University of Rochester

Rebuilding the Lower 9th Ward


Who we are
We are medical students at the University of Rochester who are interested in making a difference in communities of color in terms of their health and overall well-being. SNMA was established in the 1964 by students at Meharry Medical College and Howard University to focus on the needs and concerns of medical students of color. Today, SNMA has grown into a national service organization that works diligently at increasing the numbers of minority students in our nation’s medical schools as well as in serving the communities we came from. SNMA is committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students, addressing the needs of underserved communities, and increasing the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent and socially conscious physicians.

Our goal this year
Our goal is to raise $10,000 to donate to lowernine.org, a volunteer nonprofit organization that is working to rebuild homes in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans. The lower ninth ward was one of the hardest-hit areas during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita due to its close proximity to the breeched levees. Despite this, it is one of the areas that has recovered the slowest and has experienced the least amount of progress since Katrina hit over two years ago. The simple fact is that many Lower Ninth residents want to rebuild and move back home but lack the resources to do so. Rehabilitating the average home would cost $47,000, but with the use of volunteer labor and minimal contracting, LowerNine can rehabilitate that same house for only $10,000! We will be fundraising from February through the end of March and will then turn over the collected funds to lowernine.org. We hope that you can help us meet and even EXCEED our goal!!! It can be done!

How you can help
You can help us reach our goal by donating to this very important cause. Your help will mean the world to a family who has been displaced for over two years. Without your help, this family may never be able to make it home. You can donate in two ways:
  1. You may write a check to SNMA and mail it to University of Rochester SNMA 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 233 Rochester, NY 14642.
  2. You may donate online via a paypal. This is a secure transaction.
You will receive a receipt for your donation and it is tax deductible. Cash donations will also be accepted. Donations can be deposited in Box 233 in the Medical Center. You can also help by spreading the word about our project and encouraging family, friends and neighbors to donate as well!!!

Questions
Please Email:
Temitope Oshodi (Treasurer) at Temitope_Oshodi@urmc.rochester.edu
Nurain Fuseini (Community Service Chair) at Nurain_Fuseini@urmc.rochester.edu
Ponnila Samuel (President) at Ponnila_Samuel@urmc.rochester.edu

For Additional Information
Our national website: http://snma.org
Our local website: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/student/snma
Lowernine: http://lowernine.org

adapted from the national SNMA website

Content last modified: 1:31 PM 7/20/2005