Community+Service+Projects

Community Service projects are important for all students to gain a better sense of community, learn the value of helping others, and gain new experiences to grow as individuals. My classes, along with extra-curricular program students, other faculty and staff and alumni collaborated on the following community service projects inside and outside of the classroom:

//**“Thank you so very much for the handmade holiday cards you dropped off from the Stevenson students. They are awesome! You have many creative, caring young people there, I can see. The cards brought smiles to our patients over the holiday season and for this we are grateful. Thanks again for your thoughtfulness.”**//
 * Holiday Cards for patients at Lutheran General Hospital:** //The Friday before winter break, students were given the option of making Holiday Cards for various patients at Lutheran General Hospital. This was based off their Birthday Card program, and when I asked if we could make Holiday cards, this idea was met with great enthusiasm and appreciation. Examples of the student-made cards are below, along with the Thank You card we received from the program manager, which was posted on the class blog and read aloud to students so they could further appreciate and understand their positive contribution to the hospital.//


 * Spina Bifida Association of Illinois (SBAIL) Bowl-a-Thon:** //Students donated and raised money alongside faculty, staff and alumni for the Spina Bifida Association of Illinois, which helps people of all ages with the birth defect Spina Bifida and their families. As registered bowlers, stu////dents raised fu////nds online through the community service site FirstGiving. Through all of our efforts, our team, The White Mambas, raised over $1000 for the cause and was named the top 2 fundraising team at the event. Our team is pictured below://


 * World Book Night Giver:** //This year, I applied to be a World Book Night Giver. World Book Night is an organized event that gives 20 free books////to "Book Givers" around the world to pass out on the same day to non or light readers. I applied for Alice Seabold's// The Lovely Bones //and subsequently passed out books to numerous students, some of which cannot afford to buy their own books and now get to own a special World Book Night copy. I made a display and encouraged students to check out the World Book Night website, suggesting they sign up to be book givers themselves next year. It was a great way to get the students excited about reading themselves and also spreading literacy to others. The general feedback has been very positive in to the books and who they have chosen to pass on their book. Pictures from World Book Night are featured below://