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We were excited to offer our students the opportunity to speak with two doctors who have been on the frontline of the COVID fight from the very beginning: twin sisters Dr. Elana McDonald (mother of Roman ’18 and eighth grader Ryan) and Dr. Delana Wardlaw (mother of seventh graders Amira and Khalif).
The two joined us on Zoom this fall to discuss their work as doctors and focused in particular on their work volunteeri
ng their expertise to perform COVID tests and care for residents in underserved communities in Philadelphia.
“It makes you a better person when you can help people,” explained Dr. McDonald.
The two patiently answered a litany of questions from our kindergarten to eighth grade students who were curious about what it takes to be a doctor and care for patients.
During this Zoom call, we were thrilled to have Dr. Wardlaw and Dr. McDonald accept a check from our community to Odunde 365, a local organization that is known for putting on the largest African street festival in the United States. The doctors both assist in health programming organized by Odunde 365. Dancers from Odunde are a favorite Community Gathering tradition.
“Thank you so much to WMA for the support of Odunde,” exclaimed Dr. McDonald.
“We are forever grateful; you’ve brought a tear to my eye,” added Dr. Wardlaw. “This will allow them to keep programming going throughout the year.”
We were able to present the check to Odunde thanks to our fall Walkathon. In line with our safety precautions, students participated in the Walkathon within their cohorts instead of in a large group. With students walking at school and others walking at home, our students travelled the combined distance from Philadelphia to Indianapolis and raised a total of $2,000!
*Published in the Winter 2021 issue of the Blue & Gold*