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VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER (VCSC)

ANNUAL REPORT

2013-14 Academic Year

Written by:

Kristi Hill, Director of Volunteer and Community Service Programs

Sarah Wolfson ‘12, Volunteer Programs Assistant

Olivia Hendricks ‘12, AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA)

Jaime Gonzalez ’16, Summer 2014 Resource and Diversity Coordinator/Intern

With strong support from: Eighteen dedicated student staff members

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Table of Contents

Page:

Mission, Goals, Objectives & Learning Outcomes

Office Personnel & Operations

Student Volunteer Programs / Opportunities

Self-Agency in Youth (SAY) Program

Service Corps

Volunteers in Tutoring at Lawrence (VITAL)

Lawrence Assistance Reaching Youth (LARY)

Saturdays of Service (SOS)

Major Events

Community Sponsored Opportunities

Student Outreach, Support, & Education

Outreach

o Pop-up Service

o Residence Halls and Small Houses

o Outreach Through Recognition

o Technology Usage

Support

o Individual Volunteer Advisement

o Service-based Student Organizations/CCSE

o Summer Volunteer Opportunity Grant (SVOG)

Education

o Social Justice Programming

o Mid-term Reading Period Service Trip

o Volunteer Hours Management

Academic Connections

Senior Experience

Office of Engaged Learning

Conservatory of Music

Teacher Education

Waseda/TSA Program

Civic Life

Available Statistics

Voyager Volunteer Activity

Appendices

Volunteer Activity Tracking

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MISSION/GOALS/OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES

MISSION STATEMENT

The Volunteer and Community Service Center (VCSC) is dedicated to promoting lifelong values

of commitment to service and civic engagement among Lawrence communities by serving as a

source of information and support for students, faculty, staff and the community. Staff aims to

accomplish this by meeting with students one-on-one, facilitating communication between

student service organizations through the Community Service and Engagement Committee of

LUCC, and providing support to faculty interested in community based engagement. Activities

supported by the VCSC include ongoing programs such as mentoring and tutoring services

within the Fox Cities area, annual events in collaboration with student organizations, one-time

service-oriented opportunities for both individuals and student organizations, and social justice

educational programming to connect learning to service.

In keeping with the tradition of its founding as a student-led initiative, the VCSC is currently run

by 18* student staff members with the support of 1.8 FTE professional staff members.

GOALS

1) Serve as an entry point to the volunteer needs of the Fox Cities and provide service to and

learning from the community

2) Work collaboratively with the community to educate students about civic responsibility,

social justice and the importance of being an engaged citizen with concern for the greater

good

3) Support the professional development and leadership needs of student leaders and student

staff that provide volunteer opportunities to the campus community

OBJECTIVES

1) Identify those needs in the community that match the strengths and/or interests of the

Lawrence community through the Service Corps program model

2) Provide social justice programming that informs students of social issues throughout the

world and connect to available service initiatives and actions

3) Offer students low-commitment ways to get involved and eventually connect students to

ongoing volunteer needs

4) Continue to better identify the needs of student leaders involved in service and provide

resources that support leaders to better serve volunteer group members

5) Track volunteer efforts and share with the community at large as a means of reflection

and promotion of volunteerism

LEARNING OUTCOMES

As a result of receiving services from the VCSC, students will…

1) Take actions to contribute to the welfare of the community and improve abilities to serve

others

2) Develop a new awareness of community issues

3) Feel better connected to the community

4) Increase their confidence in solving real-world complex problems

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OFFICE PERSONNEL & OPERATIONS

Due to financial support from the WI Campus Compact (WiCC) AmeriCorps Volunteers in

Service to America (VISTA) program and the LU Office of Engaged Learning, the VCSC was

able to sustain the .5 FTE VISTA professional staff member and 3 student staff members placed

in leadership positions with the Self-Agency in Youth (SAY) program; a program connecting the

volunteer needs of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley (BGCFV) Teen Center and the

volunteer interests and academic needs of ethnically diverse Lawrentian students. Olivia

Hendricks ‘12 continued in this position and sustained resources to hire 3 Lawrentian students to

support the academic and social needs of ethnically diverse teenagers at the club. Her salary and

education award were funded by AmeriCorps VISTA and professional development needs of the

VISTA and the student staff stipends were funded by the Office of Engaged Learning.

Unfortunately, this funding has been eliminated and the VISTA position will end August of

2014.

The Assistant Director/Residence Hall Director collateral was Sarah Wolfson who oversaw 3

staff members (as compared to the 8 students this position was previously responsible for)

working directly in the VCSC to run the department. These three students served as Office

Managers and were charged with managing internal and external communications, coordinating

large scale VCSC events (MLK, Jr. Day of Service, service trips), tracking student volunteer

hours, implementing system of recognition for sponsors and participants and general office

organization. She came to the position with strong skills in residence life, student supervision

and social justice advocacy work. She supported the Office Manager team well and contributed

to several large scale events with minimal training due to her late start.

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The Director of Volunteer and Community Service Programs entered her fourth year in a full

time position (previously served as the Coordinator of Internship and Volunteer Programs from

2007-2010) and oversaw 12 (as compared to 7 in 2012-13) students working primarily in the

community through the Service Corps program as well as programmatic positions working

primarily in the VCSC.

In keeping with its founding, the VCSC continues to be the only student-run department on

campus. There are numerous benefits to hiring students and providing them with many

professional development experiences. This model allows the VCSC to provide meaningful

employment to approximately 20 students who receive the support and training to then provide

meaningful volunteer opportunities to all Lawrentian volunteers. This results in building

civically minded leaders who can then share the message of service to all of their personal

connections. A complete list of student staff positions during the 2013-14 academic year is

provided below.

VCSC Office Staff:

Maggie Brickner ‘14 Volunteer Coordinator for Student Organizations

Jaime Gonzalez ‘16 Social Justice Programs Coordinator

Nathan Nichols-Weliky-Fearing ‘14 LARY Buddy Program Coordinator

Kate Bellile ‘16 VITAL Program Coordinator

JaNelle Barnes ‘15 Promotions Coordinator

Sarah Bonoff ‘16 Office Manager

Abby LaBrant ‘16 Office Manager

Mary Schulz ‘14 Office Manager

Service Corps Staff:

Clara Imon-Pedtke ‘16 Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley Volunteer

Coordinator

Megan Occhino ‘16 Brewster Village

Kat Allison ‘14 Valley New School Volunteer Coordinator

Jamie DeMotts ‘16 NAMI Fox Valley

Raena Mueller-Dahl ‘14 Riverview Gardens Volunteer Coordinator

Hannah Geniesse ‘16 Building for Kids Volunteer Coordinator

Abigail Hindson ‘16 Fox Valley Literacy Council Volunteer Coordinator

Self-Agency in Youth (SAY) Staff:

Septima Kulee ‘14 Beautiful You Coordinator

Ia Yang ‘14 Hmong Youth Pride and Empowerment (HYPE)

Coordinator

Lauren Nokes ‘14 Lead Student SAY Coordinator

Professional Staff:

Kristi Hill Director of Volunteer and Community Service

Programs

Olivia Hendricks ‘12 AmeriCorps*VISTA Self-Agency in Youth (SAY)

Program Coordinator

Sarah Wolfson ‘12 Assistant Director of the VCSC

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STUDENT VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

SELF-AGENCY IN YOUTH (SAY) PROGRAM

OVERVIEW The Self Agency in Youth (SAY) Program completed a second year of supporting diversity-

focused volunteer opportunities, with an emphasis on including ethnically-diverse Lawrence

students. Lawrence students continued volunteering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox

Valley to run two empowerment groups for local teens—the Beautiful You African American

Girls’ Group and Hmong Youth Pride and Empowerment (HYPE.)

While last year the SAY Program was in its first year and focused on establishing its mission and

purpose, this year’s focus was finding ways to make the program sustainable and primarily

student-led, since funding for the AmeriCorps VISTA position primarily overseeing the

Lawrence-Club collaborative project expires the summer of 2014.

SAY PROGRAM ORIGINS

In 2011, the VCSC secured a grant funded by the AmeriCorps VISTA program and managed by

WI Campus Compact (WiCC). This grant allowed the VCSC to extend its community outreach

efforts through the addition of a full-time professional staff person. This VISTA is charged with

developing an anti-poverty project that both supports a Fox Valley partner organization and

offers Lawrence students meaningful hands-on learning experiences. In 2012, because of

community need, the VISTA grant partner organization changed from the Housing Partnership

of the Fox Cities (2011-12) to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley.

SAY PROGRAM STRUCTURE

2013-14 Goals

1. Diversity: Modify Beautiful You and HYPE to more specifically target Club Teen Center

and ethnically-diverse Lawrence students

Last year, programmatic focus was on Lawrentians providing college access and

tutoring help for teenagers. This year, after attending presentations at conferences

such as the International Hmong Conference, the SAY student team and VISTA

were convinced that a more appropriate target focus for the youth programs is

promotion of youth of color empowerment, with empowerment taken to mean

participation in successfully “increasing personal, interpersonal and/or political

power so that individuals can take action to improve their life situations.”1This

new focus allows more direct discussion of racial/ethnic topics, relevant to

Lawrence students and local teens alike.

2. Connections: Establish more on-campus and community ties with organizations and

individuals who can help support diverse Lawrence students

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An overall goal of the VISTA position remained to better connect campus and

community around social justice goals. This year, the VISTA continued to

develop relationships with staff from local non-profits, community members,

donors, a nd Lawrence faculty and staff to help raise awareness of the SAY

programs and of Lawrence’s interest in community engagement.

3. Sustainability: Garner the financial and institutional commitments and student interest

necessary to sustain the program in 2014-15

A primary goal was to obtain the following elements essential to sustaining the

SAY Program into the following year:

- Funding for team of students to continue running SAY

- Identification and commitment of adult mentors at Lawrence and the Club to

supervise the student team

- Identification and training of students to run SAY in 2014-15

- Funding for future programmatic needs of Beautiful You and HYPE

4. Student development: Deepen the support and development of the three (3) members of

the SAY student leadership team

All three (3) students in the leadership team from 2012-13 chose to remain with

the program in 2013-14, so an emphasis of the year was impacting their academic

and professional development, as they were all graduating seniors entering the

workforce at the end of this year.

SAY 2013-14 Student Staff Team

Ia Yang HYPE Coordinator 150 hours/year

Lauren Nokes Lead Student SAY Coordinator 300 hours/year

Septima Kulee Beautiful You Coordinator 150 hours/year

RESULTS

1. Diversity

A targeted approach to the mission of SAY may be linked to the program’s more

ethnically-diverse group of students volunteering this year. Some numbers may be

approximate due to the limited number of ethnic labels used here for purposes of

simplification and focusing on general trends.

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=

The more targeted focus, however, may have meant fewer volunteer hours this year, largely due

to a decision not to repeat the more time and commitment-intensive tutoring program in 2013-14,

in order to focus more on the empowerment diversity groups. However, the overall number of

students involved increased this year.

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In addition, a fairly large percentage of African American and Hmong American students

participated in Beautiful You and/or HYPE this year, though these percentages are

impacted by the very small number of African American and Hmong students at

Lawrence:

# of students who

participated in SAY

Total # of students at LU per

Lawrence 2013 Profile % of students

involved in SAY

African American/Black

(domestic only)

12 39 31%

Hmong American 4 4 100%

2. Connections

Developing relationships and connections with the community was a focus of this year,

since once VISTA funding runs out many of these individuals and organizations might be

able to provide additional support for Lawrence students and the teens involved in SAY.

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Relationships further developed through discussions specifically about diversity and

inclusion included:

Hmong American Partnership (of the Fox Cities)

Roosevelt Middle School Boys & Girls Club

Roosevelt Middle School Paraprofessional with focus on diversity

Harmony Café

Kimberly Clark African American Employee Network

Coordinator of former Hmong LGBTQ support group, current social worker with

emphasis on Hmong youth

New relationships were also developed with many new Club staff that has been of great

value to Lawrence students involved in SAY, such as the new Teen Center Coordinator,

and the Targeted Outreach Initiative Case Manager.

The possibilities connected with relationships such as these have prompted the VCSC to

explore using its summer intern (who will also be the Resource and Diversity

Coordinator for HYPE next year) to further develop connections with local diversity-

focused individuals and non-profits that may provide further diversity-focused volunteer

opportunities for students.

3. Sustainability

After discussions with the Club, it was determined that the Downtown Club Teen Center

will be housing Beautiful You, which will be led by Club staff using a grant they

received from the Women’s Fund. Lawrence students will continue in a volunteer (non-

paid, non-staff) capacity under the leadership of the professional Club staff.

HYPE will continue as well, but at Roosevelt Middle School’s Club site, where there is

currently more staff support for Hmong volunteers. The Roosevelt Club Unit Director

will be a primary support for students volunteering at this site. Two students were hired

to run HYPE as well as possibly a girls of color empowerment group at Roosevelt:

Jaime Gonzalez - Resource and Diversity Coordinator

Responsibilities:

Recruit on-campus student organizations to volunteer

Build connections with diversity-focused non-profits

Maintain record keeping and evaluation of HYPE

Obtain material and financial resources for HYPE program needs

Veronica Thao - HYPE Program Leader

Responsibilities:

Collaborate with Club staff to facilitate weekly HYPE meetings

Serve as a mentor to HYPE youth

Generate impactful program ideas for HYPE teens

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HYPE received a $500 donation for programmatic funds this year, of which a small

amount remains which will be used in sustaining HYPE programmatic needs in 2014-15.

This year, SAY collaborated much more intensively with the Lawrence University

Diversity Center, using its staff, facilities, and financial support to provide activities such

as end of year celebrations and outings for teens and Lawrence students to local

multicultural events. This growing connection between SAY and the Lawrence

University Diversity Center will continue next year, as the Assistant Dean of Students for

Multicultural Affairs will be helping provide emotional and personal support to the

students coordinating HYPE.

4. Student development

The three student SAY staff this year was able to make further connections related to but

beyond SAY this year. Several sources of support and professional opportunities were

provided:

- Funding was provided for a student to attend the International Hmong

Conference

- A student worked collaboratively with the VISTA to successfully propose and

present at the local Poverty Matters! Conference on her work with SAY

- The Director of Volunteer and Community Programs provided regular career

guidance for one of the students

Students also initiated their own connections to bridge their work with SAY into other

areas of their Lawrence experience (see Academic Connections: Senior Experience

section for more information).

Student post-graduation first-career placements also reflect connections to their youth

work with SAY:

- Ia Yang—College Possible, college access program

- Septima Kulee—College Possible, college access program

- Lauren Nokes—Kimberly School District

Members of the SAY student team commented on the impact of SAY on their personal

and academic lives:

“… I felt like my identity as a Hmong woman was often lost at Lawrence, and I didn’t realize

how important it was to me to be able to connect back to my roots and my culture until I worked

with people who came from those same roots. I was able to solidify who I was and what was

important to me during my years of service with the SAY program, which was one of the major

reasons why I continued to come back to Lawrence. I didn’t feel lost anymore because I found

people I identified with and who helped me fostered that identity. I found that small support

group that helped me stay at Lawrence away from Lawrence. Which is an odd concept, but I

seriously believe that this program has made a difference in how meaningful my Lawrence

experience has become.”

