“Initially I wanted to be a chef,” Wasser said. “And I’m the second oldest of six kids, so there was always a baby in my house growing up, and I was often in charge of taking care of them.”

Now an assistant professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the nutritionist turns those passions into research. Her recent work in collaboration with the UNC Center for Galapagos Studies is making an impact much closer to home.

When she went to western North Carolina in October to provide relief to Hurricane Helene victims and promote safe infant feeding, she found a situation similar to what she had seen in the Galapagos. Families in both places had easy access to powdered infant formula but lacked the clean water to prepare it safely. That presented new issues to examine.

“While most mothers in both areas breastfeed, there’s still a good amount who also use formula,” said Wasser, who’s been at Carolina for 22 years. “I’ve promoted breastfeeding for nearly 30 years, since I first learned its amazing benefits as an undergraduate student. But it wasn’t until the Galapagos that I appreciated its power in protecting the lives of babies when clean water or power are scarce — a situation many families in western N.C. are facing.”

In the Galapagos Islands, Wasser and her doctoral student, Ivonne Headley, promote exclusive breastfeeding (feeding a baby only breast milk for the first six months of life, with no other liquids or solids). They plan to return to the Galapagos in February to move their community-based project forward. In western North Carolina, Wasser continues to work with a strong community coalition to promote breastfeeding and distribute information on safe infant feeding.

Many of the researchers with the Center for Galapagos Studies also focus on the effects of climate change in the region, something that surprisingly impacts Wasser’s research as well.

“Improving nutrition can absolutely be a part of helping with climate change, especially since manufactured infant formula and ultra-processed food packaging makes up so much of our pollution,” Wasser said. “If our work helps decrease the amount of these products being shipped in, I believe we could see a positive change in childhood health as well as the health of the Galapagos more broadly.”

Wasser has spent this most recent portion of her career making the argument that supporting global health can start at a personal, nutritional level. And thanks to the support of Carolina, Wasser will continue using her research to make sure that communities know that when the youngest members of society are cared for, it benefits them all.

“I wasn’t sure what to do at first,” said Varrier, a sophomore majoring in quantitative biology. “As a patient sitter, you’re told to never leave your patient alone. But I could tell something wasn’t right. I didn’t hear anyone else running into the other room, so I went to peek in around the corner.”

Varrier found a patient on the floor, unresponsive.

It’s a situation most students in BIOL 119, an experiential service course piloted this fall, don’t expect to face.

The course is designed to help meet the overwhelming need for patient sitters — staff who sit with patients who require dedicated supervision. A collaboration among the Office of Health Professions Advising in the Office of the Provost, Ingram Institute at UNC Health, biology department and School of Nursing, BIOL 119 provides required training, certifications and experience working four-hour shifts. The 26 students in the course also attend class to discuss their experiences with faculty and peers each week.

Although all BIOL 119 students are certified in CPR, they aren’t likely to need to use lifesaving measures on a patient, especially one not under their care — the situation Varrier faced.

When she found the patient unconscious on the floor, Varrier admits she felt her mind go blank.

“I get recertified every year. I teach CPR to students in the community,” said Varrier, who is co-president of HeartSafe, an organization that provides free CPR and first-aid training classes. “But the moment you actually see someone on the ground, it almost all vanishes from your head.”

Her training kicked in quickly, though. Varrier hit the code blue button, checked for a pulse and began CPR. She was doing chest compressions alone until an emergency response team arrived.

“I was in shock by what had just happened,” she added. “I’m trained to do this. But nobody expects to go to a shift as a patient sitter and do CPR on another patient. I just was sitting there thinking, ‘Did I do it right? What if what I did wasn’t enough?’”

Varrier completed the rest of her shift and shared the experience with her professors, Dr. Jennifer Alderman and health professions adviser Amy Oyos-Yatrofsky, at her next class.

“They were able to give me the comfort that I really needed,” she said. “I also wrote about what happened, which is a technique I learned from this class to cope with some of the things that we go through during our shifts.”

A few weeks later, Varrier returned for a shift to the same floor where she had done CPR. One of the on-duty nurses told her that the patient had lived, thanks to Varrier’s efforts.

