March 31, 2017

by: Emily Hastings

UCP Clients Volunteer at MedWish International

As National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month draws to a close today, we would like to recognize a group of clients from UCP of Greater Cleveland that recently started volunteering every other week at MedWish International in the Skill Building Program. MedWish International is a not-for-profit organization that saves lives and the environment by repurposing discarded medical supplies and equipment to provide humanitarian aid in developing countries. The UCP clients help sort medical supplies that have expired, some of which are salvageable and some that are not. They also separate items that may not be sterile to keep for medical procedures, such as gauze, plastic containers, and surgical gowns, but that can be repurposed and given to other organizations such as animal shelters and schools. Shirley Harold, Skill Building Program Coordinator at MedWish, has trained UCP staff so that they can then help and mentor the clients with the sorting process. Shirley specifically focuses on growth and progression of the volunteers. “The program for the Skill Building participants is so important because there is no variation in the skills needed,” said Shirley. “They are 100% able to do everything we do here.”

Sorting medical supplies
Shirley Harold, Skill Building Program Coordinator at MedWish International, training UCP staff on the sorting process
Sorting medical supplies
MedWish International facility


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