College of Public Health students, faculty and staff worked together to build a playhouse for a local family in need to emphasize the critical links between housing and health and give back to the community during National Public Health Week.
The playhouse project, a partnership with Habitat for Humanity MidOhio, was also an opportunity to engage students in service and have conversations about the impact of social determinants of health, said Jennifer Beard, assistant dean for strategic initiatives.
Members of the college community painted, decorated and constructed the playhouse to match the three-year-old recipient’s love for basketball and dinosaurs.
The project was co-sponsored by two student organizations — the Public Health Graduate Student Association and the Multicultural Public Health Student Association. The day culminated with a reception for the recipient family, who was selected by Habitat for Humanity MidOhio.
Aparna Mangadu, a first-year MPH student in environmental health sciences and a member of the Multicultural Public Health Student Association, said she was drawn to the project’s goal of providing a safe space for kids to play.
“I’m from a city where we don’t have a lot of parks and recreation spaces where kids can go and play. When I heard about this, it was just something I wanted to be a part of,” Mangadu said. “I also like painting and putting things together, so it was a good creative process to be a part of.”
Beard hopes participants reflect on the impacts of public health issues such as housing discrimination, redlining and inequitable access to housing.
“I hope our community had the opportunity to be reminded just how critical it is, in addition to what we’re doing every day and all day, to give back and to provide service,” she said.
