ATLANTA–September 21, 2007–Holcim (US) presented a check for $25,000 today to Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) student Vincent Walford, the winner of this year's Holcim (US) Public Health Scholarship.
"I am honored to receive this scholarship from Holcim (US), and hope to continue the good work that the company has already done in this community," said Walford, who hopes to focus on problems like homelessness and AIDS.
The Holcim (US) Public Health Scholarship provides financial aid to public health or medical students at the Morehouse School of Medicine to minimize their post-education debt load and better enable them to provide health care and public health services to underserved communities consistent with the school's mission.
Walford is a 2005 graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he was a psychology major, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He is a resident of Tucker, Georgia.
Walford's community involvement includes:
- PORTRAITS–mentoring adolescents and young adults
- IMPACT–working with a religious service organization
- "Stepping Out"–working with a campus-wide university sponsored initiative
- "Mission Waco"–mentoring youth living in public housing projects
"We are always on the lookout for ways to lend a hand to the communities in which we work and live," said Mike Kane, Senior Vice President, Southeast Region of Holcim (US). "Mr. Walford is active in the local community, has an outstanding academic record, and is focused on serving the underserved. We hope that through this scholarship, we can help create a lasting impact on this community."
In addition to the scholarship, Holcim (US) worked with the Morehouse School of Medicine this summer to launch a new program to support health care in communities where the company operates. Six MSM students spent the summer working in medical practices and clinics for low-income patients near Holcim (US) plants.
"We were proud to work with Holcim (US) on a project that supports our school's mission to graduate physicians who will pursue careers in primary care in medically underserved communities," said Dr. Daniel S. Blumenthal, Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Health & Preventive Medicine, MSM. "I also hope that those participating students will be motivated to return to these communities as health care professionals to provide much-needed patient care."
This year, Holcim (US) sponsored medical students from MSM to work in clinics in Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi.
Inspiration for the MSM intern program began in the summer of 2006 when local Holcim (US) employees in Theodore, AL made a commitment to help the community near the plant rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
Holcim (US) employees worked on rebuilding the rural health clinic in Bayou La Batre. The clinic, which serves low-income residents in the Theodore community, was initially destroyed by the hurricane. Although it was rebuilt, the clinic later suffered another blow when it burned down the day before it was scheduled to re-open.
In addition to spearheading the effort to raise $120,000 to once again restore the clinic, including a $50,000 donation from Holcim (US), the company also sponsored two medical students from MSM to help out at the clinic. The intern sponsorship was a huge success, and a valuable learning experience for the students of MSM.
Morehouse School of Medicine is a fully-accredited, four-year institution established to recruit and train minority and other students as physicians, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals committed to the primary health care needs of the underserved. MSM is a member of the largest consortium of historically black colleges and universities in the world, the Atlanta University Center (AUC). MSM and nearby Morehouse College are separate institutions.
Holcim (US) is one of the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of cement and mineral components. The company operates 14 manufacturing plants and over 70 distribution facilities in the United States. Holcim (US) is a subsidiary of Holcim Ltd of Switzerland. Holcim Ltd is one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates (crushed stone, gravel and sand) as well as further activities such as ready-mix concrete and asphalt including services. The Group holds majority and minority interests in more than 70 countries on all continents and employs almost 90,000 people.
