Skip to main content

PVM Cares! Mission Accomplished!

Miller Elementary School students and families were excited to see backpacks filled with study supplies awaiting them at the start of the new school year.
Miller Elementary School students and families were excited to see backpacks filled with study supplies awaiting them at the start of the new school year.

The inaugural mission of PVM Cares! was to provide homework supplies to students at Miller Elementary School – Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s community partner. Miller students receive classroom school supplies at no cost; however, they do not receive supplies that enable them to complete homework and other projects at home. Thanks to many contributors of supplies and time, a total of 500 backpacks were filled at Lynn Hall with pencils, erasers, colored pencils, crayons, safe scissors, notebooks, rulers, highlighters, glue sticks, and a Vet Adventures SuperPower Pack! Then the backpacks were delivered to the school before the students returned to the classroom. As a result, every Miller student received a Purdue Veterinary Medicine League of VetaHumanz-Miller Elementary School backpack. The Students found the backpacks at their desks when they met their teachers this week on Monday, August 5.

Many Thanks to the Suppliers, Assemblers, and Field Agents who contributed to our success in accomplishing our mission!

• Kara Burns
• Grace Craig
• Kevin Doerr
• Holly Englert
• Lisa Greenberg
• Shelley Harmon
• Andrea Kellogg
• Dr. Ellen Lowery
• Dr. Colleen Maguire Jackson
• Dr. Anna McManamey
• Tom Mauch
• Dr. Susan Prieto-Welch
• Dr. Willie Reed
• Dr. Sandy San Miguel
• Jennifer Smith
• Sheila Stingle
• Eva Tatman
• Susan Xioufaridou

Volunteers participating in PVM Cares! filled 500 backpacks with homework supplies – enough for every Miller Elementary student to receive one.
Volunteers participating in PVM Cares! filled 500 backpacks with homework supplies for students at Miller Elementary School.

Even if it didn’t work out for you to help with the backpack project, you still can join PVM Cares!, which provides opportunities for everyone in our college to engage with our community as we join superpowers with Thomas Miller Elementary School for mutual transformation! Together, we support students in their quest for scientific knowledge and STEM career exploration. Visit https://vet.purdue.edu/vetahumanz/pvm-cares/ to learn more and sign up.

Consider joining PVM Cares! today.

During volunteer works sessions in Lynn Hall, a total of 500 backpacks were prepared so they could be delivered to Miller Elementary School – enough for every Miller Elementary student to receive one.
During volunteer work sessions in Lynn Hall, enough backpacks were prepared for every Miller Elementary student received one.

PVM Cares is part of The League of VetaHumanz, supported by the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The League is committed to engaging with under-resourced communities to provide access and support for youth who aspire to careers in the veterinary profession.

Writer(s): Dr. Sandra San Miguel, Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

Indiana FFA Names PVM’s Julia Wickard as One of Five New Board Members

Executive Director of the Purdue Veterinary Alumni Association and Constituent Liaison Julia Wickard is one of five newly named members of the Indiana FFA Foundation board of directors.  The appointments took effect July 1.

Alumnus and Oncology Specialist Dr. Christopher Fulkerson Appointed as Associate Dean for Purdue Veterinary Hospitals

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Bret D. Marsh, DVM, has named Dr. Christopher Fulkerson as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Chief Veterinary Officer for the Purdue Veterinary Hospitals. The appointment was announced July 1, the same day that Dr. Fulkerson’s promotion to full Clinical Professor of Veterinary Medical Oncology took effect.

“Paws Up” for the ADDL Accessioning and Molecular Teams – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week, we express our sincere gratitude to our ADDL Accessioning and Molecular Teams (and cross trained individuals).

PVM Dean Bret Marsh Shares College Update with Swine Producers and Industry Partners at Major Swine Event in Indianapolis

Swine Health was the focus of a significant event recently at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis as swine industry partners and swine producers gathered for the National Junior Summer Spectacular (NJSS) and Summer Type Conference (STC).  The event was held at the end of June in the Fall Creek Pavillion and included a Swine Health Briefing that featured swine industry and veterinary medicine leaders including Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Bret Marsh, who also had an opportunity to provide an update on the College of Veterinary Medicine.

2026 Annual Recognition Ceremony Honors VCS Residents, Graduate Students, and PVH Interns

On Monday, June 29, 2026, more than 100 faculty and staff from the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital gathered at Thomas Duncan Hall for the 2026 Resident and Intern Recognition Ceremony. This annual event provides a great opportunity to honor and celebrate the contributions of the residents, interns, and graduate students who are completing their programs this summer.

New Administrative Assistant Joins PVM Office of Student Success

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine welcomes Charity Holden as the new administrative assistant in the Office of Student Success.

“Paws Up” for Scott Fix – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week we are highlighting Scott Fix who is the Lead Facilities Manager in the Department of Veterinary Administration.

Remembering Zeus: A Legacy of Loyalty and Love

We continue our series of articles about animals and their owners who’ve found help and healing at the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital by sharing the story of a beloved dog named Zeus. For Amy Fitzsimmons-Blaising, Zeus wasn’t just a dog, he was her spirit animal and best friend. A proud Giant Schnauzer bred in Bedford, Indiana, Zeus had been the heart of Amy’s home for 11 unforgettable years. Then, in October 2024, Zeus’s health challenges began, when he started coughing and showing signs that looked like seizures. After rushing him to a local veterinary urgent care facility, Amy learned he was in congestive heart failure, and she turned to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital for help.

PVM Scholar Receives Purdue WGHI Pilot Grant Aimed at Advancing Women’s Health

Purdue University’s Women’s Global Health Institute (WGHI) has announced six pilot research grant awards aimed at solving critical problems in women’s health and quality of life, and one of recipients is Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty member Viju Vijayan Pillai. Dr. Pillai is assistant professor of anatomic pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology.

The universal socket set of vaccines: Innovative technology heralds more effective, more efficient vaccines

You fight fire with fire. And Purdue Veterinary Medicine vaccine expert Suresh Mittal fights viruses with viruses. Using innovative techniques, Dr. Mittal, Distinguished Professor of Virology in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology, develops novel vaccines for viral infections including avian influenza.