VCOM - Auburn 2018 Yearbook

mental or physical disabilities to play baseball. One of the baseball fields is made of rubber for games for children confined to wheelchairs or walkers. Each ACOP student teamed up with an athlete and provided encouragement and a positive attitude. Awesome Goals Soccer was founded to offer the chance for children to play soccer that might not be able to play in a traditional school or in a recreational league setting due to physical and/or cognitive reasons. The joy of seeing the children delight in scoring a goal for the first time or seeing and hearing the volunteers cheer them on has been priceless! ACOP teamed up with the Neurology/ Psychology student organization (ACONP) at VCOM-Auburn to volunteer at these events. Members assisted with playing soccer with the kids, talking to their parents, setting up and cleanup each week.

Last fall, ACOP sent 30 volunteers to work both the morning and afternoon shift of the Children’s Sports Triathlon in Opelika, Alabama. Members were placed in many different roles like helping kids set up, timing the event and cheering the kids on. Watching the children take on such a large task at such young ages was inspiring. This is an event that ACOP members look forward to participating in again and in the future. ACOP has had a few guest speakers throughout the year, including local pediatrician Matthew Carter, MD, Andrew Stubblefield, MD, President of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the club’s very own Rian Anglin, MD. These speakers talked about getting involved, a day in the life of a pediatrician and their own experiences through residency.

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STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS