With more than a hundred dermatologists and other volunteers signed up to help, Thursday's (Feb. 3) "Dermatology in Action" project is expected to be a great success and help to a local community in New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, American Academy of Dermatology president William D. James said in an interview.
Before the 2010 Summer Academy Meeting, Dr. James and his wife came up with the idea to have the academy donate shade structures to local parks in Chicago.
Dr. William D. James
"I've been thinking about volunteering in a variety of different ways during my presidency," Dr. James said. "We thought it would be nice to leave something behind in the cities where we have our meetings, either something permanent or [through] a volunteer project."
With more time to plan for this year's annual meeting, the community outreach project in New Orleans kept growing. Medical supplies are being donated to help underprivileged patients at the Tulane University Community Health Centers, money is being donated to help the local community, and volunteers will be refurbishing a community center and planting a nearby urban garden at the volunteer event.
"New Orleans seems like an ideal community to give something back to," said Dr. James.
This is the first time the Academy has organized a hands-on volunteer event around a meeting, and the feedback has been very positive, he said. "People are very excited about it." Dr. James will pitch in along with his wife and friends.
The details of the project remained fluid until a couple weeks ago. Based on the number who registered, HandsOn New Orleans, an organization that coordinates local volunteer efforts, suggested several options to the Academy.
"Because we had a good turnout, the opportunity we selected has to do with a community center in the Ninth Ward. That is a part of New Orleans that was fairly hard hit [by Hurricane Katrina]," Dr. James said. The center offers literacy services, job training, recreational facilities, and is a community gathering place. The center also has a small kitchen and living quarters for families in transition.
"The neighborhood does not have a grocery store within biking distance," Dr. James said. "So we decided to help them plant an urban garden space to help people grow their own vegetables. We will remove overgrowth, build raised beds, add soil and mulch, and help them grow their own food."
The volunteers will also leave room for paths to connect the garden to the community center building. Others will help repair the building itself, which has some broken windows and needs some drywall and painting work done, Dr. James said.
Money donated through the Academy Sustaining Fund will help purchase books for the center to facilitate tutoring of local residents.
Unlike the donation of shade structures to parks in Chicago – connected directly to the Academy's sun protection messages – the New Orleans project has wider implications. "This event could be a model for other conventions. One advantage of this project ... is that all groups who hold meetings in New Orleans could do it."
Although this is the first Dermatology in Action project, Dr. James hopes it will not be the last. The volunteer event surrounding this year's annual AAD meeting could become an annual event itself. "If this concept is able to go forward and continues to grow in its impact, it has a lot of potential for the cities where we hold our conventions," he said.
If you missed the opportunity to register, you can still make a difference by donating money or medical supplies. Visit the Dermatology in Action page for more information.