November 16, 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
- On-site and Online Service Projects Mark Start of Barry University Founders’ Week
- Stamps Scholars Honor Healthcare Workers, First Responders on Day of Service
- Barry Students Attend Annual Meeting of Miami-Dade Inter-Faith Coalition
- Federal Work-Study Community Service Placements Still Available to Eligible Students
On-Site And Online Service Projects Mark Start Of Barry University Founders' Week
President Allen, Provost Murray, V.P. Smith Among Participants
Dr. Victor Romano, associate vice provost for student success and undergraduate studies, preps a classroom wall at Sibley School. Barry volunteers painted the walls of four classrooms on November 7, the Barry University Founders’ Day of Service.
One collaborative service project on-site and another online marked the start of Barry University Founders’ Week. President Mike Allen, Provost John Murray, and Vice President Scott Smith participated in the Day of Service activities on November 7.
The on-site project was implemented at Hubert O. Sibley K–8 Academy, where a volunteer team of Barry students and administrators gave four classrooms a fresh coat of paint.
Two other in-person projects planned for the day—in the Barry Urban Garden on campus and La Paloma neighborhood—were cancelled because of expected heavy rain associated with Tropical Storm Eta.
Students, staff, and others participating remotely supported Bread for the World’s efforts to decrease hunger in the United States by advocating support of federal programs. First, the volunteers took part in a simulation that showed the connections among racial equity, hunger, poverty, and wealth. Then they emailed letters to legislators in the U.S. Congress, requesting that they respond to issues of hunger and the coronavirus pandemic as well as child nutrition and immigration policy.
Bread for the World is “a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.” The organization seeks changes in “policies, programs, and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist” and advocates making “our nation’s laws fairer and more compassionate.”
Above: Dr. Heather Johnson Desiral, project assistant for Barry’s Quality Enhancement Plan and an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education.
Right: Dr. John Murray, Barry’s provost.
Immediately below: Dr. Scott Smith, vice president for mission and student engagement.
Farther below: AmeriCorps VISTA member Jaedyn Amaro and Barry Service Corps Fellow Minani Joseph. Volunteers not pictured: Karen Subran, Faith Acfalle, Gabriel Bouani, Ethan Brooks, Erica Cruz, Derricha Joseph-Taylor, Luca McLeod, and Tatyana Wimbley.
Kaitlyn Gallagher, an AmeriCorps VISTA member assigned to the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) as a program facilitator, conducted the simulation. Assisting Gallagher were CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien and Barry Service Corps Fellows Javier Bracho, Martina Muñoz Chalan, Isaly Ortiz, and Alexis Toussaint.
Before the volunteers got down to work at Sibley, Principal Chandrell Larkin joined President Allen in thanking them.
Allen said the student volunteers were “going to make a difference today.” Calling them “leaders of the future,” the president told them, “You will make the world a better place.”
Larkin said she appreciated the school’s partnership with Barry and looked forward to its continuation. Service is the lifeblood of institutions like hers, she said.
The CCSI’s Dr. Glenn Bowen expressed the university’s commitment to the community, including the school, and noted that Assistant Principal Ines Diaz is a Barry alumna.
The second annual Founders’ Day of Service began with an orientation conducted remotely. A highlight was a presentation on permaculture by an expert in Adrian, Michigan—home of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, Barry’s sponsor.
Dr. Scott Smith, vice president for mission and student engagement, joined a small group of students in a classroom for the orientation.
Dr. Mike Allen, daughter Maya, and wife Beth view a presentation on permaculture during the orientation for Founders’ Day of Service. A large number of students participated in Bread for the World’s Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation and later engaged in an advocacy project supporting Bread’s efforts to decrease hunger in the United States.
To wrap up the Day of Service, volunteers at Sibley shared brief reflections. Dr. John Murray, the university provost, took the opportunity to thank students for their “important work,” which was in keeping with Barry’s core commitments.
Dr. Victor Romano, associate vice provost for student success and undergraduate studies, also commented on the students’ civic engagement, noting that “all aspects of this work are not always glamorous.”
