On the heels of another successful Valentine’s Day Date Auction, the St. George’s University chapter of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) leapt at the opportunity to support an important local cause. The group of physicians-in-training recently donated the proceeds of that auction—EC$16,000—to the Grenada Heart Foundation (GHF) as part of its longstanding partnership in providing lifesaving interventional cardiac care to those in need, especially children.
As the group’s biggest and most popular fundraising event of the year, the Valentine’s Day Date Auction featured attractive donations from local businesses, including spa treatments, two-night hotel stays, and dinner for two at a popular resort. These prizes were paired with students showcasing various talents, such as; fire-breathing and belly dancing, and auctioned off “dates” for potential bidders.
“We had an amazing turnout. Over 200 students came out to show their support for this worthy cause,” said Chanelle Dufreny, fifth-term medical student and vice president of finance for AMSA. “It’s one thing for us to learn about cardiovascular diseases in school but then to actually be able to donate and participate in providing opportunities for children to receive life-saving heart surgeries at no cost to their families—that’s something that everyone wants to be a part of.”
For over two decades, the Grenada Heart Foundation has aided in more than 300 children and young adults receiving crucial cardiovascular care through direct funding and partnerships abroad. The foundation is supported locally by the Government of Grenada to provide free healthcare services to children who suffer with congenital or acquired heart disease and by international donors, including Children’s Health Organization Relief and Educational Services (CHORES), and a network of generous hospitals at which the patients are treated.
Having been with the Foundation for more than 25 years, the last 20 of which have been as its president, Dr. Chamarthy Subbarao has seen first-hand the life-altering work that the Foundation has done and continues to do.
“We are extremely grateful to AMSA, as one of our biggest supporters,” stated Dr. Subbarao, who is also a professor of clinical skills at SGU. “To date, they have donated over EC$100,000 to the GHF which goes toward helping achieve our mission of providing lifesaving interventional cardiac surgeries to children and other underserved members of the community.”
Founded in 1950, the American Medical Student Association is the oldest and largest independent association in the US, of physicians-in-training. Today, AMSA is a student-governed, national organization committed to improving medical training and has more than 62,000 national and international members, comprising of medical students, preclinical students, interns, residents, and practicing physicians.
– Ray-Donna Peters