“I was holding onto this burden that would have never gone away if I didn’t hear that,” said Varrier. “But it also brought me confidence to know I can do something like that, and I’ve learned so much in the process.”

On Nov. 4, UNC Health’s nursing program honored Varrier for her heroic actions at a ceremony where she was presented with a challenge coin for her bravery and advocacy for patient care.

Varrier plans to serve as the teaching assistant for BIOL 119 in the spring, when the course will expand to accept more than twice the number of students from the pilot. She also knows how impactful this experience will be as she looks ahead to applying to medical school, and eventually, she hopes, to working in emergency medicine.

With members from both campuses aiding relief efforts, one message rings true — although the school is split between two campuses, it’s one united community. 

“Asheville is home and that campus is incredibly special to me,” said Laura Bratsch, registrar and curriculum manager for both campuses. The Asheville native decided to return home, asking fellow Eshelman faculty and staff for donations. Within 48 hours, she collected more than 150 gallons of water, $2,600 in cash, baby supplies and pet food as well as inhalers and EpiPens for yellow jacket stings.  

“When we got there, many were already out helping their communities,” said Bratsch. “That’s just the type of people they are up in the mountains. It was heartwarming.”  

Student organizations in Chapel Hill collected more supplies, and the school set up an emergency fund to help Asheville students. As of Nov. 1, they raised more than $150,000 for housing, supplies, transportation and more. 

“I work with amazing people,” said Bratsch. “When things like this happen, that’s when we see the best in everybody.”

Clinic pharmacies

The week after the hurricane, many Eshelman faculty members volunteered at the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry Medical Clinic, a joint effort among pharmacies and Buncombe County Health and Human Services. Operating like an urgent care facility, the clinic was an alternative to crowded emergency rooms with long wait times.  

Mollie Scott, regional associate dean for the Asheville campus, helped patients get prescription refills and treatment for poison ivy rashes they got from cutting down trees. Scott continues to distribute insulin to areas like Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Barnardsville and Burnsville. 

Eshelman’s classes and exercises on emergency and disaster preparedness prepare the school’s community for situations like this, Scott said. 

“The school is totally committed to serving the state of North Carolina. That is what we do,” she said. “This showed up in every bit of the hurricane relief and continues today, whether you’re in Chapel Hill or whether you’re in Asheville.”  

Stephanie Kiser, executive director of the Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative and professor of the practice at the Asheville campus, conducted walk-arounds to check on patient needs. “When you’re talking to someone who is overwhelmed and they’ve been through a traumatic experience, just being able to say, ‘I can help take care of this problem,’ is impactful,” she said. 

Important lessons

Eshelman alumna Jessi Stout ’08 (PharmD), owner of Table Rock Pharmacy in Morganton, filled prescriptions quickly for patients whose pharmacies flooded or doctors’ offices were without power. Saturday of the storm, they delivered critical medications to patients, looking for alternative routes where roads were closed.

Eshelman students on rotation were working at Stout’s pharmacy to learn about community pharmacy. “I learned just as much from the students as I think that they learn from us,” said Stout. “That relationship is important to help students learn and grow.” 

Along with assisting the pop-up medical clinic in Swannanoa, Eshelman assistant professor Olivia Caron helped set up a pharmacy at Asheville’s Ferguson Center for Allied Health and Workforce Development.  

She’s also sourcing medication for opioid use disorder and providing care for patients undergoing withdrawal, something she teaches in the school’s substance use elective. That faculty expertise helps students understand how individuals can make a difference in response efforts, she said. 

“The School of Pharmacy gives students access to teachers who not only are passionate about it but do the work, understand the community and are integrated into that community,” said Caron. “Each person from the Asheville campus had a role to play from their area of expertise.” 

Kelly Collins, the school’s associate dean for external affairs, agrees.  

“We know how to persevere, solve problems and find creative solutions,” she said. “That is why we’re the No. 1 school of pharmacy. These skills have also translated into how we’ve been able to respond to this effort.”  

As a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a clinical assistant professor, Luciano usually cares for patients in the UNC Hospitals Emergency Department and educates medical school residents in training.

But Luciano also volunteers to be on a rescue team that responds rapidly to emergencies throughout the state through a partnership between the UNC School of Medicine’s emergency medicine department and the N.C. State Highway Patrol.

