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from the bellto the wellWill Work For FoodThe Medicine of Music6 September 2011WWFF co-founderPeter Helvie stressesthat local service iscrucial to helpingchildren suffering frommalnutrition globally.Plumpy’nut, anoffshoot of the humblepeanut, may be a newbreakthrough in treatingchild malnutrition aroundthe world, and one newUNC-Chapel Hill startupis making it its missionto supply the innovativeproduct and other Readyto-Use-Foods(RUFs) tochildren in need.Plumpy’nut, a peanutbasedpaste used to treatsevere malnutrition, hasa recovery rate of up to 95 percent and can recuperate children from thedevastating effects of malnutrition.“Methods used before only had a recovery rate of 35 to 40 percent,”explains Ben Vollmer, co-founder of the organization Will Work For Food.The goal of WWFF can be summed up in its slogan: “Volunteeringlocally to help children globally.” Every dollar WWFF raises through communityservice goes directly to buying Plumpy’nut and other RUFs formalnourished children.“You are doing work here,” says Peter Helvie, co-founder of WWFF,“but mentally, you know that your service is doing even more thousands ofmiles away.”Steven Weinberg, a friend of Helvie’s from high school, started thenational Will Work For Food organization in 2007.“Steve approached me about wanting to spread out to other campuses,”Helvie says. “The whole philosophy of it is just great, so I agreed to jumpon board and then I called Ben.”It wasn’t easy, however, to make their message known.“Part of the problem is there are so many well-established organizations,so it’s hard to gain credibility,” Vollmer says.Luckily, now that the group has gained official UNC-CH recognition asof last spring, WWFF’s message can now be heard across campus.“We are really kicking it off this year,” Vollmer says. “We had a table atFall Fest, so hopefully that will attract a younger crowd.”Helvie hopes that even students who are committed to other communityservice groups will be inspired to work with WWFF. “It’s a great way todo more with what you are already doing,” he explains.As far as long-term goals, WWFF is looking to team up with otherservice organizations to foster strong relationships.“When they do something, they can come to us for help and vice versa,”Helvie says. “We are hoping to create some steady partnerships.”But what’s most important is helping the children in need.“Child malnutrition doesn’t get nearly enough attention,” Vollmer says.“Hopefully WWFF remains something that can be a part of UNC-CH foryears to come.”&By stephanie wakefordphoto by Nicole JohnsonTry mixing “Glee” with “Grey’s Anatomy” and then you mighthave an idea of what the MedUNCedoos are all about. The a cappellagroup, composed entirely of UNC-Chapel Hill medical students,enjoys relieving the pressures of medical school by rehearsing andperforming original, witty songs about their chaotic lives.“It’s a creative outlet for the students in the group,” says Perry Tsai,one of the MedUNCedoos’ co-founders. “It’s a way for us to not bestudying all the time and be able to get together and sing and havefun.”An a cappella group might not be a medical student’s first thoughtfor how he or she could interact with patients, but Tsai contendsthat “what our group seeks to do is really fill out the medical schoolexperience and really diversify the types of things that are offered (forstudents).”The group performs at several medical school functions, suchas the cadaver memorial service and the school’s “skit night.” TheMedUNCedoos also work closely with the DooR to DooR program atUNC Hospitals, a program that sets up regular musical performancesfor patients as a way to break up the monotony of their hospital stays.alumnus profile: Lee Storrow“I never imagined I’d goto Fall Fest for five years,”Storrow jokes.Although he graduatedin May 2011, Lee Storrowcan’t resist returning to thebustling atmosphere of hisalma mater on an almostweekly basis.But Storrow, a politicalscience and dramatic artsmajor from Asheville,wasn’t looking for free foodor new listservs to join atFall Fest. Instead, he usedthe opportunity to talk tostudents, hand out flyers andintroduce himself to strangers. As a declared candidate running fora four-year term on Chapel Hill’s Town Council, Storrow feels it’simportant that he has students’ attention.“We have a need to engage young people in our process,”Storrow says. “(Students) have a responsibility to make UNC-CH(their) own.”Storrow, who served as the president of UNC-CH’s YoungDemocrats last year, is no stranger to political engagement. Hespent his high school and college careers working tirelessly as anactivist, including traveling to Washington, D.C. to advocate forA 2008 studyrevealed that choralsingers have, on average, agreater satisfaction with lifethan the general public.source: health.discovery.com&The group also adds an interesting twiston campus, bringing a unique name to theplethora of a cappella groups at UNC-CH. Pronounced “ma-dunk-adoos,” theorigin of the group’s name is as uniqueand creative as the members themselves.The group took the domain name oftheir medical school email addresses (med.unc.edu), sounded it out and then added on“edoo” to the end as an a cappella pun.During the holidays, the MedUNCedoos go fromroom to room performing carols for hospital patients.Joy Javits, founder of DooR to DooR, says that during these holidayperformances “patients sit up in their beds, turn on lights when we come inthe evening and smile, welcoming the rather large group who sometimes standshoulder to shoulder all around their hospital bed, providing music that can befelt as well as heard.”By courtney lindstrandPhoto BY Kristen Cuberoa repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.Storrow continues to be involved in public policy as the managingdirector of the North Carolina Alliance for Health, an organization thatpromotes policies aimed to reduce the harmful effects of obesity andtobacco use in the state. Storrow says his new day job is the most difficultwork he’s ever done, but that it’s worth it.“I know that Chapel Hill is where I want to stay long-term,” says Storrow,whose parents met as students in UNC-CH’s School of Public Health. “And,once I saw the need for an active young person to be involved in (ChapelHill’s) Town Council, I realized that I could actually do it.”Storrow may be running as the voice of the students, but he says he is alsolooking to address larger issues, such as public transportation, town relationswith Carrboro and long-term sustainability goals.“I’m passionate about the issues,” Storrow says. “I’ve been at every (towncouncil meeting) since January.”Two of Storrow’s supporters recognize his commitment to local issues andhave pledged their support. Penny Rich, Storrow’s boss at the NC Alliancefor Health and a council member herself, led a grassroots campaign for herelection in 2001 and has encouraged Storrow to do the same. Similarly, theCarolina Review, UNC-CH’s conservative magazine, published an article expressingsupport for Storrow’s candidacy. Although this may seem an unlikelyalliance, Storrow is unsurprised.“I know I have an obligation to support all viewpoints,” Storrow says.“This is not a partisan issue—your party registration does not matter here.”&By shannon spainPhoto By WENDY LUThe MedUNCedoos perform as a way to “not be studying all thetime,” says co-founder Perry Tsai, far right. The a cappella group alsoprovides a unique opportunity for the medical students to interactwith patients.How dull is it to pause, to make an end,To rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use!As tho’ to breathe were life.— Alfred LORD TENNYSONwww.blueandwhitemag.com 7