University of New England holding “Cram the Van” event to benefit Milestone’s HOME Team
UNE will hold its first “Cram the Van” event to benefit the Milestone Foundation’s Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME) Team. The event, which will take place Wednesday, November 18 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on the UNE campus behind Ludcke Auditorium, encourages students to drop off socks, backpacks, thermal underwear, gloves, hats, hand warmers and boots for Milestone’s homeless client population. UNE aims to fill the HOME Team’s van with donations.
A collaboration between Milestone, the City of Portland and the Portland Downtown District, the HOME Team provides outreach and community supports to those with chronic health, mental health and substance use disorders living on the streets of Portland. The HOME Team proactively engages with individuals who may be exhibiting disruptive or unsafe behaviors and helps them relocate to the safety of the shelter or, if needed, access more intensive services.
UNE, which offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs in the health sciences, has shared a strong partnership with Milestone for over three years. This mutually beneficial relationship provides UNE students with an opportunity to serve their community while learning about the specific health needs and challenges of Portland’s homeless population. Milestone orients UNE students to the shelter and provides training on ways to best serve this population through meetings with shelter staff and a chance to shadow the HOME team. This fall, over 40 UNE students attended the orientation.
"UNE and Milestone work together to provide students with the opportunity to reach out to the community and make a difference,” said UNE nursing student, Ashlee Klemczuk ’16. "It gives us the opportunity to build strong ties with the community and become better healthcare professionals with an understanding and appreciation for the diverse population we serve in the Portland area."
Twice per month, interprofessional teams of UNE students and faculty (from Nursing, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Occupational Therapy and Pharmacy) host health clinics at Milestone, providing services such as neuropathic foot checks, foot soaks, blood pressure screenings, fluoride varnishes, stretching and gait analysis, medication education and awareness, and games.
"I go to Milestone thinking that I have the capability to help their clients, and I leave Milestone realizing that they have helped me,” said Dennis Leighton, P.T., D.P.T., associate professor of Physical Therapy. "I have a greater realization of how life circumstances happen, often unintended, and how those of us who can need to bring a good day or hour to these men and women. When I see a Milestone client smile after putting on a new pair of socks, it makes me wonder about the last time he smiled. In that moment I know that we have done a good thing."
Among the more than one hundred UNE students who have volunteered at Milestone, some have gone on to either work or continue to volunteer at the Milestone Shelter after they graduate.
“We are thrilled with the partnership between Milestone and the University of New England,” said Bob Fowler, Milestone’s Executive Director. “We are grateful for the support UNE provides to the vulnerable individuals served by Milestone, and we’re excited for a successful ‘Cram the Van’ event!”