Bilingual assistance

In late September, Luciano found herself working outdoors in the middle of a natural disaster zone. This involved wading through flood waters, carrying a child to safety and assisting many other N.C. residents in the aftermath of the storm.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Luciano is fluent in Spanish, an ability that proved to be an indispensable asset.

She helped move one Spanish-speaking mother and her three children to higher ground. Noticing that the family’s cold and wet 6-year-old boy was especially frightened, she picked him up and carried him, while continually reassuring him and answering his many questions. When the child worried about a cat he spotted swimming in the water, Luciano quickly notified a nearby rescue team member who scooped up the feline and moved it to a safer location.

Luciano’s fluency in Spanish also enabled her to reassure and encourage a hesitant group of men to vacate the rising water immediately and to give them the location and information about the nearest shelter.

Family connection to emergency service

Luciano’s mother was one the first two female firefighters in Puerto Rico. A passion for helping others led her to work in this role for decades. She rose through the ranks from a lieutenant to captain, retiring only because she had reached the mandatory age limit.

In her career, Luciano pursued emergency medicine because she wanted to help a wide range of people in the challenging, fast-paced and constantly changing emergency room environment. These skills are especially important in swift-water rescue, which involves working outdoors in a variety of conditions.

“I have always been drawn to faster paced medicine and saw how much good there was to be done while practicing as a physician in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria,” said Luciano. “The swift-water team appeals to me because it is uniquely challenging, and I also enjoy working in the field.”

“I was a production supervisor at a large soybean oil processing plant at the time,” she said. “But by then I realized what I loved most about the role was working with the safety inspectors who would come to the facility. I was much more interested in the safety aspect than the production side of things.”

Haley followed her intuition and, ready to move back to North Carolina after three years out of state, the Wallace native began researching careers in the health and safety field.

She didn’t find a job, but she did find her way to Carolina, discovering an industrial hygiene concentration in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

“Both my mom and sister chose a career in education, but I always wanted to go the science route,” Haley said. “I earned my master’s degree in environmental engineering with a concentration in industrial hygiene.”

After an internship in Raleigh, Haley returned to her alma mater as an industrial hygienist in the Environment, Health and Safety department, where she is currently a manager. She celebrated her 19th year as a University employee earlier this fall.

“In industrial hygiene, our job is to keep people safe. We do our best to make sure employees are safe at work and students can stay healthy where they live and learn,” she said. “For me, this job provides purpose. It’s our responsibility to help keep them safe so they can return home to their families.”

Haley and her team in occupational and environmental hygiene regularly assess potential hazards at Carolina like noise and chemical exposure, hazardous materials and construction projects. They also ensure workers adhere to specific regulations.

Indoor air quality is always a top priority as well, something that came into even sharper focus during the recent pandemic. The team worked with Facilities Services to address ventilation concerns and place portable air filtration units in buildings across campus.

The team’s expertise in these areas proved invaluable when Appalachian State University reached out for assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in September. Haley and her colleague Dave Catalano, who specializes in indoor air quality and water restoration, arrived in Boone just days after the hurricane devastated the area. They helped review App State’s restoration plans for flooded buildings, including one that had lost power and heating, ventilation and air conditioning capabilities. They shared their findings and suggestions with App State’s Environmental Health, Safety and Emergency Management team.

“That trip is exactly why I got into this profession,” Haley said. “To help people.”

This year the Environment, Health and Safety department is celebrating 50 years since its founding at Carolina. While Haley says some of the most obvious changes in her field over the past five decades are advancements in the technologies they use, it’s the increase in awareness that’s been most impactful.

“We used to be the department in the background no one really knew about,” she said. “But thanks to social media and more public awareness about health hazards, we are starting to come to the forefront. There’s more awareness in general about health and safety issues, and that’s a good thing for everyone.”

“OK guys, be ready for it,” someone messaged, referring to the possibility of being mobilized.

Bowling has been ready. After beginning at Carolina as a first-year in 2020, she took a year and half off from school and enrolled in the National Guard.

“I like the idea of serving my state,” she says. “Especially for disaster relief. That’s the main job of the guard.”

Now in her final semester of college, Bowling once again put her Carolina studies on pause as she spent the month of October in the mountains with the guard to help with Helene relief.

