Sandra G. High
Service has always been a part of my life, growing up with the kids, getting them involved in things, and there's a kindness that's unrecognizable. I think with the volunteering and being all-inclusive, my father took a major role in that for me, that he was always making sure that we did not exclude anybody. Then my mom, being Italian and cooking, food always brings people together, and I feel like I'm giving a piece of myself to others with the cooking end of it, and the different volunteering that I've done, most of it has incorporated some type of food event.
Julie Ann Freischlag
It's my pleasure to talk about Sandy High. She is energetic. She worked with us on the Guild. She really worked with the DEAC Clinic and brought snacks in for the doctors and helped to do the fundraising for the DEAC Clinic, and because of all her involvement in the community, when we did form a racial equity task force, she served on that for two years with those of us here in the medical center as well, throughout the community, and helped us get to our change agenda to really go forward with our justice, equity, diversity and inclusion piece.
Sandra G. High
My involvement with the Medical Center started back in probably '95. I heard about the Medical Center Guild and thought this could be something that I could enjoy, getting to meet other people, and just have some good social contacts and events that would go on, and fundraisers and things. I was a member with the Medical Center Guild for a number of years and working full time, and then in 2015 they were looking for some new leadership. The enrollment had died off, and so we needed some sparks to bring it back together, and Sandy Paley and I worked really well together along with the Board that... She had all of these ideas. She had been in the Guild for a number of years and I had the face of the Guild in the Medical Center, which was really good.
One of the projects that the Guild was involved in was the Forsyth Backpack Program, which was very special, finding out that one in four children in our community really hurt for food, especially over the weekends when school is closed.
Julee Rose
The first backpack event was in 2017. We had over 200 volunteers that were our teammates, and we packed about 23,000 meals. It was great. It was the beginning of something wonderful. We even were able during COVID to send prepackaged food to the Y, to different places where children were. The learning centers, where they were keeping up with their work, day cares, it was just good that we could continue.
Sandra G. High
Guild members were there, people from all different departments, and I thought it was great because it was, again, one of those coming together groups that you weren't just in your one group of internal medicine or surgery or something like that, but you really worked across the departments and got to know people, from sanitation and cooking and the whole administration and hospital.
One of my other passions that I was glad to be able to involve the Guild as a whole, is working with the medical students.
Rachel A. Carrasquillo
As students, we're working at the DEAC Clinic to help the community of Winston Salem, and Sandy's doing this out of pure love and compassion towards our students, and really steps up, and she does this because she wants to, and I think that means a lot to all of our students and shows us in the future how we want to be to step up for our community, even though it might not directly impact us. I think it's really inspiring.
Sandra G. High
The students actually come after a long day of being in school or working in the hospital, and so we started out helping them with giving them meals, whether it was Subway sandwiches or some kind of snacks or soups or things to make sure they got through the day to be able to handle these patients who really needed their attention.
Then the DEAC Clinic needed funds, and they started once a year doing, it's called A Night in the Quarter, which is a fundraiser in the spring to help raise money for all of the supplies that are needed to help these patients out.
Rachel A. Carrasquillo
Sandy was in the Guild, and she really stepped up to help us plan the DEAC Gala during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then when we came back last year we worked with her and she took a major part in helping us get donations set up for the gala and plan the DEAC Gala.
Sandra G. High
This year was really a huge accomplishment that the students were spot on, and this was their largest fundraiser ever, so it's been fun to watch them build and progress with this.
Shubha Mishra
She did serve as president valiantly for the Guild for many years, but it didn't matter what official role she was in, it was more about, "Let's do this, and let's do this right," and so she just jumped into whatever was needed. She wants to know what's happening and how she can help and facilitate. This Lasagna Love is a perfect example of that.
Sandra G. High
One of my latest volunteer ventures that happened during COVID is called Lasagna Love. What happens is that an individual signs up, and whatever their troubles might be as far as not being able to make a meal, whether it's financially or just stress-wise, that they need a break, so they'll sign up on the website, and then we get assigned different people. I have a 10-mile radius that I work with. You never know what their background is. You don't ask. Sometimes you don't even meet them. It's a kindness out of the community to share a meal with them, so I feel like that's something I can do. I love to cook and I'm helping somebody else out, and whether they say thank you or not, that's okay. I've given them a warm meal and feel really grateful about that.
Jeannie St. Clair
She inspired you. She made you believe as she believed, "This is what we ought to be doing with our time and our talents. Look at all the people that will benefit from this," or "Look at the possibilities of what this fundraiser could do for the medical school and for people here in this community."
Sandra G. High
We work as a village and we needed that village. This was not something that I could do on my own, and that's what I feel very strongly about, that this is a Guild award recipients, it's not just me, that I think that the Guild is... This is all part of it, that I couldn't have done what I did without them.
