October 4, 2013
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 32, No. 8
Inside Phlebotomist not afraid of hard work CEO rEflECts On last 6 mOnths
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Dr. Patrick Cawley talks about improved communications and employee satisfaction.
mUsC rakEs in $75.1m
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Despite a rocky economy the institution received gifts and pledges from organizations, individuals and other sources. 5 Meet Steve 6 Applause 11 Classifieds thE C ata ly s t OnlinE http://www. musc.edu/ catalyst
By Ashley BArker Public Relations
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rowing up in a small community within West Ashley, Shandela Gethers spent time as a child carrying chopped wood to her grandmother’s wooden stove. She remembers tinkering with nails and learning to hammer and paint, skills that became useful when she helped build her Habitat for Humanity home more than two years ago. “My grandmother was the laboring type. She did the porch building and little things that she could do herself around the house,” Gethers said. “I’m not scared of work because I learned how to do it from her.” Gethers, a MUSC phlebotomist at Carolina Family Care in West Ashley, had to contribute “sweat equity” in order to earn her Sea Island Habitat for Humanity home, which she closed on July 1, 2011. The homeowners, along with family members Gethers and friends, have to contribute 300 hours of labor at the home’s construction site, 50 hours at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 20 hours in homeowner classes and 130 other hours of work in the office, helping with community events and providing lunch for volunteers. “They have people out there who build homes for a living, and they would tell you what they wanted you to do,” Gethers said. “You do one thing, someone else does another and then we put it all together. It’s like an assembly line. There was nothing that was really difficult.” Gethers said that moving into the new home with her children – Jaquelle, 20, Kierra, 18, and Gregg Jr., 12 – was a dream come true. “It was exciting, scary, all of the emotions you can think, all in one. The responsibility
photos provided Above: The first wall of Shandela Gethers’ home was assembled by a group of volunteers in 2011. Below: Gethers receives a Bible from Family Services Director Maritza Zeisel, left, during her home dedication ceremony. was big. Everything relies on me,” she said. “For so long, I wanted a home of my own. I always talked about having it one day. The reality was there. Everybody was just so excited.” Now that she’s settled into her new home, Gethers likes to share her story and promote Habitat for Humanity as often as possible. “When people come to my home, I tell them all about Habitat,” she said. “People just assume that if you work at MUSC, you make so much money. I’m not saying that I don’t make money. I’m grateful. But if you’re a single parent, it’s hard. You’re supplying everything for your family. Habitat was my blessing in disguise. I have enough to pay my mortgage and do all of the other things that I need to get done.” Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit Christian housing ministry, provides 30-year, no-interest loans for low-income families and sells the homes below the market rate, according to Priscilla Quirk, Outreach Coordinator at Sea Island Habitat for Humanity.
See Habitat on page 7