On May 23–24, 2005, Dennis Meyers, CEO of Manchester Memorial Hospital in Manchester, Ky., and Mark Laws, Manchester Memorial chaplain, visited the Andrews University campus in search of a student to fill a new full-time internship position to begin this fall.

Manchester Memorial will hire an Andrews student, preferably a graduate student, to work full time toward the creation of an initiative against childhood obesity, a major problem in the area.

Located in Clay County, one of the poorest counties in the nation, Manchester suffers from high unemployment and welfare rates, and a below 50 percent average for high school graduates. Due to the amount of poverty, the area suffers from many diet-related health issues, of which childhood obesity is one of the biggest.

The intern will work with local schools and the hospital to create awareness and put together programs throughout the year. One of the main responsibilities will be to coordinate summer day camps that focus on health and wellness for children in 2006. The intern will be considered a regular hospital staff member, receive a small stipend plus payment for all expenses, and have tuition paid for the following year of school.

Andrews students have already been building relationships and playing an active role in the Manchester community, traveling there on We Care domestic mission trips for the past three summers, working on various projects such as building repairs, painting, and children’s ministries.

Meyers and the Manchester Memorial staff, part of Adventist Health System, believe mission is a very important aspect of their work in the community. “If we lose sight of our mission, then we won’t be very successful,” noted Meyers. “Mission is the most important thing.”

Beverly Stout, University Relations Lake Union Herald correspondent