Bowling’s assignment took her to Haywood County, west of Asheville and near the Tennessee border. Her first week mostly consisted of working in a warehouse, helping receive and sort the massive number of donations that poured in from across the country.

“We had people come in from Michigan, which is crazy,” she says.

Bowling and her fellow guard members then transitioned to assisting with what the National Guard calls post-event canvassing operations.

They spent most of their days walking around neighborhoods in the towns of Waynesville and Maggie Valley and checking on folks: Is your power back on? Do you have food and water? Do you need help with transportation?

“Waynesville is very split because everybody that was higher up on the mountain was fine,” she says, “and then everybody in the valleys got pretty washed out.”

Part of Bowling’s canvassing work involved connecting and supplying people with Federal Emergency Management Agency and county resources. One surprising difficulty she encountered? Convincing residents to use them.

“A lot of them were very content with what they had and very grateful,” she says. “It could be hard to push on like, ‘Hey, we have a bunch of supplies. Please take some. It’s free.’ I think the culture in that area is very self-sufficient.”

“When we identified needs, (residents) were more than happy to talk with us,” Bowling says. “I think there’s a lot of gratitude in that area for what they have.” (Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Hannah Tarkelly/North Carolina National Guard)

Coming back to school

Bowling, an exercise and sport science major, returned to classes Nov. 4. She had her phone and iPad with her in the mountains, so she was able to complete some assignments and exams.

“My professors are really understanding, so that helped a lot,” she says. “It’s been a good transition because of my professors. It could have been a lot harder.”

Bowling says she’s usually reserved in class. Ironically, her month absence has helped her connect with her professors since returning.

“They kind of got this random email like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be in class.’ Now I’m communicating better with my professors in person,” she says.

With Winter Commencement right around the corner, Bowling is considering post-graduation plans. Full-time work with the National Guard is an option. A middle school track and field coach at A.L. Stanback in Hillsborough, she’s also interested in teaching.

Both choices involve public service, of which Bowling has ample experience.

“I was glad we had a good mission, and we stayed pretty busy,” she says. “It’s hard to take a month off school, and then you show up somewhere and you’re not doing anything. I’m really glad I was useful.”

Meet our winter graduates.

“I haven’t been on the computer in a long time.”

“I’m not a computer guy at all.”

“I have a lot of online schoolwork.”

“I get frustrated with my new computer.”

“I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

All are ready to learn.

The Community Workshop Series is in session, and three Carolina students are here to teach Navigating the Web: Internet and Search Engine Basics as part of this volunteer program run by the School of Information and Library Science.

According to research by the National Center for Education Statistics, 16% of Americans ages 16–65 are digitally illiterate. With a mission of digital literacy for all, these volunteers — primarily SILS scholars, but also other students — help the local community with lessons on everything from smartphone basics and online job searching to internet safety and drop-in tech help.

“A lot of the people who come in are so curious, and we often get repeat participants,” said Cat Rashid, a SILS graduate student in her second year as workshop coordinator. “People know us, and they know what we do. It’s just a very positive interaction.”

About 25 volunteers work with community members at the Chapel Hill Public Library and two Durham County libraries. With 24 sessions — all free — on the calendar for the fall semester, the group packs in a lot of teaching.

Rebecca Topper led a session on navigating the web and answered questions on topics like strong passwords, safely connecting to the internet and cookies. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

“I think it’s a way to be involved in the wider community, whether or not it’s something you’re going to do as your job,” said Rebecca Topper, a SILS graduate student with plans to work in education after she graduates.

Topper led this session at Durham’s Southwest branch, presenting and answering questions on topics like how to use search engines effectively, safely browse the web (no online banking on unsecured public networks) and choose strong passwords (don’t use the same one for everything).

Topper’s co-teachers, Jed Edwards and Sydney Greenwood, chimed in with advice and feedback while also assisting learners one-on-one throughout the class with skills like using multiple tabs, finding news sites and accessing email.

“It’s second nature for most of us now, but a lot of these folks, for one reason or another, there’s not that sense of regularity,” said Edwards, a second-year library science graduate student. “I think it’s nice to work with someone who doesn’t have that foundational understanding and to try to deconstruct it for them.”

