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Krannert, Purdue School of Nursing students partner to raise money for rural Indiana health clinic

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Jane Kirkpatrick, Pamela Aaltonen, Katie Ruri, Liz O'Neil, David Hummels, Adam Ruri

West Lafayette, IN - Following a successful charity event in April, Krannert Dean David Hummels handed a check for over $2000 to representatives from the Family Health Clinic of Monon. The money raised from a “Charity Gala” in April will be used for improvements to the Monon clinic facilities.

The Charity Gala was the one of the first partnerships of its kind, bringing together graduate students from Krannert and the Purdue School of Nursing, as well as Monon clinic staff and other community members. The gala was held at the Lafayette Brewing Company on April 1st and was the idea of husband and wife, Adam and Katie Ruri, graduate students in Krannert and the School of Nursing, respectively.

Adam, a second-year MBA student, is the former president of the Krannert Graduate Student Association—the charity event’s sponsoring student organization. “The dean challenged my organization to partner with groups across campus to really expand our reach,” Adam Ruri said. “When my wife came home and explained the needs of the Monon clinic, I felt like this was a perfect opportunity to help.”

All money from ticket sales for the event were donated directly to the Family Health Clinic of Monon, a Nurse Practitioner run clinic in rural Monon, Indiana. Both Purdue graduate and undergraduate nursing students, as well as pharmacy school students, are able to have clinical experiences in Monon while gaining valuable experiences working with a rural and underserved population.

“Adam and I are so grateful to all the people that attended and helped make the Charity Gala a success,” said Purdue Adult Geronotology Nurse Practitioner student Katie Ruri. “My friends are already talking about hosting a similar event next year. It was a fun event and most importantly, provided some much-needed resources to the Monon clinic which serves its surrounding community and patients, as well as the Purdue student community.”

Jane Kirkpatrick, Associate Dean in Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences and Head of the School of Nursing, was grateful for Krannert’s support, calling the work of the Monon clinic “so essential to the health of the community!”