Judson Students Bring Gifts To Local Dialysis Patients

In the true spirit of the holiday season, a group of Judson College students handed out gifts to patients at the Davita Marion-Perry Dialysis Center. The gifts were presented by members of the school's Tri-Beta Club on December 6.

Eleven college students distributed 30 gift-bags, each bag containing toiletries, socks, blankets, puzzle books, pens and paper. The school's nursing club provided scarves and gloves for the bags. The students also sang Christmas carols for the patients.

"Judson's Tri-Beta Club -- Beta Beta Beta, National Biological Honor Society – has a long history of health-related community service projects," Dr. Thomas Wilson, professor of biology said.

Their projects have included: Walking for Cancer and Diabetes; working with Perry County Health Department's blood pressure workshops; checking vision with UAB's Optometry Department; organizing Healthy Heart projects, and others, according to Dr. Wilson.

"The gifts were bought from money already present in the Tri-beta account," said Olivia Breimhorst, Tri-beta president. Breimhorst and Maggie Ingram, vice president, did the shopping and packing of the gift bags.

"The students used funds raised by the club in earlier projects, plus our Dr. Wilson matched the funds with a personal," said Breimhorst. The total funds were used to put together 30 gift bags for the local dialysis patients, she said.

The Tri-Beta Club was established in 1976 under the leadership of Dr. Wilson.

"It is a society for science students, particularly undergraduates, dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biological study and extending boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research," Wilson said.

Students must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.0 science GPA; they must be biology majors or minors to qualify for membership. Presently, Judson has 61 biology majors, with 21 minors, making biology the largest major at the college.

Faculty sponsors of Tri-Beta are Dr. Thomas Wilson and Dr. Kris McConnell; student president is Olivia Breimhorst; vice president is Maggie Ingram. Both students are seniors and plan to enter the field of veterinary medicine upon graduation from Judson College.