The deconstruction is appreciated by library patrons like Jan Touma, an 81-year-old who used a computer at an old job but not as regularly since retiring.

“I don’t work anymore, so I can’t ask other people,” she said. “My kids don’t live local, so I need help.”

Touma enjoyed the small class size and the individualized help she received. She gave her Tar Heel teachers a positive review. “I think these kinds of classes are difficult to teach because people are at different levels,” Touma said.

For the teachers, one of the most rewarding parts of the workshops is witnessing the breakthroughs. These range from teaching someone the signs of an online scam to using the GPS on their phone — or helping someone step up their pet content.

“We had this very sweet lady come in. She said, ‘I use my phone to pick up calls and to send pictures of my cat,’” said Greenwood, a global studies graduate student. “We taught her how to use the video function on the camera, so now her cat updates are crazy.”

Jed Edwards said volunteering with CWS is a fun way to interact with new people outside of campus. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Florida Atlantic University, Beadle took time off to work in the Florida Student Power Network, where she serves as part of their advisory board. She is now in Chapel Hill pursuing a dual master’s degree in public administration with the UNC School of Government and the city and regional planning department in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Despite the intense workload a dual master’s degree entails, Beadle was not interested in having a quiet summer. Instead, she spent most of her time interning with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

“It was my job to research composting across the state and find how recycling can feed into our economy,” Beadle said. “I would talk to individuals at composting recycling facilities and ask how they believed they were affecting their community.”

Beadle says it was eye-opening to see how political machinations and cynicism among state residents influenced either a negative or indifferent response to composting in many communities. Certain projects, however, reminded her of the positive impact composting can have.

“I worked on a waste audit at the department’s building where we implemented a composting bin and then analyzed a day’s worth of trash,” Beadle explained. “We found out that after implementing the bin, we had reduced waste in the building over the summer.”

Beadle was also inspired by the hard work of the department’s team. When she wasn’t gathering statistics or doing field site visits to different North Carolina counties, she sat in on meetings listening to individuals talk about making a difference.

Brianna Beadle (center) participated in many field sites to gather information on composting’s effects across North Carolina. (Submitted photo)

“One of the most impactful things was when I got to do a Q&A with the DEQ secretary Elizabeth Biser,” Beadle said. “Just having someone at her level say, ‘Hey, there’s a future for you on this career path’ was really important.”

Biser and others have provided inspiration for what Beadle can do after her time at Carolina. She has developed a passion for state government and believes this summer’s experience with the DEQ gave her an understanding of how environmentalism is feasible in our economy.

“I learned so much about how our climate and economy are intertwined,” Beadle said. “I’d love to have a role in telling people how renewable energy is feasible and how to embrace composting. I want to let people know there’s a way to slowly transition to better resources for our environment.”

This year at Carolina, Beadle is looking forward to expanding her knowledge in housing and community development. She will also serve as president of the MPA’s Diversity Committee, in which she hopes to showcase different career opportunities in public administration that celebrate diversity.

No matter what Beadle accomplishes during her time here at Carolina or in the years that follow, there can be no doubt that her work will be for the betterment of the community.

As analysts for business school affiliate NCGrowth during their Full-Time MBA Program studies, Rahman and Nadeem crafted a strategic plan to create numerous jobs in the economically depressed region, support the culinary heritage of the indigenous Lumbee Tribe and enhance access to locally grown food.

It’s a big project with big goals, but NCGrowth has a big mission: building an economy where all have opportunities to prosper.

“I really absorbed the potential impact of the project when we first visited the Lumbee Tribe,” says Nadeem. “That’s when it really hit me — how this can create a lot of jobs and help local farmers get what they deserve. It’s crucial for Robeson County and the Lumbee Tribe. It could be a first step toward creating an economic domino effect in the area.”

Lasting impact

Launched in 2012 and based at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, NCGrowth has developed hundreds of projects across North Carolina and neighboring states, sparking growth in downtowns and encouraging economic development within Black and Indigenous populations.

“That’s where we can make the greatest difference,” says Mark Little, NCGrowth co-founder and executive director, whose parents are from eastern North Carolina. “We’re always innovating and trying new ways of helping people and communities create more opportunities for themselves. Our team tries to work in ways where failure really isn’t an option. We might not be able to accomplish every goal we have, but we always can have some positive impact.”

