For the past 15 years, the Physicians Assistant Program at Union College has been providing a remarkable foot care program for the homeless. It's a hands-on experience that allows students to close their text books and open themselves up to Lincoln's homeless population.

Every three weeks throughout the school year, Union College Physician Assistant students get the chance to close their books and put their new-found knowledge to work.

At first glance, it provides a service for the clients, but the closer you look, the more you realize that both sides are benefiting greatly from this remarkable program.

For Samuel Juradl this is much more than just delivering toenail trimming tips. "Actually, it's incredibly humbling to just sit and take care of someone's feet. We trim their toenails, clean 'em, wash 'em and give 'em a foot rub, and it's just gives us a great experience to have some patient interaction and to also to bring us down to that humble experience of service," said Samuel Juradl, Union College student.

In his 11 years of overseeing this the foot care clinic, Michael Huckabee has seen both the homeless and the students benefit from this experience.

"I will still argue that the folks that get the most out of it are our students because they get a chance to interact with people that they probably don't deal with on a regular basis and they get to learn skills in compassion and how to develop a repertoire and how to show that they are there to care for somebody and that's so true in health care," said Michael Huckabee, director of Physicians Assistant Program at Union College.

And for the recipients of this health care, well, you can just see the joy in their faces.

"The benefits to the clients that come through is tremendous cause they get a chance to be touched and be cared for but hopefully they also get some encouragement with a new pair of shoes that they can go out get into their world again," Huckabee said.

Donna Jennings loves to help people."It's extra special because they are very grateful and they express that very much so that somebody cares," said the student.

"It makes you feel good inside. They make you feel relaxed and talk to you. It's great," said Terry Lampkin, client.

The last time Jennings worked the clinic, the woman she was helping asked her a question. "She said do you guys get paid for this? I said no, just getting to do this is my payment and she's like, really, wow," Jennings said.

It's clear to see, the students already have the magic touch.

The award winning foot care project has helped almost 1,400 new clients in the past five years and more than 700 repeat clients.

The care will continue as Union College recently received a $5,000 healthy neighbors grant.