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“From an academic standpoint, I decided to apply for the position because I’m in the teacher

certification program and took education classes about how socioeconomic class, race, ethnicity,

and culture affect the experiences of people in the U.S. educational system and wider society. I

was very passionate about these issues and eager to work towards creating greater social justice

for people who are systemically disadvantaged in U.S. society. My experience in SAY also

allowed me to practically apply what I learned in these classes to people and situations the

community in which I live, complicating and enriching how I view and address these issues.

From a professional standpoint, my work with SAY undoubtedly helped me to get a full-time

teaching position after graduating because I gained experience working with teens (specifically

teens from diverse backgrounds), managing, communicating, and collaborating with other

people, working independently in an organized manner, and more.”

SERVICE CORPS PROGRAM Service Corps is a civically minded program that places students identified as low-income at

diverse community agencies near campus that have strong volunteer needs and can provide

personal and professional support to a Lawrentian. In addition to targeting low-income students

the program also targets first-year students as these students tend to have the greatest need for

employment. The program has two goals:

Develop a peer network and provide support that enables students to serve as agents of

civic engagement responding to local community issues

Through the Service Corps liaison positions develop diverse volunteer opportunities that

meet the need of key community partners and interests of Lawrentian volunteers

The following table outlines the accomplishments of the Service Corps team this year. Service

Corps staff have been able to help recruit, orient, and often times train many volunteers for these

agencies, both from the community and from Lawrence University (LU). Overall, the

community agencies have responded well to the program and benefited from the students’

contributions. However, this year we experienced a low retention rate of Service Corps students

as one student became unhappy with her site supervisor, another left the position for financial

reasons and another student took a leave of absence from the university.

Service Corps partners Primary projects

Boys and Girls Clubs of

the

Fox Valley

(BGCFV)

Added four new fine arts classes that brought LU volunteers to

the club on a weekly basis. These classes include percussion,

dance, physical activity and a weekly guitar class for the K-6

and Teen Center

Worked with LU Art House, Baseball Team, Melee and Sinfonia

to provide diverse programming for all K-6 club youth on MLK,

Jr. Day at the downtown location

Managed the “adopt an agency” relationship connecting

volunteers of the National Association of Music Educators

(NAfME) to K-6 club youth on a weekly basis

Continued providing fine arts programming during the summer

months by serving as a summer intern and assisting the club in

securing three additional interns and LU funding to support their

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efforts

Brewster Village

Navigated a new partnership well and coordinated many one

time programs/events for the villagers including: a casino event,

Game Night with Beta, Swing House dance entertainment,

mother’s day musical entertainment, on campus brunch for the

Villagers, etc.

Established a new program called Brewster Buddies, a program

connecting Lawrentian volunteers to Villagers interested in

forming a new friendship

Worked with the Council on Community Service and

Engagement to provide transportation to Brewster Village

volunteers every Saturday

NAMI Fox Valley

Wrote a grant, interviewed with the United Way Fox Cities

Youth Board and received $500 to support NAMI initiatives

Recruited several volunteers and organized several volunteer

trainings for “Ending the Silence” and “Artful Expressions”

programs

Collaborated with LU NAMI on Campus to develop an

educational event and volunteer opportunity around eliminating

the stigma of mental illness on MLK, Jr. Day

Valley New School

(VNS)

Acted as the organizations primary volunteer coordinator:

recruited, trained, oriented, scheduled and supported all

volunteers (and paid tutors) for individual and "general help"

tutoring

Managed a database of student needs, tutors needed, and

available tutors

Fox Valley Literacy

Council (FVLC)

Developed a new initiative involving 9 Gaming House students

teaching computer skills to 15-20 ESL/ELL students every other

week Winter and Spring terms

Taught a weekly class to four beginning-level English students

and tutored a student working towards his U.S. Citizenship

Managed all social media outlets; providing daily updates about

upcoming trainings, literacy news, and created “StoryCorps

Tuesday”

Received certification to administer the English Language

Learner exams (TABE Class E) and administered many exams

Recruited 10% of FVLC’s volunteers – all Lawrentians

Riverview Gardens Acted as the organizations primary volunteer coordinator:

recruited, trained, oriented, scheduled and supported all

volunteers

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Tracked volunteer efforts in both Riverview and VCSC systems

Developed successful service project on MLK, Jr. Day,

recruiting 35+ volunteers

Building for Kids

Children’s Museum

Through the “7 Days of Service” program recruited over 30

Lawrentian volunteers to provide volunteer support to the

museum for an entire week

Provided strong support to Waseda students interested in

learning about the culture of volunteerism in the U.S.

Collaborated with 20 students in the conservatory of music to

host the first annual Music Fest, an afternoon event featuring

live music, a petting zoo and music and dance instruction to

museum visitors

Volunteers Recruited for Service Corps Partners

*=New partner in 2013-14

**=Student left position early

VOLUNTEERS IN TUTORING AT LAWRENCE (VITAL) This student organization is run by a student staff member in the VCSC. VITAL is a unique

program in the area because it offers completely free tutoring services. All tutoring takes place in

the Mudd Library on campus, based in this last year’s new VITAL Tutoring Area (2nd

Floor),

with Lawrentians tutoring approximately one hour per week, although many choose to volunteer

more. The program focus changed a bit due to a high volume of tutoring requests from the

community and in an effort to better match the interests of LU volunteers. The program now

focuses its efforts on tutoring in more foundational courses (rather than AP courses) and targets

elementary and middle school students. This year there were 47 Lawrence students (as compared

to 63 in 2012-13) involved in the program, tutoring 53 elementary through high school age

students (as compared to 69 in 2012-13). These 47 LU students volunteered a total of 464 hours

(as compared to 418.75 hours in 2012-13).

Brewster Village* 200*

Boys and Girls Clubs

of the Fox Valley

125 (173 in 2012-13)

Valley New School 0 ( 12 in 2012-13)**

NAMI Fox Valley* 55*

Fox Valley Literacy Council 29 (18 in 2012-13)

Riverview Garden 289 (106 in 2012-13)

Building for Kids Children’s Museum 59 (10 in 2012-13)

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LAWRENCE ASSISTANCE REACHING YOUTH (LARY) This is a very well established program on campus. It is a student organization, of which the

leader is a staff member in the VCSC. In the words of a past LARY Coordinator, Lawrence

Buddies should “actively model and encourage good character, self-discipline, and social skills”

through meeting with their little buddy for two hours per week at Edison. Through the very

strong leadership of this year’s LARY Coordinator, the program reached a record number of

participants, maintained programs that were created last year (including a pen-pal winter and

summer writing program which is currently on-going) and expanded by supporting LU buddies

to mentor their buddies beyond the walls of Edison. As a result, many LU students invited their

buddies to campus for various social events, meals, etc. Jim Donnellan, Principal at Edison

Elementary School, is excited to see his students have exposure to higher education. This year

there were 68 LU students (as compared to 45 in 2012-13) matched with children at Edison

Elementary School, volunteering a total of 1,884.5 hours (as compared to 1,210 hours in 2012-

13). It was rewarding for both LU and Edison to see an increase of 23 LU and 23 Edison

participants.

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SATURDAYS OF SERVICE (SOS) Approximately once per month throughout the school year, the Social Justice Programs

Coordinator organized a one-time-only volunteer opportunity lasting between two and five hours

on a weekend. These opportunities provided short and easy ways for students, especially

unengaged students, to get involved in exploratory volunteer opportunities, featuring a wide

range of topics/issues, without a long-term commitment. This year students went to the following

sites: National Alliance on Mental Illness Bowl-a-thon, Shack-a-thon at LU, Brewster Village

Gaming event and casino event, World Relief refugee donations, Project Bridges fundraiser,

Building for Kids, and Happy Trails fundraiser with approximately 6-20 participants for each

event. Next year this program may be structured differently and may award students who attend

many SOS and educational events with a community engagement certificate.

