For Palmer College of Chiropractic, caring for the community means more than providing exceptional patient care. Across the Palmer Florida campus, students, faculty, and staff regularly come together to support local causes through donation drives, volunteer projects, and community partnerships that help improve lives throughout the Port Orange and Daytona Beach area.
Student-Led Service in Action
Palmer’s culture of service is woven into everyday campus life. Recently, the Student American Black Chiropractic Association (SABCA) hosted a back-to-school supply drive benefiting South Daytona Elementary School. Organized by Palmer students, the initiative helped provide local students with the supplies they need to begin the school year prepared for success.
For Nelda Paul, president of SABCA, the drive reflected the organization’s commitment to serving both the campus and the surrounding community.
“Service is core to SABCA’s mission. We wanted to ease the financial burden on local families during back-to-school season and give our campus a tangible way to serve beyond the clinic,” Paul said. “Holistic health and community well-being go hand-in-hand. Just as chiropractic care supports foundational health, providing students with essential learning tools gives them the foundation to thrive.”
After collecting donations throughout July, SABCA members delivered the supplies to South Daytona Elementary in early August, directly supporting students and teachers in the campus’s neighboring community and reinforcing the connection between community service and overall well-being.
Faculty-Led Efforts to Support Local Students
Palmer faculty also play an active role in serving the community. Faculty clinician Amanda Vozar, D.C., has organized school supply drives for several years to help students gain access to the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.
This year, after transitioning to Palmer’s Daytona Beach Clinic at Halifax Health, Dr. Vozar directed the effort toward Champion Elementary, a nearby Title I school.
“After transitioning to the Daytona Beach Clinic, I wanted our efforts to directly support a school near our new location and strengthen our connection to the local community,” she said.
Through donations from students, the initiative provided two fully stocked backpacks and additional school supplies, helping meet a critical need for local students while strengthening Palmer’s ties to the surrounding community.
For Dr. Vozar, the effort reflects a simple but powerful belief. “I believe every student deserves access to the materials they need to learn, grow, and succeed in the classroom,” she said. “Supporting these drives is one small way we can help meet that need and make a positive impact in our community.”
Making an Impact Locally and Globally
Palmer’s spirit of service can be seen in many forms. Faculty clinician Joy Dunwoodie, D.C., is currently leading a shoe collection drive, encouraging members of the Palmer community to donate gently worn footwear. The donated shoes are provided to First Church, which then distributes them to individuals in developing countries, helping meet a basic need while extending Palmer’s impact far beyond campus.
Student-led service efforts also continue throughout the year. Annually, Palmer Florida Student Council partners with OneBlood to bring the Big Red Bus to campus for a blood drive, giving students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to help save lives through blood donation.
A Tradition of Giving Back
One of Palmer’s longest-running community service initiatives is its participation in the Volusia Thanksgiving Basket Brigade. For the past six years, faculty, staff, and students have worked together to collect food, assemble Thanksgiving meal boxes, and help ensure local families can enjoy a holiday meal. The boxes are delivered directly to families in need throughout the community, making a tangible difference during the holiday season.
The spirit of giving continues throughout the winter with Palmer’s annual participation in the Cops for Christmas Toy Drive, held in partnership with the Port Orange Police Department Victim Advocate Division and Spouses Backing the Blue. Each year, the Palmer community comes together to collect new, unwrapped toys that help make the holidays brighter for local children and families facing difficult circumstances. Through this partnership, faculty, staff, and students are able to directly support families in the Port Orange area while reinforcing Palmer’s commitment to caring for its community beyond the classroom and clinic.
These collective efforts demonstrate that service at Palmer is not limited to patient care. Instead, it reflects a broader commitment to supporting the well-being of the community in meaningful and lasting ways.
Living Palmer’s Values
From school supply drives and shoe collections to blood donations and holiday programs, Palmer faculty, staff, students, and alumni share a common goal: improving the lives of those around them.
These acts of service embody Palmer’s commitment to caring for communities and fostering a spirit of giving that extends far beyond campus. As graduates go on to practice chiropractic across the country and around the world, they carry with them the values they developed at Palmer, continuing a tradition of service that makes a positive impact wherever they go.
At Palmer College of Chiropractic, serving others is more than an initiative. It’s a lasting commitment to building healthier, stronger communities, one act of service at a time.
