A free clinic in Salt Lake City can purchase new diabetic supplies thanks to U students’ donations.
Students of the College of Pharmacy, in conjunction with the American Pharmacists Association, raised $4,000 for the Maliheh Free Clinic. On February 26, the students held a banquet at The Point restaurant in the Huntsman Cancer Institute to kick off fundraising for the clinic. The donation was presented to the clinic Wednesday at its fourth annual gala, held at the Grand America Hotel.
David Nelson, medical director of the clinic, said that the only word he could think of to describe his joy to this service was “extraordinary.”
The $4,000 raised will be used to purchase diabetic supplies that will last the clinic about two months, said Nelson.
“This is unbelievable,” he said. “We are so grateful.”
Because of the great success of the banquet, the students plan on doing it each year, hopefully getting bigger and bigger, said Shadi Ghaibi Clark, president of American Pharmacists Association.
“People really supported the idea,” said Adam Wolfe, president of the Utah Student Pharmacist Alliance. “The community came together.”
The students raised money by selling between 250 and 300 tickets to students and members of the community. The tickets were sold at $10 and $25.
Money was also raised through a silent auction, a raffle and through sponsors and donations. The donations made a big difference, and included a pair of Carlos Boozer’s sneakers, an autographed football from the 2008 undefeated Utah football team and $1,000 from Wal-Mart, Wolfe said.
The students got the idea to carry out such an event from Idaho State University. The College of Pharmacy at the University of Idaho carries out a “Spaghetti Feast” every year to raise money for a local charity. Last year, they raised more than $15,000. This motivated students at the U to do the same, Wolfe said.
The students decided to raise money for Maliheh Free Clinic because no other association or department at the U was helping it, Clark said.
“We wanted to have our own organization to raise money for each year,” she said. “It was an organization to build a relationship with in the future.”
Maliheh Free Clinic was opened in 2005 by benefactors Khosrow Semnani and Mansour Emam. It is a free clinic for those who cannot afford medical care. The clinic offers all types of medical care as well as limited dental.
Next year’s banquet has been scheduled for Feb. 25. More and more students are getting involved, Clark said.
“It’s a great way to give back to the community,” Wolfe said.
Editor’s Note–A previous version story stated that the University of Idaho hosted the “Spaghetti Feast” that inspired U Pharmacy students to hold their own fund raiser. It was actually Idaho State University.