MAJOR EVENTS

INTO THE STREETS is a program designed to be an introduction to freshman students about

the needs of the community and to encourage their future participation in volunteer service.

Participants are afforded the opportunity to tour an agency, learn about the mission of the

community agency and available volunteer opportunities and then provide some type of service

with a group of peers.

Once again the program was enhanced due to the extra hands of the AmeriCorps VISTA who

took a lead role in organizing an after service event to encourage group sharing and reflection

and to further connect students to one another. The event had three components:

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Orientation: Participants arrived and were pre-assigned a leader and a community

agency to serve. Leaders facilitated icebreakers (and in some cases activities) with their

groups of volunteers. After small groups had some time to get to know one another the

VCSC Director welcomed all students and introduced them to community engagement at

LU. Kate Bellile ’15, VITAL Coordinator and Appleton native, also welcomed the group

and shared some great things about Appleton and a personal story of what she has gained

from her community involvement while a student at LU.

Service: One hundred and twenty nine (129) students served 11 community agencies ( as

compared to 8 in 2012-13) listed below. Agencies provided their own orientation and

organized a volunteer project for 10-50 students for about a two hour period.

Bethesda Thrift Store

Boys and Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley @ Quarry Quest

Brewster Village (with LU group Glamour Gals)

Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley

Riverview Gardens

Greater Fox Cities Habitat for Humanity @ Quarry Quest

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Chances Animal Rescue

Sustainable Lawrence University Garden

Building for Kids Children’s Museum @ Quarry Quest

NAMI Fox Valley

Celebration: To help connect the students to each other, help them further reflect on

their service, and provide some appreciation volunteers were invited to return to campus

to enjoy some ice cream and hear from student leaders heavily engaged in the

community.

The program is a great introduction to the community, especially for students who are from

outside the Fox Valley. Additionally, because community agencies provide some overview for

the need for their services, students become exposed to new ideas that may have an influential

impact on their future perspectives on community, social justice and humanitarian issues.

Participating in a group service project allows students a comfortable approach to becoming

involved in the community and may motivate future interests in career and volunteer options and

expand social connections.

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MLK, JR. DAY OF SERVICE is a nationally recognized “day on, not a day off” as Lawrence

joins with thousands across the nation to honor Martin Luther King Jr’s message of hope,

community, equality, and to try to answer him when he stated, “Life's most persistent and urgent

question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” The way Lawrence sponsors MLK, Jr. Day of

Service can be broken into three separate events:

The Brunch Read and Reflect Book Discussion:

Preparations: Once again, financial support was provided by the President’s office and

the Dean of Student Affairs in support of a discussion around the issue of religion and

belief systems. As a generalization, religious individuals on campus did not feel

supported and felt their classmates and professors treated them condescendingly.

Students worked hard to select the right book to inspire and question without ignoring or

offending anyone. VCSC staff did research, got in touch with the religious studies

department on campus, and even talked to local clergy to gather book recommendations.

Though many books directly related to Christianity and Islam were considered, members

of the VCSC eventually chose belief as the topic of this year’s Read and Reflect Book

Discussion and chose the book This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable

Men and Women edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. This allowed for a broader

conversation surrounding beliefs and belief systems without singling out an individual

religion. Two hundred copies were purchased and all two hundred were given away to

faculty, staff, and students who, by taking a book, had made a promise to be at the

discussion. MLK Jr., Day requires a lot of advertising in general and to hand the books

to willing Lawrentians involved significant tabling, group targeting, and a strong

presence at the late night finals meal sponsored by Bon Appetit. LUCC President,

Nicholas Paulson, came to the VCSC with the idea of having students submit their own

This I Believe essays. The VCSC created a blog space for the entries and faculty, staff,

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and students were all encouraged to participate.

http://blogs.lawrence.edu/vcsc/2013/12/this-i-believe-essays-on-the-beliefs-of-the-lu-

community.html

The Event: The discussion was over brunch from 11-12:30 pm and those that registered

were asked if they would like to use a meal swipe to eat the buffet brunch. In the future,

something that would unify meal options would probably be a better choice, a more “all

or nothing” approach as there were disparages amongst diners this year. There were

round tables of 8 spread across the Somerset room. Sarah Bonoff, the Office Manager

who took responsibility for this event gave an opening speech, as did President Burstein,

who was specifically invited via e-mail requested to offer some opening remarks.

Bonoff’s speech included rules for the conversation, to ensure the room was a safe space

and to encourage discussion, but discussion that would not offend. There was low

attendance overall, but there were valuable exchanges and opinions shared in an

atmosphere conducive to conversation. Student facilitators were trained by Jaime

Gonzalez ‘16 and were prepared to keep conversations going and maintain a peaceful

dialogue. The VCSC sponsored T-Shirts for facilitators as, firstly, an indication of who

was to mediate each conversation and secondly, as a thank you to those willing to step up

and help. They were instructed to arrive half an hour early to make sure they were all

feeling prepared and comfortable. Ultimately, multiple facilitators were sharing a table,

as we consolidated the tables to help bring more people together. Volunteer Center staff

helped greet participants, locate name tags, encourage sitting with new people and

answered various questions. The VCSC decided that if others wanted to attend but had

not received a book because of missing the deadline, they would be encouraged to

procure a copy of the book on their own and were allowed to join if there was room. At

the end of the event, Bonoff shared closing remarks, thanking people for their

participation and offering a place for books to be donated if some did not wish to keep

their copy of This I Believe. “Wish tags” were available and participants were encouraged

to write down a wish for themselves, for the school, or for the community. Later in the

year, the VCSC obtained “The Wish Tree,” a living sapling which has since been planted

outside the VCSC as a place for the wish tags to hang.

On-Campus Volunteering: Mary Schulz’14 was the point person for on campus

volunteering, contacting different student groups that a) have a strong service component

to their organization, b) have participated in on-campus volunteering in the past and c)

new groups that would benefit from additional volunteer recruits. This year there were six

groups, listed below, that sponsored a service based activity and awareness of the issue

the group was founded on. Students participating in MLK Jr., Day got to choose either on

or off campus volunteering, and those that chose on-campus were able to select their top

three sites. Rooms were reserved based on the type of activity and the amount of students

each group could handle at one time. Supply lists were encouraged to be organized early

to prevent issues later on. VCSC staff worked together to divvy up all the students based

on their three requests for the three sessions hosted by the student organizations and the

number requirements for each group. Each session was forty-five minutes long with a

fifteen minute break to allow students ample time to refresh themselves before locating

the next session. There was positive and negative feedback associated with three shorter

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sessions. People appreciated experiencing the missions of the different groups and being

exposed to a larger variety of volunteer opportunities but on the flip side, there was no

enough time to engage as fully as some wanted to with a particular group or volunteer

project. In the future, two longer sessions would probably be better for all involved.

Mary, along with two other VCSC staff members, were each responsible for two student

org groups, making sure they were prepared with supplies, tables and chairs, and sign in

sheets to track hours.

On Campus Volunteering:

1. Magpie (& Printmaking Club) – Brenna Decker – Wriston Art Center, 2D Studio; Max

cap: 15

2. GlamourGals – Samantha Knott – Warch Campus Center, Kramer Room; Max cap: (24)

3. AMSA – Taylor Bachaus – Warch Campus Center, Runkel Room; Max cap: (16)

4. WhoKnits – Ariel Blackshear-Tvrdy – Warch Campus Center, 4th

Floor; Max Cap: 20

5. SLUG – Corinne Kocher – Garden, Hoop House; Max cap: 10

6. NAMI – Jamie DeMotts – Warch Campus Center, Davis Room; Max cap:

Off-Campus Volunteering: The point person for off campus volunteering was Abby LaBrant

‘16, who was in charge of contacting community organizations and working with them to

create opportunities appropriate to Lawrence students and to monitor minimum and

maximum volunteer requests. Since MLK Jr. Day is on a Monday, it is often easier to

connect with sites, in comparison to Saturdays, generally a big volunteer day for Lawrence

students, but a day when many sites are usually closed.