Founders’ Day of Service advances Barry’s commitment to collaborative service, as declared in the institutional mission statement. The 2020 Founders’ Week (November 7–13) marked Barry’s 80th anniversary. The week’s highlights included the Core Commitments Luncheon, hosted by the university’s Anti-Racism and Equity Coalition on Wednesday, and Community Fest on Friday.
Stamps Scholars Honor Healthcare Workers, First Responders On Day Of Service
Stamps Scholars at Jackson North Medical Center and North Miami Police Department
Barry’s Stamps Scholars used their 2020 Day of Service to honor healthcare workers and first responders. They delivered dinner packages and masks to Jackson North Medical Center and the North Miami Police Department.
In addition, the Stamps Scholars wrote letters of encouragement and support in gratitude for the work done so far during the current health crisis.
The Atlanta-based Stamps Family Charitable Foundation established the prestigious merit scholarship program, from which Barry students benefit. Scholars receive annual awards that range from $5,400 to $75,000—four-year awards total an average of $21,600–$300,000—with additional funds for enrichment activities such as study abroad, academic conferences, and leadership training.
Barry University partners with the Strive Foundation and the Stamps Scholars Program to award multi-year scholarships to assist “driven and talented student leaders” in achieving their education and life goals.
“With the generous support of The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, the program invests in an exclusive group of high-achieving incoming freshmen with an interest in leadership and service,” according to information at the Barry Stamps Scholars Program website. “Barry University provides matching dollars to provide a full merit scholarship. The award is renewable each year, based on GPA, leadership training, and community service requirements.”
Barry Students Attend Annual Meeting Of Miami-Dade Inter-Faith Coalition
By Liz James
Nearly 300 community stakeholders joined PACT’s first remotely held Annual Meeting on October 26, via Zoom.
The meeting was the first of PACT’s four major annual assemblies and kicked off the year’s research-to-action process.
PACT is an inter-faith coalition of 40 congregations in Miami-Dade County. According to its mission statement, “PACT unites, organizes and trains leaders from diverse congregations, schools and community groups to build a powerful community voice. Individually and collectively, we empower ourselves, hold officials accountable, achieve systemic change, and promote fairness, justice and democracy in Miami.”
In recent years, PACT congregations have pushed for systemic changes in the areas of affordable housing, gun violence, immigration, and support for a statewide initiative to address unnecessary arrests. With significant accomplishments through commitments from Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Gardens to implement Group Violence Intervention to reduce the prevalence of shootings in those communities, PACT voted this year to shift gun violence from an actively pursued issue to a monitored one.
Additionally, PACT announced a new national initiative by its umbrella organization, DART (Direct Action & Research Training Center), which will launch soon throughout its affiliate groups. The initiative, Care for Creation, will examine climate justice.
County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava assumes office as the eighth mayor of Miami-Dade County this Tuesday. Commissioner Keon Hardemon represents the district that includes Barry’s main campus.
PACT’s Annual Meeting also closes out the annual listening process, which generated a short list of social issues to consider for its new focus—environment, mental health, and policing. After a live voting process, policing arose as the new issue of focus for the interfaith coalition.
Barry has worked with PACT for several years and participated in this year’s Annual Meeting. Barry Service Corps Fellows and several service-learning students taking theology, sociology, communication, and social work courses attended the meeting.
Students said they were pleasantly surprised at the large number of people who showed up and at how faith-based community organizing was taken so seriously.
Miami-Dade County has elected Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava as its first female mayor. Closer to home, Commissioner Keon Hardemon will represent District 3, which includes Barry’s main campus.
Preparations are underway for the next round of PACT assemblies: PACT Rally on February 22 and Nehemiah Action on March 16.
Federal Work-Study Community Service Placements Still Available To Eligible Students
Students eligible for Federal Work-Study (FWS) are urged to apply for community service positions. All students participating in FWS Community Service are members of the Barry Service Corps.
The Barry Service Corps is a civic engagement program managed by the CCSI. While gaining valuable work experience, members address issues affecting local communities.
The CCSI coordinates Federal Work-Study Community Service in partnership with the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Human Resources.
For further information, contact Brittney Morales, program facilitator for FWS Community Service, at BriMorales@barry.edu.
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