Today, a special tribute was held for volunteers from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center honoring them for their volunteer efforts at the Pipkin COVID-19 vaccination site. The event was held onsite at 940 Early Maxwell Blvd, and hosted by Leadership Memphis, Volunteer Memphis, City of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.
Students and faculty from the UTHSC Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy have been volunteering at the site for several months to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to the community.
“I’m certain everyone here will agree that none of our success will be possible without the selfless service of countless volunteers that tirelessly worked to keep our community safe,” said Leadership Memphis President and CEO Reggie Crenshaw.
According to Mayor Strickland, a total of 4,262 volunteers and 38,256 volunteer hours have resulted in 600,000 shots administered in Memphis and Shelby County.
“Without you volunteers, we absolutely could not have done it, and especially the University of Tennessee Health Science Center,” Mayor Strickland said. “To have you young professionals take time out of your academic careers, which I guess may have also furthered your academic careers, but to do that, and to give back to this community, we really appreciate you. We literally could not have done it without you. Thank you very much.”
Shelby County Mayor Harris echoed the sentiments and said, “I’m really pleased that we may be on the right path due to the efforts of all those who’ve lend a hand. We are so grateful for everything you have done here. Thank you very much for your work.”
Volunteers were recognized and presented with care packages which included PPE (masks, gloves, and other first aid equipment) from International Paper, doughnuts from Gibson’s Donuts, and specialized thank you letters from city leadership including the city and county mayor.