By Angelina Ferguson For the IC
A spring book sale was held Saturday at the University of Toledo Medical Center in an effort to raise scholarship funds for students in the medical field.
Cookbooks, children’s books, fiction and non-fiction books, board games and several household items were available for sale.
The book sale, which raised roughly $1,200, was one of many fundraising events hosted by the Satellites of UTMC Auxiliary, a UT group whose goal is to raise money to help medical students fund their education.
According to Lynn Brand, president of the Satellites of UTMC Auxiliary, the volunteer group began raising funds for students in the medical field after it was founded over 35 years ago.
“Over the years we have returned back to the institution, over $2 million,” Brand said. “We are proud to be part of the UT system.”
According to Brand, the funds that are raised throughout the year are combined for scholarships for one to eight students in the college of nursing, health and human services, biomedical science and the college of medicine.
Last year, the group raised a total of $2,750 in scholarships in addition to another $13,000 from sales at their gift shop.
Though $2,750 may not seem like a lot of scholarship money to be divided among various students, Brand said any amount in scholarship money is helpful to students.
“If the money will buy even a couple books, that is great,” she said.
Many of the volunteers have experience in various medical fields and are former UTMC employees who are able to give back to the college and the community.
“It’s a community organization,” she said. “Every penny that we earn goes back into the campus.”
Brand said that the organization is unique to Ohio and has been able to serve 52 departments within UT.
“We have an accredited faculty,” she said.
The student recipients of the scholarships are chosen based on several criterion including community involvement, academic achievement and financial need.
Brand said it is important to help medical students with scholarships because often the students do not have the time or resources to raise scholarship funds at the graduate and masters level.
Augusta Askari, a retired surgery researcher who is also a volunteer for the Satellite of UTMC Auxiliary, said the fundraisers are important because they show how dedicated the volunteers are to education.
“The more of us that pull together can make a difference,” she said.
Askari said the medical students who are aided by the scholarships often form lasting relationships with the volunteers, who use their experience to act as mentors. Brand said students who are trying to raise funds for their own education can also volunteer with the auxiliary.
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