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OU-COM spreads
holiday cheer at
home and abroad
College of
Osteopathic Medicine
sends greetings to
troops and food,
gifts to community
1st Lt. Jules Chan,
left, and Lt. Col.
Chaplain David
Snyder display some
of the
holiday cards sent
to an Army medical
unit in Afghanistan
by OU-COM students,
faculty and staff.
By Richard Heck
Dec. 10, 2009
U.S. soldiers in
Afghanistan,
children in Athens
County and hungry
families across
Southeastern Ohio
all received some
holiday cheer from
the students,
faculty and staff of
the Ohio University
College of
Osteopathic Medicine
(OU-COM).
Led by members of
the OU-COM chapter
of the Association
of Military
Osteopathic
Physicians and
Surgeons (AMOPS),
students and staff
individually signed
and sent 270
Christmas cards to
members of the U.S.
Army Task Force 30th
MEDCOM,
which oversees all
medical units
currently stationed
in Afghanistan. This
is the project’s
second year.
“I wanted to lead
this project since I
feel strongly about
giving the troops
something to look
forward to during
the Christmas
season, since they
are not home with
their loved ones,”
said U.S. Air Force
2nd Lt.
Nhu-An Nguyen,
OMS I, who led
the effort. “Sending
cards to the troops
abroad not only
gives them a bit of
holiday joy that we
experience here in
the U.S., but also
it sends a message
saying that we wish
those soldiers well
while we wait for
their victorious
return.”
The MEDCOM unit was
selected to receive
the cards because
one of its members
is a college friend
of AMOPS president
and U.S. Army Lt.
Samuel N. Sigoloff,
OMS II. Sigoloff,
who graduated from
Saint Mary’s
University in San
Antonio, Texas,
before coming to
OU-COM, initiated
the card drive last
year during his
first year of
medical school.
“The main reason I
started this program
was to show our
brothers- and
sisters-in-arms, who
are currently in
harm’s way, that
they may be
strangers in a
strange land, but
they are loved and
missed back home,”
Sigoloff said.
According to an
e-mail received from
Sigoloff’s college
friend, 1st Lt.
Jules Chan, the
cards will be
displayed in his
unit’s work area.
“This is awesome,”
Chan wrote. “The
gift was much
appreciated. Some
cards are hanging up
already.”
Another member of
the unit, 2nd Lt.
Eric Kuyper, wrote
that members of his
unit were touched by
the effort. “They
did the same thing
for my crew last
year,” he wrote.
“It’s a good job old
Sig is doing for us
over there.”
Meanwhile, staff
members of the
college’s offices of
admissions, student
affairs, medical
development and
alumni affairs,
research and grants,
institutional
assessment, and
communication
collected nearly 300
pounds of boxed and
canned goods for the
Athens County Food
Bank as part of
their combined
holiday “Give
Together”
celebration. Members
of the academic
affairs unit plan to
collect donations
for a variety of
local organizations
and charities at
their celebration,
planned for next
week.
Finally, students,
faculty and staff
from across the
college helped
fulfill the wishes
found on OU-COM’s
annual “Giving Tree”
in the Office of
Student Affairs.
Sigma Sigma Phi, the
OU-COM chapter of
the National
Osteopathic Medical
Honor Society, and
Athens County
Children Services
sponsored the
holiday tree,
decorated with 75
ornaments. Each
ornament contained
the name of an
Athens County child
in need and his or
her holiday wish
list. Participants
selected ornaments,
purchased one or
more of the listed
gifts and
gift-wrapped each
item for delivery to
the child.
“As of last week,
all 75 ornaments
were accounted for,
and there were also
additional requests
for more,” said
Sigma Sigma Phi
member Jennifer
Yee, OMS II, who
organized this
year’s Giving Tree
project.
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