Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Honored for Distinguished Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service named the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth.

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors, including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers academic service learning courses.

LECOM medical and pharmacy students contributed more than 10,000 hours of volunteer service during the academic year. They provided assistance to numerous Erie and Bradenton social service, educational and healthcare organizations. Programs such as the LECOM Mentors offer after-school tutoring and role models for children at the Erie Housing Authority/YMCA activity centers.

LECOM students from Erie and Bradenton worked closely with children at the Give Kids the World Village in Florida. Here students met children with life-threatening illnesses and helped them create magical memories. Each summer, LECOM Erie students also participate in the Bridging the Gaps (BTG) program. Students work with the staffs of more than 20 local agencies. BTG is dedicated to providing service to underserved populations, while training community responsive health and social service professionals. BTG seeks to provide meaningful service in a system of care that is often unresponsive to the needs of vulnerable populations.

“College students are tackling the toughest problems in America, demonstrating their compassion, commitment and creativity by serving as mentors, tutors, health workers and even engineers,” said David Eisner, former chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “They represent a renewed spirit of civic engagement fostered by outstanding leadership on caring campuses.”

The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.

In congratulating the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, “Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce. We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country.”

Overall, the Community Service Honor Roll awarded six schools with Presidential Awards. In addition, four schools were recognized as Special Achievement Award winners, 127 as Honor Roll With Distinction members and 391 schools as Honor Roll members. In total, 528 schools were recognized. A full list is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.

“There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded,” said American Council on Education President David Ward. “Earning this distinction is not easy. But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor.”

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.