A Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine
doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) student and the Mississippi State
University FarmHouse Fraternity are working together to provide support to the
TK Martin Center and the students to whom it provides services. While
veterinary school itself comes with a significant amount of day-to-day
responsibilities, Gunnar Dunnam has found a calling outside of the four walls
of his classrooms and labs to give back in a tangible way to children in the
community. One of those children is Emma Welch.
"I met Emma my freshman year at Mississippi State while
working as a therapeutic horseback riding volunteer in West Point, Mississippi.
Emma was not only my rider, but she was also a student at the T.K. Martin Center
for Technology and Disability,” said first year DVM student Gunnar Dunnam. “It
was during this time that I got to know Emma and her mom better, and I learned
a great deal more about the important services provided by the T.K. Martin
Center.”
Dunnam is the current Resident Advisor/House Dad for the
Mississippi State University chapter of FarmHouse Fraternity. Prior to his role
as resident advisor, he served as philanthropy chair for the chapter. He says
that the fraternity was not satisfied with the impact they were having with
their philanthropic efforts, so they began to develop a plan for making a
larger impact.
“As it turns out, I didn’t need to look far,” said Dunnam. “My
first thought was the amazing work that was literally happening right down the
street from us at the T.K. Martin Center. So, we began this partnership with
them.”
In less than a year, the fraternity has been able to donate a
Rifton Activity Chair, which is designed to help with feeding, speech therapy,
active learning, and for clients (like Emma) with sensory processing
challenges.
“This photo was taken at a luncheon where $2,880 was donated so
the center could buy new computers,” said Dunnam “This is an opportunity for
our members to be able to get involved and have first-hand experience in making
a positive difference in our community.”
In addition to the luncheon where the donation for the new
computers was announced, Emma was also named honorary sweet heart of FarmHouse
Fraternity, since she is the link that originally connected the two
organizations together.
“Our family along with others from T.K. Martin Center have been
so impressed with the willingness of the FarmHouse Fraternity to help our
kids,” said Martha Ann Welch, Emma’s mom. “The T.K. Martin Center means so much
to our family because of how Emma has grown – cognitively and physically – since
she started attending in 2013 at the age of three. To see these young men and
their passion for helping others in the community is amazing! We are just so
appreciative of what they have done so far and for what I know they will
continue to do.”
You can find out more information about the services provided by
the T.K. Martin Center by visiting their website at http://www.tkmartin.msstate.edu/.
