Community Engagement News

Donations of Food and Cleaning Supplies Delivered to Disaster Response Agency

Paulina Matias, director of disaster relief services, receives donated food and cleaning supplies from Barry at the Catholic Charities Bonita Springs Center.

Food and cleaning supplies donated by the Barry University community in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian have been delivered to a disaster response coordination agency in Southwest Florida.

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) coordinated the hurricane relief effort in the run-up to Founders’ Week at Barry and delivered the donated items to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Venice.

Paulina Matias, director of disaster relief services, had identified rice, beans, disinfectant wipes, and other cleaning supplies as items greatly needed by families affected by the storm in the Bonita Springs area.

Matias noted that Hurricane Ian caused severe economic hardship in Southwest Florida. Despite Bonita Springs’ reputation of being wealthy, she said, the community’s less-fortunate workforce was experiencing “great need.” That’s because the area is home to migrant farmworkers as well as many people who earn their living in the hard-hit service industry.

CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien (right) with Paulina Matias, director of disaster relief services, and Jose Perez, coordinator of the Positive Youth Development Program, at Catholic Charities.

Matias, who is also a second-year student in Barry’s Doctor of Social Work program, pointed out that many families whose homes were severely damaged by the hurricane remained without work. She said that Catholic Charities’ response to Hurricane Ian would be ongoing, and that the agency was committed to providing long-term assistance to Southwest Florida’s vulnerable population.

Programs and services offered by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Venice include the Positive Youth Development Program, Direct Assistance of Baby Supplies, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach, human trafficking victim assistance, a food pantry, and disaster response and recovery.

CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien represented the university at an informal presentation of the donated relief supplies in Bonita Springs last month.

The local agency’s staff thanked Barry for contributing to the disaster relief. They also expressed the hope that the university would support future efforts to meet the needs of the area’s underserved population.

Community Partner Conducts Workshop at Barry for Microbusinesses in Miami-Dade

Dr. Bogdan Daraban, dean of Barry’s School of Business and Public Administration, shares information with workshop participants. (Photo by Glenn Bowen, CCSI)

A local nonprofit organization conducted a workshop for Miami-Dade County microbusinesses and small businesses on Barry’s Miami Shores campus last Tuesday (Nov. 29).

Branches, the nonprofit, focused the workshop on the development of a business plan.

Before the workshop got underway, Dr. Bogdan Daraban, dean of Barry’s Andreas School of Business and Public Administration, spoke briefly about the work of the Barry Entrepreneurship (BE) Lab. He contextualized his comments by referring to the institutional commitment to community engagement and the school's emphasis on hands-on activities.

The BE Lab, which includes Barry Management Consulting, is described as “an innovative space where faculty and staff, students, and resources intersect for the promotion and development of creative endeavors.”

Dean Daraban and Branches President/CEO Brent McLaughlin pictured listening to Micro Business Program Director Steve Arman. (Photo by Glenn Bowen, CCSI)

Brent McLaughlin, president and CEO of Branches, told participants that the workshop was an opportunity for them to “connect” as well as to learn and grow.

A Barry community partner, Branches helps people “grow deeper and climb higher in life by building a foundation through education so they can achieve their goals and fulfill their potential.” The organization’s mission is “to serve, educate and inspire people through student, family and financial wellness services in partnership with our communities.”

A micro business employs fewer than 10 people, according to the Small Business Association, while small businesses may have up to 500 employees.

Both McLaughlin and Steve Arman, the director of Branches’ Micro Business Program, thanked Barry University for supporting the program by hosting the workshop on campus.

Community Engagement Symposium to Feature Poster Competition for Undergraduates

A Student Poster Competition will be a feature of Barry’s Ninth Annual Community Engagement Symposium. The competition is open to undergraduates only.

The competition is an opportunity for students to make a public presentation of a service-learning, community-based research, or co-curricular civic engagement project. Students are expected to share project outcomes and lessons learned.

The criteria for selecting prize winners are listed in four categories: Content, Relevance, Visual Presentation, and Audio Presentation.

Last academic year, Maria Stampolkou, a criminology and sociology major and a fellow in the Barry Service Corps, received the first prize of an Acer Chromebook for her entry in the Student Poster Competition. Her poster was titled “Supporting Broward County Children in Foster Care by Securing Resources to Improve Stability and Well-Being.”

Barry Service Corps Fellow Maria Stampolkou talks about her entry in the 2022 Student Poster Competition.

Scheduled for March 29, 2023, the symposium is being organized around the theme “Cultivating Campus–Community Collaboration for Collective Impact.”

Campus–community collaboration may take various forms, including volunteer service, service-learning, community-based research, fieldwork/student teaching/clinical placements, and community-focused internships.

Collective impact generally indicates “the commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem.” In this context, it refers to a significant or major effect of campus–community collaboration on the community, especially through the creation of (potentially) lasting solutions to critical social issues.

A nationally known community engagement scholar will be invited to conduct a workshop session and deliver the keynote presentation during the in-person event on the university’s Miami Shores campus.

Details of the Student Poster Competition have been posted to the CCSI website and also available from Dr. Heather Johnson Desiral in the CCSI at qep@barry.edu.

‘Community-Based Research’ and ‘Community-Engaged Scholarship’ are Among Categories of Awards for Community Engagement

“Community-Based Research and Community-Engaged Scholarship” are two of seven categories of community engagement awards in which nominations are being accepted.

The Community-Based Research Award is presented to scholars (faculty members and/or students) who conduct rigorous research with community partners in response to community concerns, issues, or needs.

The Community-Engaged Scholarship Award is given to faculty members in recognition of significant scholarly work across the faculty roles of teaching, research, and service that addresses community issues.

Students, faculty and staff members, and community partners are invited to submit nominations by the last Friday of January.

Last academic year, the Community-Engaged Scholarship Award was won jointly by Dr. Sean Foreman, a professor of political science, and Dr. Jalane Meloun, a professor in the School of Education, as well as Dr. Heidi Whitford, an associate professor in the School of Education. Dr. Celeste Landeros, professor and chair of the Faculty Senate presented the winners with the award plaques.

Community engagement award nominations are being accepted also in six other categories: Community Impact, Community Partnership, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.

2022 Engaged Scholarship Award Winners: Accepting the Community-Engaged Scholarship Award from Dr. Celeste Landeros, then chair of the Faculty Senate, are (in photo at left) Dr. Heidi Whitford and (in photo at right) Drs. Jalane Meloun and Sean Foreman.

The primary purpose of the awards is to publicly recognize students, faculty, staff/administrators, departments, and community partners for their participation, contributions, and achievements in various areas of community engagement. Each award is also designed to encourage excellence in university–community collaboration and to inspire similar achievements by others.

The 10th Annual Community Engagement Awards Ceremony is scheduled for the last Wednesday of March. Additional information and the nomination forms are available at the CCSI website.

For information on Federal Work-Study Community Service, contact Emmanuel Ikpuri, program facilitator, via email at bsc@barry.edu.

KING DAY OF SERVICE: “The Fierce Urgency of Now” will be the theme of Barry’s 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

SUPPORT FOR FARMWORKERS: Students participated in a demonstration last month in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARDS: “Community Engagement Educator” and “Service-Learning Faculty” are two of seven categories of awards in which nominations are being accepted.