Eight sites were secured; however, one dropped out at the last minute and shuffling had to

done to reorganize those students assigned to that site. The day of the event, a VCSC staff

member was at the entrance to the campus center, directing volunteers to the Somerset room,

where large signs were arranged around the room with the site names plainly visible. The site

leaders were to be by their signs, greeting participants, and answering questions. They also

kept track of the number of volunteers, bringing that information to the registration table to

help keep numbers in order. Three additional staff members were at the registration table,

helping to welcome volunteers, locate name tags and to instruct those who had not signed up

ahead of time. As the departure time grew near, the leftover name tags from those who had

not shown up displayed the sites that now had open spots and the individuals who wanted to

join in without having signed up were then assigned to a site. This process insured sites had

the appropriate number of volunteers and the late arrivals replaced those that chose not to

come. A picture slide show of past volunteers was playing as participants arrived. Abby then

gave a welcome speech and groups were dismissed by bus.

COMMUNITY SPONSORED OPPORTUNITIES

The volunteers request form, on the VCSC homepage, is a web form specifically for community

organizations to submit their volunteer opportunities. When the VCSC receives phone calls

about these types of events, agencies are directed to the website or staff fills out the form with

the agency over the phone. The request was then placed on the website under one time service

opportunities and specific opportunities that seemed to have the potential to inspire the

participation of Lawrence students were included in the weekly newsletter. Additionally, the

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VCSC Pop-Up Service would periodically use tabling as a time to endorse various one time

opportunities the community had requested help in promoting. The VCSC is always looking to

create new, lasting, and meaningful relationships with new community partners. For example,

during MLK Jr., Day this year, there was a focus on working with new organizations, including

CHAPS Academy, a therapeutic riding center, and Hearthstone House, a historic house museum.

STUDENT OUTREACH, SUPPORT AND EDUCATION

OUTREACH

POP-UP SERVICE

The overall goal of the Pop-Up Service was to recruit students to volunteerism or specific

volunteer events by bringing the VCSC to the masses. The individual popping-up would sit in

strategic locations that had high mass foot traffic, including being outside on days where the

weather cooperated. During the fall term there was more general recruitment, raising awareness

about the VCSC, signing people on the newsletter mailing list, and focusing on Lawrence

specific programs like Lawrence Assistance Reaching Youth and Volunteers In Tutoring At

Lawrence. As the term progresses, there was more targeting for specific opportunities like

Saturdays of Service, events for Service Corps, or service based organizations. A schedule of

which organization to highlight per week was created. It was expected that Office Managers take

an hour out of their regularly scheduled shift to pop-up. However, this timeframe waned as the

school year went on. There is a brown accordion folder in the back room of the VCSC that holds

information including sign-up sheets, handouts that included our contact information, location,

and hours, interest forms for people to fill out and additional information about different

opportunities. The individual doing the popping-up takes both the folder and the portable A-

frame VCSC sign, with the freedom to advertise on the white board side of the sign. Whenever a

VCSC staff member did formal tabling, they would often choose to bring the A-frame sign as

additional promotion.

RESIDENCE HALLS AND SMALL HOUSES:

Small House Service Requirement Meeting

VCSC staff had the opportunity to meet with small house Residence Life Managers (RLMs) in

the fall to introduce the services the VCSC has to offer and to show support for working with

their residential groups in accomplishing various service requirements. Throughout the year, the

VCSC worked with several house leaders to build connections with community agencies and to

suggest ideas for service initiatives.

The Warming Shelter

Through the effort of one VCSC staff member, Nathan Nichols-Weliky-Fearing, Lawrence

University took responsibility for the Fox Valley Warming Shelter dinners for one week. Seven

groups, including residence halls, the VCSC staff, and some student organizations each took a

night to shop for, prepare, and serve a meal to the individuals suffering from homelessness.

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LUCC sponsored the cash advance, which Nathan then divvied up amongst the seven groups.

There was a lot of positive feedback from all involved, the volunteers, the employees at the

Warming Shelter, and the individuals being fed. It was especially nice to see residents from the

residence halls bonding on a service trip outside of the hall. Hopefully there will be another

individual willing to take the lead and make this event happen next year, and for years to come.

Programs Request Form

The programs request form is an online form featuring a list of programs offered by different

offices on campus with the intention of bringing educational programming into the residence

halls. The VCSC took part in the pilot program and while no programs were requested yet,

VCSC staff prepared a program focused on how to engage and get involved with the community.

Future programs may include a hunger simulation, and a program about privilege, identity, and

how both of those aspects of an individual relates to volunteering.

OUTREACH THROUGH RECOGNITION

Recognition

This year, one Office Manager, Sarah Bonoff, took responsibility for recognition. Her strategy

was to recognize one individual a month. She would ask for recommendations from the other

VCSC staff members, the leaders of service based organizations, and by advertising via digital

display that the VCSC would like to know of volunteers other Lawrentians deemed worthy of

acknowledgement. After choosing someone to recognize, she would send an e-mail letting them

know their service had not gone unnoticed and to thank them for strengthening both the

Lawrence community and the Appleton community. Sarah would ask general questions such as

year, major and ask permission to use their picture or mention them in the newsletter, on

Facebook, or with a digital display or poster around campus. She would also ask, “What do you

enjoy about volunteering?,” “why do you volunteer?,” “what is your favorite/most memorable

moment from volunteering?,” and “have you learned anything from your volunteering

experience?” From this information she would create an award sent via campus mail, write up a

blurb to be included in the weekly newsletter and create a digital display to be shown around

campus. She also created framed acknowledgements that hang in the stairwell of the entrance to

the VCSC.

Awards Open House

This year the volunteer center hosted an Awards Open House. With the help of the Director of

Volunteer and Community Service Programs, and the Director of Student Affairs Technology

and Assessment, award categories chosen by the office managers were filled by the individuals

with the most hours per category. Invitations were sent out, awards printed, and refreshments

purchased. It is understood that the kind of people that volunteer so much are also the types of

people that do not necessarily appreciate the spot light. This way the VCSC can acknowledge the

hard work of individuals, provide a tangible thank for the difference they are working to make in

the Appleton community, while still maintaining a low key event. Those that showed up were

greeted by two VCSC staff members, presented with their certificate, encouraged to eat cookies,

and then asked if they would be willing to write a message in support of volunteering and have

their picture taken in front of their quote for publicity purposes. Those that did not show up had

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their certificate sent to them. Overall, the event was successful and those that attended

appreciated the gesture.

