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University Donates Thousands of Books for Reuse and Recycling
Over the past five years, Barry University has donated more than 18,600 books for reuse and recycling. The donations have saved unwanted books from landfills.
Between December 2010 and 2015, the university donated 18,682 books to Better World Books, reported Merlene Nembhard, electronic resources coordinator and reference librarian. Of that total, 7,036 books were reused and 11,646 were recycled.
Better World Books, in turn, reported that the Barry-donated books have saved 300 trees and 40 cubic yards of landfill space while also reducing greenhouse gases by 39,737 pounds.
The Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library organizes and manages the book donation drive on the university’s main campus in Miami
Since 2002, when it was founded by three friends from the University of Notre Dame, Better World Books has converted approximately 117 million books into more than $15 million in funding for literacy and education. In the process, the company has also diverted more than 73,000 tons of books from landfills.
The library collects unwanted books, including books on CDs, and DVDs for shipment to Better World Books. Among the books being accepted are college textbooks published within the past 10 years, dictionaries, children’s books, and travel books published within the past 3 years. CDs, DVDs, and selected video games will be accepted as well.
The books and DVDs are sold, with the library receiving 15 percent of the net sale price and Books for Africa, a Better World Books literacy partner, receiving 5 percent. Unsold books are donated to Books for
Donations may be delivered directly to the Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library. Collection boxes are located in Garner Hall, the Landon Student Union, Powers Hall (School of
Questions may be directed to Merlene Nembhard at mnembhard@barry.edu or 305-899-4051.
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Four Student Organizations among Community Impact Award Recipients
Four student organizations are among the recipients of this year’s Community Impact Award. One of the organizations is based at the Barry School of Law in Orlando.
The Barry U Softball Team, the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS), the Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) at the Barry School of Law received the Community Impact Award.
The award to the Barry U Softball Team was “in recognition of nearly 400 hours of community service and engagement, reflective of passion and dedication.”
Team members supported the Miami Health and Family Expo, Miami Shores Street Fair, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk, Light the Night Walk, Society of St. Andrew Cleaning Project, a clothing drive, and a Thanksgiving food drive. They also volunteered for a Make a Difference Day project, FAPA (Foster and Adoptive Parents Association) Field Day, and service in the Camillus House soup kitchen.
The Barry U Softball Team also contributed to the Make a Wish fund-raising drive, which raised $30,000 in the past two years.
MAPS was honored for addressing health and social issues affecting underserved population groups while preparing its members for their chosen profession.
“From organizing Diversity Dialogues on healthcare practices in different cultures, to serving as language translators at health fairs, to raising funds for disease-related research – this multicultural student organization is involved meaningfully in the community,” said Vice President for Business and Finance Susan Rosenthal, who presented the award. “Some of its executive board members serve as science mentors at a local elementary school; the organization’s Box Tops for Education Drive benefits schools in Miami-Dade and Broward; proceeds from its kickball tournament go to the American Heart Association.”
SMIF is a student-funded and student-run organization that invests allocations from Barry’s endowment fund. Under the guidance of three School
“Supported by the Mark and Greta Walker Foundation, the students have instituted a process that takes a kinder, gentler approach as compared with the TV reality show ‘Shark Tank’,” said Rosenthal as she presented the award. “They call it the ‘Dolphin Tank’, and it benefits middle- and high-school students in the local community.”
According to Rosenthal, “Perhaps what the student organization is best known for is its innovative Financial Literacy Program embedded in Finance 356, a service-learning-designated course. Since August 2012, approximately 100 Barry students involved in the program have delivered the course to about 140 students at Turner Tech.”
Barry Law’s VITA involves free tax-preparation services for low- to moderate-income individuals. Students gain valuable skills in tax preparation, build client-relations skills, and support the community.
The Barry site in Orlando, launched in 2006, received the VITA Rookie Site Award from the American Bar Association Law Student Division. Every year since then, the program has won the National Achievement Award from the same
Since its inception, more than 250 Barry Law students have volunteered for this program, assisting more than 1,000 income-tax payers in Central Florida.
The Community Impact Awardis presented to individual students and student organizations for exemplary community engagement – including service, research, and/or advocacy – that has a measurable impact on the community. The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) organized and hosted Barry’s Third Annual Community Engagement Awards on March 30.
Next week’s Engagement News will feature four students honored individually for their community impact.
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Nursing Students Urged to Conduct Research to Benefit Marginalized Communities
Dr. Glenn Bowen, director of Barry
“Nursing students can play an important role in advancing global health by engaging in community-based research in local communities and abroad,” Bowen said. “Global-health research focuses on underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries as well as foreign-born populations, such as immigrants and refugees, in the
Giving the welcome at the International Research Conference of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing’s (STTI) Lambda Chi Chapter recently, Bowen said the focus of research should be not only on the safety and efficacy of treatments and modalities but also on health policy directions and especially on public health impacts. The emphasis should be on addressing community-identified concerns and multiple determinants of health, he added.
