There are many Community Service activities a student could be involved in while they are here doing their rural rotation. The opportunities are endless. Some of the activities are as big as organizing a local walk for charity to writing articles based on health care topics for local newspapers.

Bingo For Health

Bingo for Health is a program that uses the game Bingo to educate participants about various health issues. You (and usually another student) will take the materials to the site, set up the game, call the numbers giving a specific piece of educational health information for each number called.

Camp Kismet

Organized by the Fayette County Volunteers, this program is a five-day camp in July for disadvantaged children. Kids participate in

• Crafts
• Olympics / sports
• Fishing
• Swimming
• Presentations from the community
  • Stay in School Program
  • Reading class
  • Fire Safety
  • National Park Service presentation
• Other fun activities

Community Awareness

Students have opportunities to attend meeting where they can learn more about the community and the health of the people. Some of these meetings include:

• AA
• Diabetes Support
• Childbirth Class
• Black Lung Association
• Starting Points Play Groups
• Good Grief Support

Tar Wars

Tar Wars is an in-school lesson on the images of tobacco use, refusal skills, and tobacco advertising. The program is presented in January or February to a local fifth-grade class. Tobacco education is on-going throughout the year as well.

Lectures on Health Care

The students can go into the local High Schools and talk to the kids about:

• Relationships
• Female and male body
• Abstinence
• STD's, AIDS
• Careers in Health Care
• Alcohol

The New River Trail Project

This project involves working with local youth and community members participating in the Adolescent Health Initiative program to build a hiking/biking trail in the New River Gorge National River area during the Spring, Summer and Fall.

Click here for more information on the New River Trail Project

WV CARDIAC Project

Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities
William A. Neal, M.D.

This demonstration project is designed to test the hypothesis that universal cholesterol screening of children in a high risk rural population is an effective way of identifying not only the child, but also his or her parents at risk of developing premature cardiovascular disease.
More Information…….