SMU taking action!
SMU Cloth Mask Corps
The Samuel Merritt University (SMU) Cloth Mask Corps launched in early April 2020 following ELMSN Assistant Professor Grace Cox’s idea to bring student, staff, and faculty volunteers together to sew cloth masks for vulnerable community members. After posing the idea, SMU community members Dr. Terry Nordstom, Vice President of Student Services; Dr. Beth Ching, OT Assistant Professor; Phyllis Carter, Vice President of Strategy, Innovation and Operations; and Jenna Ingalls, Director of Annual Giving, collectively organized efforts and secured donated materials to construct SMU's first batch of 500 cloth masks. The Ethnic Health Institute (EHI) reached out to community partners to identify groups in most need of masks. The first installment of mask distribution occurred week of April 27. Thank you to Che Abram, Robyn Heise, and Andrew Castro for volunteering to deliver masks to community groups in the Oakland, Sacramento, and San Francisco Peninsula areas.

Since the inception of this idea, there's been an outpouring of support for this effort from the SMU community.

THANK YOU SMU
for your work and support in keeping our communities safe!


Follow SMU on Instagram to learn more about the student volunteers featured in the picture above.
@samuelmerrittu
Check out whats new....
BeWell SMU is a resource hub for all staff, faculty and students. It includes links to virtual wellness classes (led by SMU community members for SMU community members), events and resources for self-care, connection and interaction.

To access the BeWell SMU resource hub click here.

To connect with or provide feedback to the BeWell SMU wellness team please email [email protected]
COVID-19 Volunteer Opportunities
The California Office of the Governor has put together tips for how to safely support your community as well as a comprehensive list of volunteer opportunities in response to COVID-19.

The Alameda County Complete Count Committee (CCC) needs help calling into low-response rate tracts. Over 230 volunteers are making calls already, but the CCC needs more help!

If you are interested in volunteering to remind people to fill out their census please complete the sign up form .

For additional questions contact Alina Farooq [email protected]
Census 2020
Make sure you are counted!
While you shelter in place, keep an eye out for an official letter from the United State Census Bureau. For the first time in Census history, this letter offers the option to respond online with a personal code.



Why is the Census important?

The Census gives us data about our community, informs the distribution of billions of dollars in federal funding, and determines the number of decision-makers representing us. Alameda County gets billions of dollars from the federal government for essential services based solely on the census count. However, nearly 26% of Alameda County residents are considered “Hard-to-Count” and face barriers to Census completion. College students are part of the “Hard-to-Count” category and are unaware they should be counted in the county they currently live in.
An undercount means fewer resources for everyone - for every person not counted, our community loses $10,000 over the next 10 years.

For more information contact Gin Hansson, [email protected]
Community Resources
You are not alone during this challenging time. Here are just a few resources available from SMU and surrounding community organizations. Visit EHI's webpage for a comprehensive list of resources.

SMU Resources:








Community Resources:



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Participation in these events is entirely voluntary with no obligation to attend/participate. As these are voluntary, non-work events, attendance/participation is not considered work and will not be paid time.
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