UAMS Blanket Drive Warms Homeless and the Heart
| Hundreds of homeless or housing insecure people in and around Little Rock now have something to help them stay warmer during the winter months all because a student in the UAMS College of Nursing just happened to witness – and be inspired by – a specific act of kindness.
Pamela de Gravelles, Ph. D., R.N., with Thelma Juarez and other student volunteers greeting those who have signed up to receive a blanket.
Thelma Juarez, a senior nursing student, is part of a group of students who volunteer at Canvas Community Church, part of a coordinated homeless health outreach effort by the college. One night in November, she and other students were participating in a dental hygiene initiative when they saw another group distributing blankets to the homeless. However, there weren’t enough to go around.
“That night they had a list of who needed blankets. It was limited to 30 people. I saw a man and a woman get turned away due to there not being enough supplies. It really broke my heart,” said Juarez.
So she approached Pamela de Gravelles, Ph.D., R.N., a clinical assistant professor in the college who teaches in the community health nursing course and oversees the health promotion night at Canvas.
“Thelma said, ‘Dr. D. (that’s what students call me), we have got to do something about this. These people need blankets!’” said de Gravelles.
The pair decided to coordinate a blanket drive, collecting blankets at UAMS and then distributing them at Canvas. They quickly realized the effort would require more than just the two of them – and more than just the College of Nursing. At the suggestion of de Gravelles, Juarez approached the Associated Student Government to enlist the entire student body, and de Gravelles went about enlisting the faculty and staff of the UAMS campus through UAMS Announcements and emails. They recruited College of Pharmacy student Arthur Shaw to help in picking up donations from a collection box they put out with the goal of collecting 100 blankets over a span of around two weeks.
“I’d get up in the morning, and the first thing I’d do is go to the box. The first day I went by, it was empty. I said to myself, “This might take a minute,” de Gravelles said.
By the end, however, the results far exceeded expectations.
“It was incredible,” said de Gravelles. “We ended up with 227 blankets. In addition to that, 100 tarps were donated. In addition to that, 100 packages of socks were donated. They might have two to six pair in each package. It was just remarkable.”
Thelma Juarez with donations from all over campus, including large plastic bags in which to transport collected blankets.
De Gravelles said that while “there’s no way to quantify who gave what,” donations poured in from all corners of UAMS: all the various colleges, the graduate school, the institutes, Biomed researchers. Blankets no longer suitable for patient use were donated by Laundry. When it came time to transport all the donations for distribution at Canvas, Housekeeping offered numerous large bags to wrap everything up, and the UAMS Simulation Center offered its van so student volunteers doing the distribution wouldn’t have to make multiple trips.
“I was shocked!” said Juarez of the outpouring of giving. “I didn’t know if people would see the emails, but everyone came together to help. I think that’s because UAMS staff is so awesome when things are for a great cause. They really do get involved.”
When it came to distribution, several students from throughout the university volunteered to help. Everyone who indicated a need through Canvas got a blanket – for themselves as well as any children in their care – and each recipient was also offered a tarp, which is often useful when erecting temporary shelter. Then socks were handed out. In the end, only a handful of blankets and several tarps were left over. There were no leftover socks.
“This was such a phenomenal effort and outpouring of love from the whole campus,” de Gravelles said. “My background includes community health and interprofessional education, so the thought of this effort being confined to one college just didn’t resonate with me very well. We would never have had as much success if we had just done it ourselves in nursing, so I just want to stress this was really the heart of UAMS that got distributed.”
Juarez, too, expressed her gratitude.
“I want to thank everyone who contributed to the drive. This entire project could not have happened without all of the generous donations.”
Juarez added that the idea of giving seems to go hand in the hand with her chosen profession.
“As a nursing student, throughout our program we have been taught the importance of mental and physical health and how we as nurses can help patients through tough times. It’s a great feeling to see how you’ve made someone’s day just by a simple gesture or a thank you. It’s the right thing to do,” she said.
So it may come as no surprise that de Gravelles said the blanket drive will likely return next year.
“Going forward, we’re going to continue this mission, though maybe start a little earlier next year,” she said.
As for what next year’s goal might be or how the drive might change, de Gravelles already has some thoughts.
Almost all of the 227 blankets collected were handed out to those who signed up to receive one, as well as to every child in their care.
“I imagine sending out a call for some sleeping bags,” she said, pointing out how badly they are needed, and often requested, by the unsheltered homeless and housing insecure. “I’m wondering if maybe we should go in that direction in addition to the blankets, tarps and socks. They’re a lot more expensive, and that’s a lot to ask of people, but used sleeping bags would be just as great. Those who receive them are so appreciative of anything offered.”
As for Juarez, she will graduate shortly after next year’s drive, but she said the spirit of helping won’t be going anywhere.
“My parents have always told me that if there is someone in need and I can help, to go for it. Part of being a nurse is helping others. Nurses help people through tragedy, such as losing a loved one or encouraging a mom to not give up when she’s starting to breastfeed. Nurses are meant to help others. It’s in our core.”
De Gravelles echoed her statement saying, “Here at UAMS we all share that dedication and this was a great way of extending our hearts past the boundaries of this campus.”