Awards presented:

Abigail Hindson- highest volunteer hours for environmental service

Brielle Bartes- highest volunteer hours for sports and recreation

Camila De Meo- highest volunteer hours related to health

- highest volunteer hours logged by a student within the Sorority community

Andre Augustine- highest volunteer hours related to diversity

Michela Giampetroni- highest volunteer hours in education/mentoring

Ayako Fukui- highest volunteer hours logged by a Waseda Student

Habitat for Humanity- highest volunteer hours from a single organization on campus

Roteract Club- highest volunteer hours for most diverse service

Sam Knott- highest volunteer hours related to the elderly

Monica Paniagua Montoya- highest volunteer hours as a first year student

Lucy Brown- highest volunteer hours as a sophomore

- logging over 100 hours of service

Konstantinos Vlachos- highest volunteer hours as a junior

- logging over 100 hours of service

Alex Hulburt- highest volunteer hours as a senior

- highest volunteer hours by an individual

- logging over 100 hours of service

Kappa Alpha Theta- highest volunteer hours by a Greek Organization

Jusuf Sarancic- highest volunteer hours logged by a student within the Fraternity

community

Shang Li- highest volunteer hours for arts/history

Lawrence University Hockey Team- highest volunteer hours by a sports team

TECHNOLOGY USAGE

Beyond recognition efforts, staff utilized Facebook for several outreach initiatives. The social

media outlet allows the VCSC to connect with not only current students but also community

partners and Lawrence alumni. Postings regarding upcoming opportunities, facts about current

community and social justice issues, and updates from student volunteers allowed for a strong

virtual presence for the VCSC. Targeted emails were also utilized in advertising to student

groups based on registered volunteer interest, organizational involvement, and class standing for

relevant programs and announcements.

SUPPORT

INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEER ADVISEMENT appointments were provided to students

interested in meeting one-on-one to discuss volunteer opportunities. Both the VCSC Director,

Assistant Director and Office Managers met with students to assess students’ interest, skills,

values and motivations as it relates to volunteerism, provided leads to potential volunteer

opportunities, informed students of the process to secure a volunteer opportunity, and tried to

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follow-up with interested students. Now that the VCSC hires volunteer coordinators (through

the Service Corps program) much one-on-one advisement also occurs by the student staff.

SERVICE BASED ORGANIZATIONS/COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY SERVICE

AND ENGAGEMENT:

Service-based student organizations represent about 1/3 of all student organizations on campus,

therefore, the VCSC provides much support to student leaders focused on engaging campus in

service. This year one staff position was focused on helping interested organizations, athletic

teams and Greek organizations to find volunteer opportunities, plan successful service events,

recognize volunteer efforts, track the volunteer efforts of all of these groups and to follow

policies/ procedures of LUCC. This last focus was supported through the VCSC’s involvement

in the Committee on Community Service and Engagement (CCSE), LUCC’s newest standing

committed created in spring of 2012.

Mission Statement of CCSE: The Council on Community Service and Engagement is a LUCC

committee focused to promote volunteerism on campus. CCSE works to facilitate collaboration

and communication between LUCC, VCSC and volunteer oriented student groups. CCSE

encourages students to experience the unique relationship Lawrentians have with the Appleton

community through volunteerism. CCSE works to address the concerns of the Lawrence

community in areas of volunteerism and community service.

CCSE also oversees the Humanitarian Grant, a $2,000 grant awarded to students or student-

organizations focused on serving the on-campus community, the Appleton community, or the

world at large.

CCSE’s biggest accomplishment this year is the Saturday Service Shuttle. A constant obstacle to

volunteering is transportation. This year the idea of the service shuttle was passed by LUCC and

it underwent many transitions and edits before the current final project came to fruition. The

Saturday shuttle was initially just for individuals needing a ride to an established volunteer

opportunity however, there were issues with the idea of a shuttle route, as it quickly became

obvious that dropping people off and picking them up where and when they needed to be was

much more efficient. Additionally, Campus Life, in an effort to cut down on the number of vans

used each weekend, wanted the shuttle to be responsible for the transportation of all service

organizations on campus that took weekly Saturday trips, including People for Animal Welfare

and Glamour Gals. Therefore, the shuttle was revamped again. As of now, there is a form on the

Lawrence University website available from:

http://www.lawrence.edu/students/resources/volunteer/student-orgs/shuttle or

Go.lawrence.edu/serviceshuttle

Please see appendix page 52 for a screenshot of the actual form, put together by the Director of

Student Affairs Technology and Assessment. The responses to the form are maintained by the

current chair of CCSE, Greta Schmitt, who receives e-mails from individuals or groups that have

requested transportation, creates a schedule of that weekend’s service route, and instructs the

LUCC paid driver to follow the specific drop off and pick up times and locations.

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Additional responsibilities of CCSE include coordinating service for formal and theme housing,

although legislation could be made clearer on this topic. Below are sections of the student

handbook pertaining to small group housing:

Formal Group Housing:

Community Service: The group must demonstrate an on-going commitment to the Lawrence

and/or Fox Cities community through outreach/service activities. Community service may take

the form of volunteering for local social service organizations, raising money for worthy causes,

or sponsoring speakers and programs on topics of interest to the Lawrence community.

Theme Housing:

Operations during the academic year:

b. In addition to this, the majority of the occupants of a theme house are required to collectively

participate in at least one community service project per year for the greater Appleton

community. This activity is to be coordinated through the Committee on Community

Service and Engagement. i. This activity must be arranged or completed no later than week one of Spring term.

The Adopt an Agency program is a way many Lawrence organizations create sustained

relationships with community organizations. To start this process, student organizations fill out

an Adopt An Agency Summary Proposal and then meet with a member of the staff to find the

right “adoption.”

Once an agency is selected, a Memorandum of Agreement helps the organization to make a plan

to keep the relationship strong. Student organizations agree to “adopt” a cause/program/agency

for years to come despite changes in student leadership. This year’s adoptions include:

Lambda Sigma and Riverview Gardens

Beta Theta Pi and Riverview Gardens

People for Animal Welfare (PAW) and Saving Paws Animal Rescue

National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and the Boys and Girls Club of the Fox

Valley

Glamour Gals and Brewster Village

SUMMER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY GRANT (SVOG) provided funding to three

students participating in service projects as learning experiences during the summer of 2014.

Once again, this year Career Services, VCSC and the Office of Engaged Learning worked

together to create a joint “Summer Experiential Learning Grant” (SELG) application as all three

offices now provide summer funding for similar experiences. This process made it easier for

students to be considered for multiple funding opportunities and streamlined the process for

advertising this opportunity. Fourteen students (as compared to 27 in 2012-13, 11 in 2011-12)

applied for Summer Experiential Learning Grant funding and eight students received funding.

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This year’s award winners are listed below.

Name: Location: Funded by:

Cate Bentley Harbor House, Appleton, WI Summer Volunteer Opportunity Grant - $1,100

Katherine Ling Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary, Greenbrier, AR

Summer Volunteer Opportunity Grant - $1,100

Jennifer Sefcik Harbor House, Appleton, WI Summer Volunteer Opportunity Grant - $1,100

Abby LaBrant SHARE, Kigali, Rwanda Office of Engaged Learning - Pieper Family Foundation - $1,200

Alek Wasserman Boys and Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley, Appleton, WI

Office of Engaged Learning - Pieper Family Foundation - $500

Alexis Cuozzo

Teen Living Programs, Chicago, IL Office of Engaged Learning – Pieper Family Foundation - $1,860

Meghan Clark

Department of State, Lima, Peru Career Services – Betty Heistad Barrett Fund for Excellence in Civic Service - $2,500

Corby Johnson Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia, Osh, Kyrgyzstan

Career Services – Barbara Knapp Fund - $2,000

EDUCATION

SOCIAL JUSTICE PROGRAMMING

The student Social Justice Programs Coordinator position focused on three main objectives:

supporting existing social justice programs and initiatives on campus, integrating social justice

and advocacy into the programs in the VCSC and throughout campus, and organizing all

Saturdays of Service as mentioned above. Special events and initiatives included Civic Life

project facilitation, diversity circle discussions involving the LU and Fox Cities community,

MLK, Jr. Day book discussion focused on belief systems, Walk a Mile in my Shoes City of

Appleton series focused on refugee resettlement in Fox Cities area, elder loneliness movie

screening, The Power of One: Volunteerism, Identity, and Privilege workshop and facilitator

training through the Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center.

