Public Health Student Leadership Council raises $3,000 for children, families in need
PHSLC President Madison Conley (center) delivers coats with Scioto County probation officers Jason Johnson (left) and Chuck Law (right).
The pandemic didn’t stop the Public Health Student Leadership Council (PHSLC) from holding its annual coat drive to benefit children and others affected by the opioid epidemic in Appalachian Ohio.
The student organization raised more than $3,000 this year, providing 150 new winter coats to Ohioans in Gallia, Pike and Scioto counties. PHSLC President Madison Conley organized the event and helped distribute the coats, which were purchased through Operation Warm.
“In Scioto County, coats were donated to Operation GRACE and the Scioto County Drug Court, both of which assist children from families impacted by substance use,” Conley said. “In Pike County, the coats were donated to an after-school program for children whose parents are struggling with a substance use disorder.”
Adult coats also went to probation program participants at Gallia Citizens for Prevention and Recovery.
“I was unaware of the extent of the opioid epidemic in southern Ohio, and the coat drive brought these affected people’s lives to the forefront of my mind,” said third-year public health student and PHSLC member Lauren Putz. “Participating in this effort was a way to become more educated about these issues while also making an impact."
“It was rewarding to help Ohioans and to actually see the difference we made,” added third-year student and PHSLC member Nicole Bullock.
This is the fourth year the group has held the coat drive.
