The Unity Project is a National SOMA community service project held annually during Winter Break that allows students from different osteopathic medical schools to unite under the common goal of enriching the lives of others. There will be one project held in each of the four SOMA regions. Students will be able to participate in any of the regional projects, regardless of what region their school is in.

Region 1 Project: We will be volunteering with Food and Friends in Washington, DC on Tuesday, December 27 from 9am-12pm. Food and Friends prepares, packages, and delivers meals and groceries and provides nutritional counseling to more than 2,800 people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses throughout Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. We can have around 10 SOMA members participate in this project. SOMA will be helping with meal preparation and grocery packing.

Region 2 Project: This project is the AOF Leadership Student Project volunteering with the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans, LA on December 27-30. We will be working with the AOA leadership and their families to rebuild homes in the devastated St. Bernard Parish of New Orleans. This project is open to SOMA and COSGP members who have completed their first year. AOF will provide housing, daily breakfast and lunch, and up to $250 towards travel costs. For more information and to download the project application, please go to http://www.aof-foundation.org/index.cfm?fa=grants.detail&gid=547

Region 3 Project: We will be volunteering at Crittenton Children’s Center in Kansas City, MO on Thursday, December 29 from 1-4pm. Crittenton Children’s Center is part of the St. Luke’s Health System and serves the mental and behavioral health care needs of children, adolescents, and their families. We can have up to 15 SOMA members participate in this project. We will be holding a “Hollywood Movie Day.” The children will be able to decorate their own “Walk of Fame” stars. We will show a family-friendly movie and serve popcorn and other movie snacks. Following the movie, we will have a movie trivia game show with mini Oscar statues as prizes for the winners.

Region 4 Project: We will be volunteering at Three Square in Las Vegas, NV on Wednesday, December 28 from 9am-12pm. Three Square is a food bank providing food assistance to residents of Southern Nevada. They also facilitate childhood and senior nutrition programs as well as supplemental nutrition assistance outreach and advocacy efforts. We can have up to 10 SOMA members participate in this project. We will receive a tour of the facility and learn about the many ways Three Square helps the Southern Nevada community. Then we will help with sorting unopened donated product, verifying expiration dates, repacking product and separating product by type, restocking grocery shelves, and assembling pantry boxes.

In addition, all SOMA members will have the opportunity to collect and donate toiletries to the VOA Chesapeake Residential Program Center. The Residential Program Center provides substance abuse recovery and homeless support services to adults in the Washington, DC metro area. They are in need of shampoo, men’s and women’s deodorant, small and large bars of soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, brushes, disposable razors, and shaving cream. Please consider donating at least one item to help the clients of this wonderful program. Donations can be handed in during the Region 1, 3, and 4 projects. If you would like to mail your donations, please send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  for shipping information.

I hope everyone will consider participating in any of the four regional options for the Unity Project. If you are interested in participating in the Region 1, 3, or 4 project, please contact Alicia Isom at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  for the short application form. The application deadline for these projects is Friday, December 23 but on a first-come, first-serve basis. So get your applications in early if you would like to participate. If you’re unable to attend the Unity Project, please consider donating toiletries to the VOA Chesapeake Residential Program Center. I look forward to seeing everyone for the 2011 SOMA Unity Project!

I want to thank all the students who were generous enough to volunteering their time over the holidays and participated in the 2011 SOMA Unity Project. Special thanks to the SOMA Foundation for generously providing a grant to fund the project at Crittenton Children’s Center. Without the support of SOMA volunteers and the SOMA Foundation, these projects would not have been possible.

On Tuesday, December 27, SOMA volunteered with Food and Friends in Washington, DC on Food and Friends prepares, packages, and delivers meals and groceries and provides nutritional counseling to more than 2,800 people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses throughout Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. After a brief orientation and donning some very stylish red hairnets, we were quickly put to work by Alex and Joe, two full-time Food and Friends volunteers. We set out organizing and bagging groceries to be delivered to the clients, paying close attention to nutritional needs and dietary restrictions. During our time at Food and Friends, we stuffed over 300 bags of groceries. Lynne Ellison, a second-year student from VCOM, said that it was “really great to unite so many different schools together for such a great cause.” We all had a great experience and accomplished a lot.

From December 27-30, SOMA members were able to participate in the AOF Human Touch Student Leadership Project volunteering with the St. Bernard Project to help rebuild homes in the devastated St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans, LA. For details of how this project went, stay tuned for new from the AOF. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the project scheduled for Wednesday, December 28 at Three Square Food Bank in Las Vegas, NV was cancelled. While we are disappointed we look forward to the possibility of volunteering with Three Square again in the future.

On Thursday, December 29, SOMA volunteered with Crittenton Children’s Center in Kansas City, MO. Crittenton Children’s Center serves the mental and behavioral health care needs of children, adolescents, and their families. We held a Hollywood Movie Day for approximately 35 adolescent residents, complete with a red carpet and “Walk of Fame” stars for each resident to decorate. Though initially skeptical about doing an “arts and crafts” project, the residents quickly warmed up to the idea and had fun with it. Some even decorated multiple stars to give to family and friends. Next, we watched the movie Finding Nemo. Afterwards, we held “SOMA’s Movie Mania Game Show.” Residents formed teams and competed against each other in movie trivia categories featuring Disney movies, movie music, and movie posters, to name a few. The winning team was awarded with miniature Oscar awards. The project was quite a success and a wonderful experience.

SOMA Unity Project 2010

Thanks to many students volunteering their time over the holidays, the SOMA Unity Project was once again a success! New to the Unity Project this year, there were regional projects in each of the four SOMA regions.