Community-based research, Bowen noted, is a collaborative process that involves students, faculty, and community partners. It can help to speed the adoption, implementation, and evaluation of policies and practices to improve health in communities with unmet needs, he said.
More than 500 nurses attended the conference at the Signature Grand in Davie. The theme of the conference was “Empowering Nurses to Advance Global Health through Research and Evidence-Based Practice.”
Dr. Edward Briggs, immediate past president of the Florida Nurses Association, gave the keynote address on “The Future of Nursing is the Future of Healthcare.” There were nine breakout-session presentations. In addition, the poster session included 16 presentations. During the closing session, doctoral student Gaone Abbate shared her perspective on the conference theme.
The STTI Lambda Chi Chapter’s board of directors is composed of Dr. Claudette Chin, president; Dr. Mureen Shaw, vice president, Jamelah Morton, counselor/governance chair; Dr. Lolita McCarthy, treasurer; and Dr. Ronica Subramoney, secretary and newsletter editor. Committee members include Dr. Jacquie Marshall, leadership succession and community service chair; Roselle Sampson-Mojares, leadership intern; Onidis Lopez, archivist/webmaster; Dr. Corvette Yacoob, awards committee chair; and Dr. Indra Hershorin, research committee chair.
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Faculty Learning Community Meets This Wednesday
The final meeting of Barry’s Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship (FLC) for this academic year will be held this Wednesday, April 20. The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) will host the meeting from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. in Adrian 208.
Lorna Owens, founder and chief executive officer of Footprints Foundation, will be the guest presenter.
Footprints Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Coral Gables
Like the FLC itself, Wednesday’s meeting is open to all faculty members. For further information, contact Dr. Pamela Hall, the FLC facilitator.
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Students Spend Spring Break Volunteering in New Orleans
While some students were spending spring break mostly on a beach, a small group from Barry was in New Orleans
Wills Compere, Cassandra Denning, Jennifer Thomas, Alejandro Tobon, and Giscar Ternelus took part in Alternative Spring Break (ASB) NOLA, as did staff members Karen Stalnaker and Rev. Richard Clements.
Stalnaker is director of Barry’s Campus Ministry and Clements is coordinator of retreats and faith formation.
While visiting and supporting the work of local community organizations, the Barry group explored such issues as food access, redevelopment, and neighborhood leadership. They learned how the organizations were addressing generational poverty issues and the distribution of public resources.
The ASB group admired the “innovative approach to education” shown by Liberty’s Kitchen, a social enterprise dedicated to transforming the lives of vulnerable
A walking tour of neighborhoods in NOLA’s Ninth Ward gave the ASB group insights into the challenges faced by the community since the devastating hurricane of 2005.
“It was shocking to see areas that still do not have roads or sidewalks, while other areas have received many more resources,” said Alejandro Tobon, an ASB leader. “We learned that the redevelopment has taken so long that some people never moved back.”
Tobon pointed out that the neighborhood’s high school had been rebuilt and looked beautiful. However, he reported, the school remained vacant because there were not enough students living in the Ninth Ward.
The Barry volunteers helped to rebuild a laundry center in the Lower Ninth Ward, a predominantly African-American neighborhood.
Camp Restore, a nonprofit Christian organization “restoring faith, hope and community in
ASB NOLA also offered an opportunity for Barry students to learn about the Adrian Dominican sisters’ commitment to justice and mercy. Sisters working in New Orleans hosted dinner one evening for the ASB groups from Barry and the Adrian, Michigan-based
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Box Tops for Education Drive is an Ongoing Project
The Box Tops for Education Drive sponsored by Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS) and the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is an ongoing project.
“Your support over the past two years has been extraordinary, and we thank you,” said Dr. Stephanie Bingham, associate professor of biology and MAPS advisor. “Box Tops donations are now alternating between North Miami Elementary and Sheridan Hills Elementary each donation cycle.”
Each school receives 10 cents for every Box Top label donated. No Box Tops donation is too small, Bingham said.
“As a reminder, it is very easy to participate. Simply identify the Box Tops logo on household products you already purchase, including many grocery items, and cut the logo from the packaging. Then, submit your Box Tops in the donation boxes on campus, including the CCSI office (
Box Tops donations also may be sent directly to Bingham in the Department of Biology, NHS 309, via interoffice mail. Questions may be emailed to BarryMAPS@gmail.com.
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CCSI Newsletter
Posted On : April 18, 2016
