College hosts Theatre Afterglow

The College of Health Professions Alumni Council hosted the complimentary afterglow reception following the March 28 production of The Threepenny Opera in The Gallery at Marygrove College. Two Men and a Truck, Novi sponsored the Afterglow. The musical, which was jointly produced with Marygrove College's Music Department, concluded the 2008-2009 season of UDM's Theatre Company.

Nursing student promotes Diabetes Month in Grand Rapids

Chaelis Knaus, a Nursing student in Grand Rapids, was able to arrange the donation of seven billboards around Grand Rapids to promote awareness of diabetes and November as American Diabetes Month. Knaus designed the billboards and worked with the American Diabetes Association and Saint Mary's Health Care to get them in place.

Other components of the awareness-building effort included illuminating a bell tower, monuments and buildings in blue light and having public service messages and news reports broadcasted on radio.

Campaign encourages organ donor registration

As part of the 2009 Gift of Life Campus Challenge, 2,329 people signed up to be organ donors on Michigan's Organ Donor Registry. The Campus Challenge was a six-week competition among Michigan's colleges and universities to increase organ donor registration. Michigan State University came in first place for recruiting the most donor registrants with 422 people. UDM came in second with 376.

"These donor registrants have given hope to the more than 100,000 Americans waiting for an organ transplant—3,000 in Michigan," says PA Program Chair Suzanne York, who helped coordinate the Campus Challenge at UDM.