get things going.

We have speakers come 3-4 times a semester and give amazing inspirational speeches and they are posted to our website for us to watch if we miss them. Maybe I can request a certain speaker that is connected to medicine somehow. How do I go about starting this service for elderly people who need help with daily chores? How do I find people willing to let us help?