The day began like any other for volunteers at a weekly Saturday morning clinic for the homeless in Santa Monica. Until a man walked in with complaints about leg pain.
It could be muscle strain, thought Gianmarco Raddi, who is studying to become a medical doctor and also earn his Ph.D. at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and medical coordinator of the Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA, before examining the man’s leg — nothing that a little Ibuprofen couldn’t address. But it didn’t take long for Raddi to determine that this case was unlike any he’d ever seen before at the clinic.
“There was a huge hole inside his leg, and he had been living with this infection, which was almost attacking his bones, for two years because he didn’t have health insurance,” the student volunteer said.
The medical team immediately gave the patient the strongest systemic antibiotics they had on-site and arranged for a ride to a nearby emergency room. They also helped him enroll in health insurance.
“I saw him just a few weeks ago, and he finally has an appointment with a surgeon to repair his wound, so he can hopefully go on to a more productive life,” Raddi said. “I just wish in the future we can see more of these happy endings.”
Raddi is one of three UCLA students who received a 2015 Charles E. Young Humanitarian Award for their commitment to community service at a ceremony held May 28 at the Pauley Pavilion Club. The award, established by UCLA in 1986 as an annual tribute to recognize students who lead projects that address communities' social needs, is one of the most prestigious honors given to UCLA students. Each recipient receives $1,000 to direct toward a community service project close to his or her heart.
“This commitment to service is a valued core element of UCLA’s institutional mission, and we have literally hundreds of examples of this commitment of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and from our chancellor,” said Janina Montero, vice chancellor for student affairs. “We use this very special occasion every spring quarter as a way to honor the thousands of UCLA students who give their time, their ideas, their considerable energy and their dedication as leaders and as participants in a phenomenal range of projects.”
Raddi, who has also been involved with the Geffen school’s Student Run Homeless Clinic, the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Venice Family Clinic, has coordinated medical services for more than 1,500 homeless and underserved people in Los Angeles and Santa Monica during his time with the Mobile Clinic Project. Additionally, he has expanded the clinic’s services with free flu and pneumococcus vaccines and enrollment in Medicare and other insurances — and increased collaboration among other UCLA groups that assist the homeless. Raddi also set up a referral system for guaranteed care at the Venice Family Clinic, the largest free clinic in the country, and helped lead a public fundraising Spark campaign, which has to date raised more than $7,500.
Raddi said he will use his $1,000 award to buy socks, sweaters, blankets and medication for those in need, and to set up a micro-savings project to help patients save money and increase their financial literacy.
Two other students were also recognized for their exceptional community service. Graduating senior Amir Hakimi cofounded Furnish the Homeless, an organization that picks up furniture that’s discarded by Westwood’s North Village residents at the end of each quarter and delivers items to formerly homeless people who are moving into transitional or permanent housing. Hakimi plans to use his award to employ these tenants to work alongside Furnish the Homeless volunteers.
“With a newly furnished home, job skills and a source of income, our clients will have the tools they need to begin their route to success,” said Hakimi, who has also been involved in other projects — the UCLA Career Closet, Swipes for the Homeless and the Alumni Scholars Club, among others.
Another awardee, Rina Kim, cofounded the Flying Samaritans at UCLA. The “Flying Sams” provide community development, medical care and preventative health education to the underserved population of Colonia Margarita Moran, a small community located near Tijuana, Mexico. Kim said that she will funnel her award into the organization’s programming and the creation of a community recreation center.
“In the end, our long-term goal is that they will be self-sustainable so that we won’t necessarily need to be there,” Kim said.
This year, organizers moved the award ceremony to a larger venue, invited all 10 award nominees to attend and announced the winners there instead of revealing them ahead of time. “We thought it would be great to highlight more campus organizations and students, and add a little bit of excitement to the evening,” said Kris Kaupalolo, assistant director of UCLA’s Student Organizations, Leadership and Engagement Office and director of the Bruin Leaders Project.
The other seven nominees were Lisa Altieri (HEAL Haiti), Anna Garfink (Amigos de UCLA), Grant Guess (Project Kpalimé), David Joseph (Northern Uganda Medical Mission), Krishan Patel (Students Presenting Innovating, Entertaining and Learning), Garima Verma (Project WILD) and Justin Yee (MedLife at UCLA). Each received $100 for their respective organizations.
