Tufts School of Medicine's Sharewood Project holds silent online auction

Tufts University School of Medicine's student-run health education program the Sharewood Project completed a two-week-long online silent auction yesterday.

The Sharewood Project also provides free healthcare to underserved clients, according to Sharewood General Project Director Ariel Lefland.

“It is led by volunteer medical students and physicians affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine and Cambridge Health Alliance, with help from other professional students and interpreters from Tufts University,” Lefland said.

According to Executive Director of the Sharewood Project Joshua Dower, the goal of this year’s auction is to raise $8,000.

“Our silent auction is a fundraiser we hold every year to help keep Sharewood running,” Dower said.

As of press time, the auction had raised $5,217, according to the Sharewood Project’s online auction website.

The auction included 67 items that range from gift baskets to artwork to sporting goods. The winners were scheduled to be notified after the auction at 5 p.m. on Oct. 26, according to Lefland.

“All the bids made are anonymous, which is why the auction is termed silent,” she said.

Fundraising is always difficult for any nonprofit program, and the Sharewood Project is no exception to that rule, Director of Advancement Ann Cheung added.

“Considering the scale of clients we see, we have to be fairly aggressive with grant-writing and fundraising, but thankfully, we do have a lot of support from the community and Tufts given the mission we have,” she said.

Cheung said the auction was arranged smoothly, without any difficulties.

“The Sharewood Silent Auction has been happening for some time now, so we had the experience of previous Sharewood board members to support us,” she said. “Compounded with a great Student Advancement Team and the assistance of Rebecca Scott, the senior director of development and alumni relations and Paula Gagnon, office manager of the office of student affairs at [Tufts University Medical School], made the entire process of getting donations and figuring out logistics a fairly seamless process.”

Dower said that the Sharewood Project serves over 500 clients in the greater Boston community every year.

“Sharewood has been serving the greater Boston community since 1997 by providing basic health care services such as chronic disease management, school physicals, sexual health testing and counseling and case management services,” Dower said.

Additionally, Lefland said that Sharewood’s case management services help its clients register for MassHealth, obtain food stamps, find safe housing and receive other social services.

According to Lefland, a diverse client population with a variety of needs benefits from the Sharewood Project.

“In addition to our general health clinic, we have sexual and women's health departments and we also offer special services including dental care, ophthalmology, nutrition counseling and dermatology,” she said.

Since December 2014, the Sharewood team has seen 845 clients -- from infants to 84-year-olds -- for various medical concerns. Many clients first come into contact with the U.S. healthcare system through Sharewood, Lefland said.

She explained that many of the project's clients often experience inequities in health outcomes, lack access to even the most basic care, and often face additional challenges, such as language barriers and poor health literacy.

“Sharewood is playing an important role in connecting this key [underserved] population with primary care services and providing for these clients until they are able to do so or return to their home countries,” Lefland said.

According to Cheung, these facts illustrate the impact Sharewood has on its community.

“We’ve continually evolved to make sure that we provide medical interpretation for those who are unable to speak English or expanding our services to include dental counseling,” Cheung said. “Personally, I think our success lies in the enthusiasm that the students have, not only for the study of medicine, but spreading that knowledge to each other and the clients we serve.”

Both Dower and Lefland said that along with the auction, the Sharewood Project is funded through grants and fundraisers such as Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation, Massachusetts Medical Society, AthenaHealth, March Madness Brackets and Tufts University School of Medicine Patagonia Fleece sale.

Sharewood also relies on donations from alumni and other members of the Tufts community, Dower added.

Lefland said that the project accommodates people at different price points and provides an easy platform for reaching a large number of people.

Sharewood’s budget is completely funded through grants and fundraising, so events like the auction are extremely important for helping the project, she explained.

“The auction this year is open to the public and features over 60 great prizes ranging from Red Sox and Celtics tickets to gym memberships, collectible items, gift certificates to local restaurants and much more,” Lefland said.

The Sharewood Project has much to offer educationally, according to Cheung.

“On the most basic level, our students gain more experience educating and counseling the clients who come to Sharewood under the supervision of licensed Tufts-affiliated physicians,” Cheung said. “Additionally, the students learn to work in teams in addressing the health concerns of our clients, which can encompass medical, dental, nutritional and social concerns -- just to name a few.”

She explained that the students are able to take on a greater amount of responsibility as board members, which may include administrative roles like the ones that she, Dower and Lefland occupy or roles that have a specific interest in medicine.

Lefland said that she and the Sharewood Project's volunteers are proud of the effect that they have on the community.

“Everyone who volunteers at Sharewood is really proud of what we do, and it is extremely rewarding to have such a positive impact on our clients and our community," she said.