Recent News

Bay State College Community Volunteers at the Southbridge Community Center

March 4, 2021

On Wednesday, March 3rd, Jennifer Verstreken, Chair of the RN to BSN program and Rob Passmore, Military Affiliated Benefits Coordinator, volunteered with Team Rubicon (TR) at the Southbridge Community Center in Southbridge, MA to provide logistical support to Harrington Hospital at their COVID-19 vaccination center. With the help of many volunteers, this center has been able to vaccinate nearly 500 people per day during their operation. "Giving back to the community is such an important piece of my personal and professional model. This fills my cup," says Verstreken. Passmore, a new addition to the Department of Student & Alumni Affairs team at Bay State College is a veteran and long time volunteer with Team Rubicon. Of Team Rubicon, Passmore says, "I appreciate seeing the discipline and organization I learned in the military translate into service in the community."

All facets of community service has suffered at the hands of the pandemic. Team Rubicon has shifted to meet the needs of the community while still keeping their volunteers safe from community transmission of the corona virus. With Team Rubicon, Verstreken has volunteered in food back operations, packaging a single box of food which would feed a family of two for 14 days. Passmore was recently deployed in Honduras to assist in hurricane relief efforts in November 2020 stated, "As a Spanish speaker with native fluency, I was able to broker collaborations between local relief efforts, Team Rubicon and other intentional relief organizations to provide safe drinking water for many impacted by the devastation of hurricanes Iota and Eta."

What is Team Rubicon?
Team Rubicon serves communities by mobilizing veterans to continue their service, leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. Team Rubicon's mission is providing relief to those affected by disaster, no matter when or where they strike. By pairing the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders, medical professionals, and technology solutions, Team Rubicon aims to provide the greatest service and impact possible.

Interested in joining Team Rubicon? Military veterans and "kickass civilians" can join and deploy with Team Rubicon on domestic and international disaster operations. If you're committed to serving those in need, there's a spot for you on the Team. Visit www.TeamRubiconUSA.org for more information.