School of Medicine volunteers ‘Build for Unity’ with Habitat for Humanity

Last month, 21 volunteers from the UC Davis School of Medicine braved the rain and mud to take part in Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento’s 2023 Build for Unity. Their goal was to make a positive impact on the Sacramento community.

“I really enjoyed the Build for Unity event,” said Quincy Jones, School of Medicine second-year student. “This was my first time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and the experience has made me want to continue volunteering in the future. It was great to interact with many health care professionals in that setting.”

Jones shared that the event was one of his most meaningful volunteer experiences because he could see the work was directly contributing to families in need of affordable and high-quality housing.

“We all worked together and made progress towards helping [alleviate] the housing crisis people are facing throughout California,” Jones said. 

The Feb. 5 event was the second time the School of Medicine has sponsored and taken part in the Build for Unity program.

“Our core values at the UC Davis School of Medicine include diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Susan Murin, interim dean of the School of Medicine. “We think it’s very important to be welcoming across all cultures and religions and to model that in our behavior, not just in our words.”

Build for Unity 2023 involved more than 200 interfaith volunteers who worked side by side. Altogether, they contributed more than 1,200 hours on myriad tasks, such as scaffolding assembly, weather barrier installation, siding installation, caulking, and exterior painting.

The School of Medicine’s contributions also helped Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento raise $33,297 for its Build for Unity program.

“Habitat for Humanity is a really impressive organization,” commented Richard Kravitz, distinguished professor, UC Davis Department of Internal Medicine and director of UC Center Sacramento. “Not only do they do great work, [but] their construction supervisors are really knowledgeable and committed both to their craft and to our safety. It was fun getting together with UC Davis colleagues and also other members of the Sacramento community.”