Since the start of their first year in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP), 82 students comprising the Class of 2020 have been on a collaborative mission to give back. They have been collecting medication bottle caps in order to recycle them and create a lasting gift for the School.
After capping their collection with 1.5 tons of lids, in Fall 2018 they sent them to a manufacturer in Indiana who used them to create a beautiful bench. The 400-pound recycled bench was installed facing the SOP’s Medicinal Garden on Thursday, May 2.
“I am proud of this class’s hard work and the ability to purchase their gift a whole year ahead of their graduation,” said Class of 2020 Faculty Advisor Therese Poirier, PharmD, MPH, Senior Scholar and Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. “This class was strategic in identifying the amount of dollars needed to be raised to address their gift, while still saving for their graduation banquet.”
Poirer expects the Class of 2020’s shared attitude of giving and service will continue throughout their professional careers.
“Pharmacy is a giving profession,” said Class of 2020 President Deidre Ledbetter, of Altamont. “We are the last line of healthcare professionals that the patient sees before they go home and work to make themselves and their families better. We’re also the most accessible. It’s nice to get our faces out in the community, so people understand that pharmacists are healthcare professionals they can approach. We’re setting that foundation as pharmacy students by giving back in this way.”
Class of 2020 officers say fellow student Lisa Gosa spearheaded the collection effort by allowing the class to store piles of collected pill caps in her Maryville garage.
“We posted on our class Facebook page, asking that anyone who worked in a pharmacy set out a box to collect lids whenever a stock bottle was emptied,” explained Class of 2020 Secretary Catherine Gilmore, of Springfield. “People would drop off their collections with Lisa about once a week. She was very generous with her time and space!”
With the bench now installed, the Class of 2020 and the School of Pharmacy as a whole can comfortably enjoy the beauty of the Medicinal Garden.
“This is a place where everyone can see it, stop and take a rest, while enjoying the view,” noted Class of 2020 Vice President Allison Schleeper, of Viera, Fla.
“We’re glad to have gotten it installed before summer, so we can all enjoy this gift during our final year,” added Class of 2020 Treasurer Austin Dillon, of Dixon.
Photo: The School of Pharmacy Class of 2020 surrounds the bench made of recycled bottle caps that they donated to the School and had installed by the Medicinal Garden.