Page 39 - WilmU Spring Summer 2013

A s he le the orphanage in
Honduras with a team of
volunteers, Tom Hoffman was
presented with a dubious gi by
a young girl.
“This li le girl gave me a stuffed lion; it was
an ugly, dirty li le thing, but I realized she gave
me one of the few possessions she owned
and it crushed me,” Hoffman said. “If you look
at what she gave to us, versus what we gave
to them, considering all we have, her gi is so
much bigger.”
Hoffman, a 2008 graduate of the
Administration of Human Services program, has
had the privilege of organizing several medical
mission trips as the Director of the AMD3
Foundation. Operation Walk Pi sburgh, one
of many initiatives of the AMD3 Foundation,
provides free hip and knee replacement surger-
ies in Pi sburgh and the developing world.
Hoffman received his psychology degree
fromWilmington University in 2007 and a er
receiving his AHS degree, became a Certified
Alcohol & Drug Counselor. Hoffman landed a
clinical supervisor position in Pi sburgh and
later worked with an a er-school behavioral
program for children with autism-spectrum
disorders before joining the AMD3 Foundation
in 2010.
Hoffman credits Dr. Adrienne Bey and the
Administration of Human Services program,
with its seasoned instructors, as being
instrumental to his career success.
“The faculty in the program had years of
experience in the nonprofit world, which made
it easier to see the possible career paths,” he
said. “The flexible nature allowed me to work
while still completing my degree in 16 months.
The required internship was by far the greatest
advantage of the AHS program. My placement
with the UnitedWay of Delaware allowed me to
put all the theory in the courses into action. My
mentor, Rev. John Moore at the UnitedWay›s
Dover office, is fiery and passionate about
helping his local community. Today I share that
same passion about what I do, I believe in the
work of the AMD3 Foundation, and it’s easy to
get out of bed in the morning knowing that I get
to help people.”
Along with the orthopedic surgeries
Operation Walk provided to patients in San
Pedro Sula, Honduras, in 2012, Hoffman and a
team of Operation Walk volunteers engaged in
humanitarian projects in the community.
“One of my goals since being with the AMD3
Foundation and Operation Walk Pi sburgh is
to expand our reach and create a lasting impact
in the countries we visit. In addition to the
medical volunteers, last year a second group of
volunteers repainted an orphanage and spent
a day at a children›s cancer hospital,” Hoffman
said. “Despite all the other great things we did
on the trip, the orphanage is the one that had
the greatest impact on me. These girls have
so li le, their opportunities to escape poverty
so limited, yet they have a greater sense of
love, appreciation of life and happiness than
I think any of us with all our possessions can
understand.” WU
AHS grad organizesmedical missions
‘It’s easy to get out of bed knowing that I help people’
BY LORI SITLER
Hoffman and girl with stuffed lion
SPRING/SUMMER