Group raises money for bilingual center
On the Russell House patio Wednesday evening, a small group of people began to line up and learn the basic steps to the salsa. Others nearby loaded guacamole onto their burritos.
Members of the Amigos del Buen Samaritano manned their stations around the patio, eager to welcome one and all to their Salsa con Salsa event, benefiting the Good Samaritan Clinic in Columbia.
“It’s the only free clinic in Columbia that offers medical services in both English and Spanish,” said Amy Hartman, co-chair of fundraising and grant writing. “It’s all run by volunteers, and many of them are USC students.”
Tickets to the event were sold in the days leading up to the event on Greene Street, as well as Wednesday night. All proceeds were donated directly to the Good Samaritan Clinic.
Open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the clinic provides free general medical consultations, along with medicine and test screenings.
Volunteers at the clinic lend their services while doing everything from entering information into the clinic’s database to taking the
heights and weights of patients. Even the doctors are volunteers, coming from both Palmetto Health and the USC School of Medicine, Hartman said.
Though services are bilingual, it is not necessary for volunteers to know two languages.
“You don’t have to speak Spanish when you volunteer because there are jobs, like transferring paper doctors’ notes onto the computer or grant writing, that don’t require you to,” said Hartman, a second-year biochemistry student.
Volunteer positions include physicians and nurses, as well as interpreters and grant writers.
The tables that stretched across the patio bore a wide range of Latin American fare, including tacos and guacamole made by club members and burritos donated by El Burrito.
“All of the groceries we used were donated by Wal-Mart,” Hartman said. “That means that all proceeds are going directly to the clinic. We’re not keeping any of it.”
The Latin Dance Club was also there to help out with the festivities, teaching attendees moves to popular Latin American dances such as the salsa, bachata and merengue while fast-paced tunes blared out of speakers placed around the area.
“We were contacted to do a salsa night for fundraising,” said third-year public health student and club president Phu Ngyen. “It’s great to do this and support the Good Samaritan Clinic.”
According to Hartman, though the Amigos del Buen Samaritano group has been at USC for four years, this is the first year members have held the Salsa con Salsa event.
“This is a new event, and we’re looking for people to enjoy themselves and see the effect that the clinic has on Columbia,” she said. “We’re always looking for more students to join us.”