Since the collection of Durable Medical Equipment at the Verdugo Hills Hospital Physical Therapy Department and Outpatient Orthopedic Clinic was a huge success, I wanted to start an additional collection site at the outpatient orthopedic clinic at the hospital where my mom works. Although collection at this site wasn’t possible, the staff suggested to approach Fr. Mike Gergen, a beloved pastor at St Dominic Savio church.
St Dominic Savio is a Catholic church in the city of Bellflower and serves a community with origins in many different places in this country and outside the US. Parishioners come from Mexico, Central and South America, the Philippines, Vietnam, and across Asia and Africa. Despite different accents and traditions, these parishioners join together to worship, strengthen their faith and serve their community. The heart of this church is Fr. Mike Gergen who is dedicated to giving back in any way he can. In addition to leading the church, Fr. Mike has been involved in many outreach projects. Just this year, the church worked with a nonprofit organization in Orange County called Well of Life and raised enough funds to drill a new water well in a needy village in Uganda called Luwazzi Village. Last month the church held an “emergency” blood drive with only a single week of planning and collected 70 units of blood for Cedar Sinai Hospital. It was no surprise that Fr. Mike was more than happy to help me with DME collection.
I supplied the collection box outside the church and every Sunday from February through May, Fr. Mike asked the parishioners to donate any extra medical equipment they no longer needed. The community outpour was impressive. During weekdays my mom had to stop by the church on her way from work every 3 days to collect items because the box would be full. In just 3 short months we were able to collect 117 items from St Dominic Savio (see table below). We had to stop the collection because our garage had no more room to store donations!! Fr. Mike was a big reason why the collection drive at this site was such a success, and I am so thankful for his partnership and collaboration.
As far as my thoughts on the upcoming mission, I am very excited! I’ve never been on a trip like this before and I am eager to see what I will learn and the people I will meet. This is a trip of a lifetime and it might even shape what I might want to do as a career in the future.
Sarina Parks
Student Volunteer