Supporting Women’s Health and Wellness
For much of modern history, clinical trials and health studies focused mainly on men. Women and their specific needs were overlooked or not adequately addressed.…
During the second quarter of 2017, IPM’s Integrated Project Mercy volunteers focused on ways to help clean up their local outdoor environments.
On June 10, volunteers from IPM’s Los Angeles office supported the National Forest Foundation, the Arroyo Seco Foundation, TreePeople and the U.S. Forest Service by helping to restore areas of the Angeles National Forest damaged by fire. Efforts focused on replanting and restoring fire-damaged areas of the forest, including watering and mulching the seedlings. Replanting new trees will help revitalize fire-damaged areas, clean the air, capture rainwater, and build a sense of community.
Our Chicago office volunteered at two events with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County for its ecological stewardship workdays. On June 24, they helped restore a savanna lush with wildflowers at McCormick Woods. On July 8, they helped remove invasive plants to provide the oaks with the sunlight and space they need to thrive at the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center.
In the Eastern Region, on Aug. 3, volunteers helped clear the bird garden at the Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon. The museum property manager later sent a thank-you letter stating, “The willingness and efficiency which your team took to their task – under the beating sun – is a true testament to the best of volunteer spirits.”
On June 12, IPM’s Indianapolis team volunteered at Agape, a facility which provides therapeutic horsemanship programs for the disabled. Volunteers were trained and then supported Rocks Camp, for children with autism. IPMers spent time with the students at three breakout areas: barn, classroom, and paddock.
On May 6, volunteers from the Minnesota office and their families supported a joint effort between Great River Greening, a regional environmental conservation nonprofit, and the Bush Lake Chapter of the Isaac Walton League. The team helped clear invasive glossy buckthorn along the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge as part of a multi-year habitat restoration project.
The San Francisco IPM family volunteered on July 15 for Friends of Five Creeks, which provides support for clean water and healthy watersheds in the East Bay community. The team helped at the East Shore State Park in Berkeley, assisting in an invasive species cleanup project.
The St. Louis team volunteered at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival in Forest Park on April 22. Volunteers handed out programs, assisted with Recycle on the Go stations, and served as “bike valets” for visitors who arrived on bikes.
— Published September 8, 2017