Newspapers / Philanthropy Journal of North … / Sept. 1, 1994, edition 1 / Page 13
Part of Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
September 1994 Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina • 13 Rural Continued from page 12 to serve the people who need some help, they need to learn why it’s important, and how to listen to the people they’re trying to serve.” For many of the interns, living and working in poor communities is a stark dose of reality. “We’re talking about people who are some of the most highly, formally educated people, often white, and often of upper-middle class, even upper class, backgrounds,” Bader says. “And we’re talking about bring ing them to working class. Eastern North Carolina — a mostly rural, mostly African-American communi ty— , and it’s just a leap.” Courtney Smith was compelled to join the Coalition after she partici pated in a fall trip to the communi ties it serves in Eastern North Carolina. “1 grew up in North Carolina and my father is a physician. Seeing [the conditions] really changed the way 1 look at North Carolina,” Smith says. “It really shook me up.” For medical students, working in the monthly clinics provides hands- on experience working with rural populations — experience they wouldn’t otherwise get until their third year of medical school, if ever. Introducing medical students to rural health care also encourages them to go into fields that would help these regions, say funders of the pro gram. “These activities result in improved basic health care to select ed populations, as well as greater numbers of medical students enter ing the specialty of family medicine and practicing in under-served, rural areas,” says Judy Bunn, programs coordinator for the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. David Tong, a second- year medical student at Duke, volun teered for the Coalition as an under graduate. “It’s changed what I see as career options tor the future,” he says. “Now, I’m really considering going into primary care, which I don’t think I would have done otherwise.” Encouraging more people to work in health-related fields doesn’t just involve transporting medical and undergraduate students to rural areas to volunteer. Responding to an interest in the communities, the Coalition worked with the area-wide Health Commit tees to develop a Pre-Health Career Internship program. The program, just completing its fourth year, is designed to encourage teenagers in rural communities to pursue careers in health care. “The intern we have now, when he went up to Duke, he was so excit ed,” says Doris Hall, of the Fremont Health Committee. “He said, ‘That’s what I’m going to do.’” Of the 42 students who have been involved with the program, all have graduated from high school and are acquiring health care train ing. Almost all of those former interns are at four-year universi ties. As a part of the internship, stu dents travel to university campuses, where they tour the medical facili ties and meet with doctors and nurses. To qualify for the trip, each intern must first help out at four health clinics. Upon completion of a research project, participants are awarded a certificate at a special banquet. The North Carolina Student Rural Health Coalition was started in 1978 by William Dow, who was at UNC as a part of the year-long Clinical Scholars Program spon sored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The aim of the program was to increase access to and improve the delivery of health care in rural North Carolina. Dow had previously worked in rural Tennessee, where he established community health clinics as a part of the Tennessee Health Coalition at Vanderbilt University. When he came to UNC, he used the grant from the Johnson Foundation to create a Health Coalition in North Carolina. Keeping the clinics running is difficult. But students and commu nity members know the importance of their work. “You constantly have to keep something out there so people won’t lose sight of what you’re doing,” says Hall, who is the sole staff mem ber of the Fremont Committee. “It’s exhausting, but it’s worth it. [Learning to take care of yourself] isn’t something you do if you have the time, it’s something you need to take the time for if you want to be healthy.” Job Continued from page 12 speech pathology]; she’s seeing it in action.” Bill Pittard, who is working for the Trident Community Foundation in Charleston, S.C., is excited about the opportunity to learn while on the job. He has been working on a grant from the Lincoln Filene Center at Tufts University to broaden the audience base for a forthcoming documentary, “America’s War on Poverty.” Pittard credits an economic theory class he took at Wake Forest with helping him understand some of the economic and social Issues he has been working with. And he has found that talking with people living in poverty puts a human face on the the- oretici issues he studies during the year. “It’s neat to talk to neighborhood representatives and people struggling with poverty and get a human per spective on this — to talk with the people who are so often left behind,” he says. Allowing students to experience working in nonprofits is likely to encourage them to explore careers in the nonprofit sector after they gradu ate, says Ruth Heffron, Pittard’s supervisor and the director of the Trident Community Foundation. In addition, she believes programs like Spires help create a stronger nonprofit sector. “Most of us working in the non profit sector didn’t even know about it when we were young, and to be able to learn about this while your ideal ism is still hi^. Is a terrific opportu nity,” she says. “The point is, there might be more really bright, well edu cated people from all races and eco nomic backgrounds who might con sider a career in nonprofits.” This summer’s other six interns are: Gabrielle Ponzi, working in the Goldsboro Head Start program for underprivileged children; Kimberly Magee, working vUth the Chicago- based Strive Organization, which runs after-school activities and a summer camp for inner-city children; Hank Kennedy, working in the Whitman Walker Clinic Inc. in Washington, providing HIV testing and AIDS counseling; Jennifer Fowler, working as a case worker and analyzer for the Department of Family and Children Services in Columbus, Ga.; Ursula Baker, work ing with the Joint Orange-Chatham County Action, a nonprofit conununi- ty-based organization serving low- income families; and Shawntae Ferguson, working with the NAACP in New York City. 'C^ c, c!i> T • consultation • board/staff training program evaluation organizational development Siunmer months fly by quickly..... Start planning now for your Fall board training. Call Maggie McGlynn to talk about ways to schedule sessions that can make a difference. 106 Watters Rd. • Carrboro, NC 27510 • phone/FAX (919) 968-7953. OAK VALUE FUND Local Expertise ♦ National Reputation ''Oak Value Capital Management, Inc. ranked in the Nelson's Publications 'Top 20' Money Managers "The Oak Value Fund ranked in the Top 15 Performers in the Wall Street Journal Mutual Fund Scorecard for Growth funds" Oak Value Capital Management, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Oak Value Fund has been ranked aniong the top performing mutual funds in the country by Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. and the Wall Street Journal. For the 52 week period ending July 28, 1994, the Oak Value Fund was ranked 8th out of over 420 capital appreciation funds. The Oak Value Fund is a no load, common stock mutual fund managed by Oak Value Capital Management, Inc. Oak Value is a diversified investment management firm that provides portfolio management services for individ uals, corporations, retirement accounts, pension plans, trusts and foundations. The Firm and the Fund focus on long-term capital appreciation through value oriented investing. The Fund offers investors, both large and small, the opportunity to invest in a professionally managed portfolio of equities selected with the Firm's value oriented investment style. $2,500 Minimum Investment / $1,000 for Individual Retirement Accounts Past performance noted above does not guarantee future results. When shares are redeemed, they may be worth more or less than their cost. The prospectus contains more complete information including management and distribution fees and expenses. Read carefully before investing or sending money. During the period covered by the ranking, the firm waived its advisory fee and reimbursed a portion of the Fund's expenses, which increased the total return of the Fund. ‘ Nelson's U.S. Value Equity database consists of 241 money managers and funds representing $142 billion as of 12/31/93. 3100 Tower Boulevard, Suite 8oo ■ Durham, NC 27707 ■ Phone 919 419 1900 ■ FAX 919 419 1941
Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 1, 1994, edition 1
13
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75