New this year, the coordinator spent some time building a relationship with the Fox Cities Rotary

Multicultural Center or the FCRMC (now called Celebrate Diversity Fox Cities) to coordinate

diversity circle discussions around issues that are important to students. The first diversity circle

was fairly successful with both LU and Fox Cities participants and focused on the divides that

exist both on campus and in the community. Due to the strong interest of nine students, the

coordinator worked with Professor Carla Daughter and the FCRMC to provide a 2-day facilitator

training at Bjorklunden. As a result, we now have nine Lawrentians interested in facilitating

meaningful campus discussions around social justice.

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While the Social Justice Coordinator did a great job this year and offered much to the LU

community, this position was eliminated for 2013-14. Several of the duties of the position were

folded into other positions (Office Mangers and Promotion Coordinator). In an effort to provide

meaningful work for the Office Managers and to prepare for the departure of the AmeriCorps

VISTA member, the office will continue to simplify as much as possible.

MIDTERM READING PERIOD SERVICE TRIP

In an effort to engage students during a break period and to help them learn more about an issue

that is not as addressed in the Fox Cities, the Volunteer Coordinator for Student Organizations

planned a Spring midterm reading period service trip to the Twin Cities to learn and serve around

the issue of food justice.

LUCC funded nine students to learn more about the issue by talking to government officials as well as representatives of local community agencies and to volunteer with several agencies addressing the issue. Below is the agenda.

Thursday, May 8th

:

Leave campus via small school bus 10:00 am and have lunch on the road

Arrive Minneapolis approximately 2:30 pm

Staying at Russ Ewald Center for Urban Service, 1100 East Lake Street,

Minneapolis, MN

Dinner at retreat center or midtown global market 4:30 pm-5:30 pm

Volunteer at Second Harvest 6:00 pm-8:00 pm

Friday, May 9th

:

Breakfast at retreat center 8:30 am

Food desert activity 9:30 am-11:30 am

Make lunch with what we find 12:00pm-1:00 pm

Volunteer at Tangletown Gardens 1:30 pm-?

Discussion with Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 4:00pm-~5:30 pm

Dinner at retreat center or midtown global market 6:00 pm

Movie showing at retreat center 9:00 pm

Saturday, May 10th

:

Breakfast at retreat center 9:00 am

Discussion with state senator Bonoff about school lunch policy 11:00am-12:30

pm

Lunch at retreat center 12:30 pm

Free time: after lunch

Dinner at Wise Acre Eatery; a local farm to fork restaurant 7:00 pm

Sunday, May 11th

:

Breakfast at retreat center

Visit St. Paul’s Farmer’s Market

Leave Minneapolis 10:00 am

Lunch on the road and arrive Lawrence University approximately 2:30 pm

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VOLUNTEER HOURS MANAGEMENT

Volunteer hours are managed through students’ Lawrence Voyager accounts. Through an online

form, students were able to record where they served, what their project/involvement was, and

their number of volunteer hours. This information is accessible by the VCSC for report

generation, tracking of volunteer trends within the student population, and other inquiries

throughout the year. The information also, once individually approved by the Director, is

recorded to the student’s Co-Curricular Transcript.

Through the assistance of the Director of Student Affairs Technology and Assessment, several

improvements were made to the system.

1) The Voyager form was simplified a bit and no longer asks students for their volunteer

category

2) Students can now view more detail regarding the hours they have already submitted

on the Voyager form. This change was requested by several students due to

a. Ensuring volunteer hours were not entered multiple times

b. An interest in students knowing how many total hours were served

3) Training was provided to student staff an attempt to see if they could manage a

portion of the data entry needs. Unfortunately, the students did not catch on as

quickly as expected and this idea needs to be further evaluated.

Potential future improvements include:

1) Providing access to leaders of student organizations (especially of Greek groups) to a

report that would allow them to see the volunteer efforts of their organization members.

Some groups are tracking hours on their own and it would be ideal if they instead would

utilize the Voyager system

2) Working with students to a) approve volunteer hours weekly b) clean up inaccurate

data

Below is a summary of the hours/volunteer information which was logged by students

throughout this year and the past seven years.

Annual Volunteer Activities: 13-14 12-13 11-12 10-11 09-10 08-09 07-08

Hours served by the Lawrence community 12,420 10,034 9,525 6,860 5,798 6,338 3,202

Number of volunteer participants 785 748 706 605 571 631 413

Student organizations providing service 71 69 62 51 43 40 45

Community agencies served 144 161 127 68 55 46 45

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ACADEMIC CONNECTIONS

Opportunities for students to obtain academic credit for service endeavors linked to academic

inquiry is growing, however, not in a way one might anticipate. In addition to the academic

connections referenced below it is important to note that individual students are finding ways to

connect learning experiences they are having through service to independent studies, tutorials,

academic internships, senior experience, etc.

SENIOR EXPERIENCE Self-Agency in Youth (SAY) student volunteer Septima Kulee based her Senior Experience

project, A New, Less Stereotyped Framework for Understanding Poverty, on a training that she

participated in at the Boys & Girls Club through her work volunteering with SAY. Septima noted

that this poverty training employed several problematic racial stereotypes among other issues, so

she applied her psychological research abilities to focus on critiquing the current training and

then proposing alternative, more culturally-sensitive poverty trainings that could be used with

youth workers. Her report was ultimately shared back with the Club, in an effort for her Senior

Experience to have real community impact. Additional examples of how volunteer experiences

lead to the development of senior experience projects include:

The HYPE Coordinator chose to focus her Senior Capstone, Heritage Keeping: A Study

on Cultural Retention in Hmong Youth, on topics related to her work with HYPE

The Lead SAY Student Coordinator’s capstone student teaching at a local high school

complemented her work at the Club, in fact working with some of the same students in

both the Club and school environments

The VCSC does not have knowledge of all the senior experiences students choose to pursue but

it could be interesting to identify the number of projects that are developed through community

engagement experiences.

OFFICE OF ENGAGED LEARNING (OEL) Occasional meetings with the new Pieper Family Chair of Servant Leadership and Director of

Engaged Learning (Mark Jenike) and the VCSC Director occurred, often times with the

AmeriCorps VISTA. As a result, both offices were better able to advocate for each other, share

best resources and work collaboratively at times. Several connections were made between the

OEL and the VCSC this year.

Mark attended a VCSC staff meeting to inform student staff of his role and to learn more

about the VCSC. As a result, he was able to assist a few students who were interested in

connecting their volunteer interests to academic inquiry. Two students worked with him

to establish a Spring term independent study course to further research a lack of male

involvement in service activities. Another student interested in issues of food justice met

with him a couple times for assistance in creating the new LU Food student organization

(which brings leftover food to area shelters) and planning a midterm reading period

service trip in the Twin Cities focused on food justice.

The OEL provided funds to support the SAY program. Specifically, The OEL funded

student stipends of the three SAY leaders as well was some professional development

and support costs of the AmeriCorps VISTA.

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The OEL agreed to fund three students that applied for the Summer Experiential

Learning Grant whose projects were directly linked to academic inquiry and/or servant

leadership.

The Pieper Family Chair of Servant Leadership and Director of Engaged Learning and

the VCSC Director continue to have discussions of how to match the financial resources

provided by the Pieper foundation to the needs of LU volunteers.

CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC Through Service Corps, a paid position was maintained to connect volunteers interested

in the fine arts to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley fine arts programs. This

brought in several fine arts volunteers on a weekly basis to BGCFV for music and dance

instruction. Conversations with the Dean of the Conservatory and students majoring in

music education demonstrate that this experience adds great value to the education of

conservatory students. The Dean of the Conservatory is currently seeking funding to help

students obtain academic credit for providing music education in the schools/community

agencies.