Students are a huge part of making that difference. More than 300 students, predominately those in UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA Program, have worked as paid business analysts on projects. They’re paired with program managers who provide guidance and often have connections to communities in need. It’s experiential learning that broadens and deepens understanding of business on a hyper-local level.

“The gears change in a different direction when we go to a community and an analyst has a chance to walk the land, talk to the people and see what they’re working toward,” says Nicole Outlaw, NCGrowth’s assistant director of engagement. “These students are interning at places like Amazon and Microsoft, but for them to be able to work for a company that has one or two employees and apply what they’ve learned about the marketplace there, it gives them some real-life experience.”

It’s personal

Rahman and Nadeem brought unique backgrounds to their projects. Rahman has an engineering degree and experience in the oil and gas industry; Nadeem previously worked in operations at Nestlé. Both were looking for the kind of new experiences that NCGrowth offers.

“What attracted me to the role was that it was a consulting experience where you got a chance to work closely with local communities and small businesses and actually make an impact on the livelihood of an area and its citizens,” says Rahman. “I wanted to experience what it’s like working with local businesses, and I also wanted to strongly contribute to the community.”

The work is deeply personal for Outlaw, who grew up in Bertie County, where the median household income is about $42,000, compared to $68,000 statewide.

“We really have to set up better systems and jobs that will make people stay or come back. The types of projects we work on impact everything from our food insecurity to our overall well-being. Especially in rural and distressed communities, NCGrowth has the opportunity to help change the world.”

Read more about NCGrowth.

“That was completely the idea of our students,” said Anita Brown-Graham, the Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government and director of the School of Government’s ncIMPACT Initiative.

Carolina Across 100 uses the University’s expertise and resources to improve the lives of North Carolinians. After its first program on employment (“Our State, Our Work”), the initiative turned its attention to helping communities across the state find solutions to suicide.

Brown-Graham answered questions about the “Our State, Our Wellbeing” program.

Why did this program focus on suicide prevention?

We spent our first year surveying and talking to people across the state. We had two questions: “What are you worried about?” The second was, “Of those challenges, where do you think UNC-Chapel Hill could be helpful?” It won’t surprise anybody that mental well-being was one of those top challenges.

How beneficial was it to partner with the UNC Suicide Prevention Institute on this program?

We walked into our partnership with the Suicide Prevention Institute with faculty and staff from all over campus who were already working on the issues that were important to this program. It was an amazing gift that somebody had already done that work for us.

Nearly 400 people from 61 North Carolina counties attended Carolina Across 100’s statewide summit on suicide prevention at the Friday Center on June 13. (Carolina Across 100)

This work involved supporting community teams from 24 counties across the state. What did you hear consistently from them?

First, I think while we knew that suicidality had become a primary issue in North Carolina, we didn’t fully recognize until we started this work it was affecting everyone everywhere. We also did not recognize how many places lacked the resources to respond to the issues we are facing. It is heartbreaking to talk to people in a county who say, “We don’t have a single person who specializes in child mental health.”

How did it benefit community teams to learn from other groups across the state?

We bring these teams together and expose them to experts, and that’s helpful. But every survey we do of the teams suggests that what’s most helpful is connecting them to each other and their increased understanding of what other communities are going through and what their breakthroughs are. There’s nothing more empowering than hearing, “You were able to get your school system on board? How did you do that?” That’s the expertise we don’t have on campus. That comes from peers.

How have communities implemented ideas they learned through the program to make progress?

We had an expert who came to talk to teams about the lethality of guns as a means of suicide. The conversation wasn’t about whether people have the right to have guns under the Second Amendment. It was simply, “What does gun safety mean for suicide rates?” I was blown away by the number of teams who latched on to this as low-hanging fruit. Their question: If we can promote more gun safety, how many suicides might we be able to prevent?

In another example, one of the first teams I talked to was out of Mooresville. I remember them saying, “There are four of us doing this work, and we just can’t figure out how to attract more people.” At the summit, they were telling me that they held a community event, and 61 people signed up to be a part of their team. In my mind, that’s the mark of their brilliant success. New strategies and partners will fuel this work forward to save lives.