黑料网鈥檚 Emergency Medicine residency team recently made the holidays brighter for local struggling families, thanks to an effort led by 黑料网鈥檚 Dr. Joel Glotfelty, an Emergency Medicine Resident (class of 2025).
In late December, 83 members of the 黑料网 Emergency Department rallied together to provide generous support to help local families, and demonstrate how valued they are in the 黑料网 community. Meanwhile, 16 黑料网 residents and attendings teamed up to personally provide the gifts to nearly 200 families and 400 kids.
Seeing The Bigger Picture
鈥淚 learned long ago that the world is so much bigger than any one person, and this helped me see the collective power in taking action in local communities, and working to impart generational change though the act of giving,鈥� says Dr. Glotfelty.
鈥淚n the 黑料网 ED I was able to find a home, and support for my passion for community outreach from ED leaders like Dr. Collyn Murray, Dr. Maglin Halsey-Nichols, and Dr. Nikki Binz. The passion for giving within our group reaches across us all鈥urses, residents, our program director, and department chair.
鈥淚t was a humbling experience to see my colleagues, friends, and mentors give of themselves to show our community that we love them and we’re here for them, whether it鈥檚 in the ED or helping to meet their social needs,鈥� said Dr. Glotfelty.
鈥淓ven our residency program director, Dr. Nikki Binz dropped everything to help walk the aisles of Sam’s club, buying every stocking stuffer in sight for these kids. And it was even more special to be able to share this with my wife Samantha who was an integral part of the process, including providing assistance with translating for our in-person event.鈥�
In one of the more memorable moments, parents as well as children of all ages gathered at TABLE NC, a Carrboro based non-profit that Dr. Glotfelty partnered with for this event.
鈥淎t a time where many of us were tired from a long week of working, my colleagues, my wife and I got to experience the joy emanating from the faces of children ranging in age from 4 months to 18 years old as they moved through the line to receive their stockings and gifts,鈥� he added.
A Passion For Helping
Dr. Joel Glotfelty is not new to helping others. In 2020 鈥� 听during his second year of medical school 鈥� he organized a non-profit named 鈥淔inish The Race鈥� in memory of his father, who courageously faced terminal lymphoma and remained an inspiration to others, without giving up. One hundred percent of proceeds generated by 鈥淔inish The Race鈥� are used to partner with local charities for events just like this one.
鈥淭he core concept behind our name is to inspire hope and perseverance. Finishing the race is not about overcoming one obstacle. It鈥檚 a way of life, a way of meeting and overcoming every challenge that comes up,鈥� says Dr. Glotfelty.
鈥淧erhaps the most important principle behind this non-profit and my own beliefs is the power generated by facing adversity as a unit. It’s the concept of making sure that when you get through your obstacle, you reach back, pick someone up who doesn’t feel they have the strength, and help to carry them through their time of need.鈥�
Special areas of interest for Dr. Glotfelty include Social Emergency Medicine. He chose 黑料网听 for his residency program because it听provides the opportunity to practice community medicine as well as academic medicine.
Learn more about the 黑料网 Emergency Medicine Residency Program via听this link.
