Faculty and staff from the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health joined community partners, alumni and supporters at The Walk for Life: 35th Honolulu AIDS Walk on June 27 at Kapiʻolani Park. The Thompson ‘Bows team raised $1,000 for the event to support Hawaiʻi Health and Harm Reduction Center and its work serving people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other communities across Hawaiʻi.
The annual Walk for Life brought Thompson School colleagues, community partners and alumni together while raising awareness for an important cause. Team members also hosted an information table to connect with attendees and share information about the school’s social work and public health programs.
“The Walk for Life was a fun event for our faculty and staff to come together to support our community partners as they work alongside us preparing our future workforce in public health, aging services, and social work,” said Thompson School Dean Dr. Alex Ortega. “We’re all part of the same ecosystem striving for community wellbeing, and events like this help bring us together around the same goal of health equity.”
The walk reflected the shared missions of the school’s Department of Public Health Sciences, Department of Social Work, and Center on Aging to advance health equity and strengthen community partnerships. Several faculty members also conduct research and are engaged in community partnerships and services related to HIV education, stigma reduction, health equity, and access to social services. Participating in the Walk for Life allowed them to connect directly with community organizations working in these areas.
“Prior to academia, I worked as a mental health counselor and social worker for many years, serving the most vulnerable in our community,” said Dr. Mike DeMattos, chair of the Bachelor of Social Work Program. “Co-organizing and participating in the Walk for Life with other faculty and staff brought me back to those earlier days of my career while also representing and uplifting our Department and our School’s vision toward social justice and equity in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Region.”
Wendy Lum, who co-organized the team with DeMattos, said colleagues supported the event by donating, walking, or both.
“The Walk for Life event was smoothly run and organized, and an easy and fun decision to participate,” said Lum. “We put the call out to our colleagues, and many responded.”
Faculty emphasized that they are members of the communities where they teach, conduct research and serve. Community engagement is central to their academic work and to preparing future social work and public health professionals.
Building on this year’s success, the school hopes to organize a Thompson School ‘Bows team for the Walk for Life annually.