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All Set for Wednesday’s Community Engagement Fair
The fall Community Engagement Fair will be held this Wednesday, September 30. More than 20 community partners have registered for the event.
After participating in a workshop on “Effective Partnerships for Community-University Engagement,” the community partners will be available at tables with displays and literature featuring the programs and services offered by their agencies.
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to meet community partners and discuss opportunities for volunteer work, service-learning, community-based research, and internships. This segment of the fair will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Community partners registered for the fair include Branches, Camillus House, Miami Beach Community Church, Miami-Dade County Elections Department, Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, The Pet Project for Pets, and The Women's Breast & Heart Initiative – Florida Affiliate.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) organizes the biannual fair as a community engagement event on Barry’s main campus in Miami Shores.
Additional information is available from the CCSI at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.
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University to Receive Award from Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida has selected Barry University for its Young Philanthropist Innovation Award.
Norman Wedderburn, the organization’s president and chief executive officer, said the award would be presented in recognition of the university’s dedication to Make-A-Wish. Barry’s support “is truly remarkable,” he said.
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida will present the award to James “Jamie” Carrig, associate director of athletics, next Tuesday, October 6, at its Annual Donor Celebration.
With Carrig as the lead organizer, the School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences – Athletics, Sport and Exercise Sciences, and Campus Recreation and Wellness – has been at the forefront of the university’s fundraising efforts for Make-A-Wish. The organizers raised more than $20,000 during the 2013–2014 academic year.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) honored Carrig with an award in March for his service in support of Make-A-Wish.
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions “to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” The organization has granted more than 500 wishes to children in the region this fiscal year, Wedderburn noted.
Following the organization’s award announcement, Director of Athletics Michael Covone thanked Carrig “for making wishes come true.” Sara Herald, vice president for institutional advancement and external affairs, added her congratulations.
In response, Carrig said: “This is truly a Barry University award and I am proud to be a part of an incredible group of students, faculty and staff that continue to put the lives of others ahead of their own.”
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Rosenwald Selected for Service-Learning Award
Dr. Mitchell Rosenwald, associate professor of social work, will be a recipient of the 2015 Spirit of Service Learning Award sponsored by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida, the Armando Alejandre Jr. Memorial Foundation, and the Miami-Dade Teacher of the Year Coalition.
Selected as a joint first-place winner in the college/university category, Rosenwald will be presented with the award at an event in Miami Beach on October 2.
Rosenwald was a Service-Learning Faculty Fellow (2012-2013) with the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) and has been the instructor for SW 323: Service-Learning and Social Work Practice.
SW 323 is a three-credit, spring-semester course required for social work majors. Each student provides at least 45 hours of service that addresses a specific community need or social issue.
“Last year, students supported efforts to relieve hunger, attended to children with special needs, and assisted with organizing events for persons with intellectual disabilities,” noted CCSI Director Dr. Glenn Bowen, who nominated Rosenwald for the award. “Students documented their experiences in journals and reflection papers and made group presentations at an end-of-semester symposium. The three service-learning projects facilitated the practical application of course content while meeting needs in the community.”
The event at which the award will be presented is billed as "What You Can Do for Your Country." Organizers Virginia Emmons McNaught and Brett McNaught, founders of Educate Tomorrow, describe the event as “an evening that highlights the experiences of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and other community leaders’ impact on their global communities.” Emmons McNaught also is the president of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida.
Among the officials expected to attend are Congressman Joe Kennedy III and Teddy Shriver, family members of R. Sargent Shriver, the first director of the Peace Corps; Alberto Ibarquen, CEO of the Knight Foundation; and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine. |
Barry Student Leader Awarded Another Scholarship
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) recently selected Barry University senior Alejandro Tobon for the KIA Motors America Scholarship. He joins 15 college students from across the nation awarded the $4,000 scholarship for the 2015-2016 academic year.
According to HACU, the scholarship would be awarded to “some of the best and brightest minds in higher education.”
A biology major and Barry Service Corps Fellow, Tobon was previously awarded a scholarship from the Latino Dollars for Scholars Foundation of Rhode Island (LADO) for demonstrated leadership, pride in his Hispanic heritage, academic success, and community involvement.
Tobon is president of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS) and co-chair of Alternative Breaks at Barry. A winner of the CCSI’s Community Impact Award in 2014, he also serves as the community service chair of three student organizations: Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, the Latin American Students Association, and MALES (Men Achieving Leadership and Excellence Through Service).
Barry University is a member of HACU and a Hispanic-Serving Institution. HACU represents more than 450 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the United States, Puerto Rico, Latin America, and Spain.
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CCSI Offering Mini-Grants for Community-Based Research
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is offering mini-grants for community-based research (CBR). Full-time faculty who teach undergraduate and/or graduate courses may apply for a mini-grant of up to $500.
CBR is a collaborative process of critical inquiry into problems or issues faced by a community. Faculty members and students collaborate with community partners on applied research projects that address specific problems or issues and promote social change. Research questions emerge from the needs of the community. The goal of the research is to produce and disseminate information that will benefit community members or agencies serving the community. Through CBR, students learn research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
CBR may be incorporated into a course as the service-learning component. As such, the research itself and the products of the research constitute the participating students’ service to the community. A CBR project may be conducted by an entire class, or by a group or team. Each team must include at least one student, faculty member (as co-investigator and/or mentor), and community partner.
Students may engage in critical reflection through the reporting process and will be encouraged to submit a paper to the Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research.
CBR proposals may be submitted at any time this semester to CCSI Director Dr. Glenn Bowen at gbowen@barry.edu. For further information and an application form, contact Bowen via e-mail.
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Food Drive for Hunger Action Month Ends on Wednesday
With Peace Month and Hunger Action Month drawing to a close, faculty, staff, and students are asked to donate non-perishable food items by Wednesday.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is coordinating the Food Drive in support of the Feeding South Florida food bank in Broward County. The Food Drive is a community service project for Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month as well as Barry University’sPeace Month.
The specially marked boxes are on the Campus Ministry patio; in Thompson Hall – at Buc Stop, outside Human Resources and near the Mailroom; Kelley House – at Enrollment Services; Library; the Rooney Building – School of Professional and Career Education (PACE); School of Podiatric Medicine Building, Modular A and B; Powers Hall – School of Education and School of Social Work; and Wiegand Hall.
Donations also may be dropped off in the offices of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI), in Room 208 of Adrian Hall. Alternatively, donation pickup may be scheduled by calling 305-899-3696 or 3728.
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Alternative Breaks Information Session Set for Thursday
An information session on the Alternative Breaks program will be held this Thursday, October 1, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., in Andreas 111.
Executive board members of the Alternative Breaks student organization will provide information about three trips planned for Spring Break 2016, including an international trip to the northwest region of Haiti; a regional immersion in New Orleans, La; and a border experience in El Paso, Texas. Students who participated in recent Alternative Spring Break trips will be on hand to share their experiences and answer questions.
“Alternative Breaks provides students with community-based immersion experiences designed to build awareness of social, political, and environmental issues through learning, reflection, and service that benefits diverse populations,” explains CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien. “Participants are encouraged to develop empathy, understanding, and motivation towards action for social justice in local, regional, national, and global contexts.”
According to Berrien, students develop leadership skills such as effective communication, intercultural knowledge, and critical thinking as well as a long-term commitment to civic engagement. Students also form friendships with one another, build beneficial relationships with faculty and staff advisors, and collaborate with community leaders to address issues in a meaningful way.
For further information, contact Berrien at cberrien@barry.edu or 305-899-4017.
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CCSI Newsletter
Posted On : September 28, 2015
