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The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) chapter of Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment (VOICE) recently won the Excellence in Servitude and External Relations Award at the national VOICE retreat in Madison, Wis. This annual award also comes with a $500 cash prize for the winning club.
VOICE is a student-run organization that seeks to increase awareness of, respect for, and sensitivity to diversity among all individuals and communities in the field of veterinary medicine. In its celebration of diversity, VOICE seeks to foster a campus environment where all feel welcome and empowered to succeed. Winning the Excellence in Servitude and External Relations Award represents the first time the CVM’s VOICE chapter has been honored with an award.
There are 25 VOICE chapters, and the U of M chapter was chosen for this award based on the community service activities the group did in 2018. “Our VOICE chapter has been working to increase educational programming on diversity and equity as well as service activities for veterinary students at the University of Minnesota,” says Tatum Odland, class of 2020, president of the CVM’s VOICE chapter. “It means a lot to be nationally recognized for the hard work our executive board has put into organizing service events and creating partnerships with local non-profit organizations.”
Odland says the chapter service officer, Matt Sullivan, class of 2021, and social events officer, Jessi Coryell, class of 2021, were integral in organizing service and community outreach events over the last year. These included volunteering twice at Cookie Cart, a local non-profit that provides teens with lasting and meaningful work, life, and leadership skills through experience and training in an urban non-profit bakery, as well as volunteering at the Twin Cities Pride Parade, collecting feminine hygiene products for local women's shelters, and making tie blankets to donate to local homeless shelters.
The group plans to use the award money to help fund its participation in the Twin Cities Pride Parade. They also plan to use it to provide scholarships for veterinary students to complete the Purdue University Certificate for Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine.
Photo by Erin Plummer