Physical Therapy Students Continue to Aid in Santa Rosa Fires

With April being National Volunteer Month, we wanted to take a look back at some of the wonderful ways our CHHS bulldogs give back.

Last fall, downed PG&E power lines ignited two mass fires in Santa Rosa, California. The fires quickly became one of the most destructive and deadliest in California. According to The Mercury News, the fires caused the evacuation of thousands of people with nearly 3,000 homes burned down, leaving hundreds missing in its wake of destruction.

Second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students, Pamela Marchese and Nazanin Ghanadan, saw this as a call to action to help those who were affected by the fires. In the span of just one week, they raised a total of $750 dollars with the help of three different classes, along with faculty.

“Our goal was to raise money to then purchase supplies that were deemed necessary,” said Marchese. “We were in communication with Santa Rosa, but some of our classmates purchased goods on their own and sent them, as well.”

Marchese said the need to fund raise was personal, as many of her classmates in the program were personally affected by the horrific fires. Funds raised and donated items made by the department were dropped off directly in Santa Rosa by a student who was headed to the area to help relocate horses.

“It was rewarding to help in this situation because of the severity of the damage and because many of the people we see and interact with on a daily basis were directly affected,” Marchese said, of her and Ghanadan’s efforts. “This wasn’t about us and we weren’t focused on how it would make us feel. Our goal was to make sure that those who were affected (near and far) knew that they had our support.

Nazanin and I generally love helping people. That is one of the main reasons both she and I are pursuing the profession of Physical Therapy. It always feels good to help anyone in need.”