The “Serving Through Performance” guide created by the VCSC was shared with the

Dean of the Conservatory as well as the two faculty leading the Decoda ensemble.

New this winter, Professor Cathy Kautsky’s studio of piano students worked with the

VCSC’s VISTA Boys & Girls Club liaison to coordinate a piano concert/interactive

lesson at the Boys & Girls Club. A student from her studio took lead on this project,

working with the VISTA to learn how to make classical music more engaging for a

younger audience. This student also learned about logistics of holding concerts in unusual

spaces, including how to facilitate piano rentals and moves. Given her interest in music

outreach, this was an important opportunity for the student to have hands-on experience

in holding a non-traditional type of concert. This was also an opportunity for the rest of

the piano studio to have additional experience performing before an audience of

strangers. For Club youth, piano is of great interest to many, so this was an exciting

moment for them to get “up close” with a piano and also learn a bit more about what it

takes to pursue music professionally.

TEACHER EDUCATION Through connections between the Education department faculty and the AmeriCorps VISTA,

several students in Education classes and pursuing teaching certification have completed course

requirements through community engaged learning at the BGCFV. For example,

student volunteer Lauren Nokes completed her student teaching this year while simultaneously

working with the Boys & Girls Club through SAY. She had the interesting opportunity of

working with some of the same students both in and out of the classroom while at the Club.

Lauren mentions “my work with SAY undoubtedly helped me to get a full-time teaching position

after graduating because I gained experience working with teens (specifically teens from diverse

backgrounds).”

Other students, such as Septima Kulee and Cori Lin, were able to complete their practicum

requirements for Ethnicity, Cultural Diversity and Education, focusing in on both African

American and Hmong cultures through Beautiful You and HYPE. Both Septima and Cori

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secured jobs as college coaches working in educational settings with the College Possible

program after graduation.

WASEDA/TSA PROGRAM The Director of the Waseda program and Director of Volunteer and Community Service

Programs met last summer to discuss how to ensure Waseda students have a quality volunteer

experience when registering for the “Experiential Language Learning” course. As a result,

VCSC staff presented in the “Introduction to American Society II” class to educate students on

the culture of volunteerism in the US and how to get involved in service while at LU. Students

were provided a handout (see appendix) that identified community agencies particularly

interested in assistance from Waseda students, specific tasks volunteers could assist with, site

location, and the application process. This allowed for students to still participate in the

application process (a learning experience) but made their placement process a bit smoother.

Then, towards the end of the second term, the Director of Volunteer and Community Service

Programs met with several students one-on-one to walk them through the process of applying for

opportunities. The Director of the Waseda program added several prerequisites to students

interested in signing up for the spring “Experiential Language Learning” course. These included:

1) meeting w/ VCSC Director 2) selecting 1-2 volunteer sites 3) submitting an application to 1-2

sites. As a result 5 students volunteered with one of the following community agencies as part of

their class assignment: The Building for Kids Children’s Museum, Riverview Gardens, Harmony

Café, Brewster Village and the Appleton Public Library. When attending the end-of-year

presentations provided by the Waseda students it was exciting to hear how much they gained

from the experience (culturally, socially, career).

CIVIC LIFE Support was again provided to Catherine Tatge, Artist-in-Residence in Film Studies, to continue

to support the Civic Life course, a new course in the Film Studies department. VCSC staff shared

community contacts, attended the Civic Life screenings and recruited and trained approximately

30 volunteers to facilitate discussion at both the campus and community screenings. The VCSC

hopes to further utilize these films to educate students about these issues and inspire action,

perhaps on Into the Streets 2015 or MLK, Jr. Day 2015.

AVAILABLE STATISTICS

VOYAGER VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY 2013-14 Statistics from this years’ volunteer activity show

Once again, there was an increase in number of hours served, student participants

involved, and student organizations

Once again students seemed to prefer service related to education,

housing/homeless, children, health and environment.

Eight students served over 100 hours throughout the academic year

Twenty community agencies received over 100 hours of service by the Lawrence

community (as compared to 17 community agencies in 2012-13) and 16/20 were

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either Service Corps sites or agencies participating in the “adopt-an-agency”

program

Once again the following student organizations collectively served about 300

hours or more: Habitat for Humanity, Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa

Kappa Gamma, and People for Animal Welfare. Adding to that list this year

includes Lambda Sigma, Volunteers in Tutoring at Lawrence, and Delta Gamma

The Volunteer and Community Service Center, Lawrence Assistance Reaching

Habitat for Humanity Lambda Sigma, People for Animal Welfare, LU Premed

Chapter (AMSA) and LU Hockey offered the most volunteer opportunities to the

Lawrence community

Unique this year, the sorority and fraternity with the highest GPA was the same

sorority and fraternity with the highest number of volunteer hours. Both Kappa

Alpha Theta and Beta Theta Pi collectively served almost 2,000 hours.

Appendix: Volunteer Activity Tracking

Volunteer Sites with Significant LU Involvement in 2013-14

Edison Elementary School, Appleton, WI 1,477

Riverview Gardens, Appleton, WI 1,277.5

Appleton Area School District, Appleton, WI 1,211.5

Lawrence University, Appleton, WI 1,108

Blount County Habitat for Humanity, Maryviile, TN 870

Xavier High School, Appleton, WI 605

Brewster Village, Appleton, WI 576.5

Fox Valley Literacy Council, Appleton, WI 537.5

Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Appleton, WI 467.

Boys and Girls Club-Fox Valley, Appleton, WI 388.5

Saving Paws Animal Rescue, Appleton, WI 372.5

St. Elizabeth Hospital, Appleton, WI 259.

American Cancer Society, Appleton, WI 225.5

The Building for Kids, Appleton, WI 182.5

Sustainable Lawrence University Gardens, Appleton, WI 175.5

CASA of the Fox Cities, Appleton, WI 175.

NAMI of the Fox Valley, Appleton, WI 131

Appleton Area Hockey Association, Appleton, WI 124

Fox Valley Warming Shelter, Appleton, WI 122

Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center, Appleton, WI 108

Community for Hope, Oshkosh, WI 99

Project Linus, Bloomington, IL 91.5

Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, Inc., Appleton, WI 89.5

Harbor House, Appleton, WI 88.5

Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI 88

Richmond Elementary School, Appleton, WI 82.5

Medecins Sans Frontieres, Switzerland 80

Educacion Popular En Salud , La Cisterna, Chile 69

Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD 66

Bethesda Thrift Store, Appleton, WI 64

Kenneth Young Center, Elk Grove Village, IL 64

Memorial Presbyterian Church, Appleton, WI 60

Hortonville Parks and Recreation, Hortonville, WI 54

Chances Animal Rescue, Inc., Appleton, WI 52

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Appleton United Girls Lacrosse League, Appleton, WI 50

Top 20 Events/Programs with the Most Hours 2013-14

LARY 2013-14 1,884.5

Habitat Spring Break Trip 2014 870

Riverview Gardens 2013-14 655.5

MLK, Jr. Day in Community 2014 552

Into The Streets 2013 516

VITAL Tutoring 2013- 2014 513.5

FV Literacy Council 2013-14 499.5

Saving Paws 2013-14 329.5

St. Elizabeth's Hospital 13-14 196

Inauguration Service 2013 156

Relay for Life 2014 151

CASAblanca 2014 147.5

Civic Life Facilitator 2013 120

Glamour Gals '13-14 112

Facilitator Training 2014 110

Edison Science Program '13-14 109.5

Bright Stars 2014 99

Pancake Breakfast 2014 88

Habitat for Humanity 2013-14 87.5

LU Welcome Week 2013 86.5

Top 25 Sponsoring Organization 2013-14

Volunteer and Community Service Center 3,283

Lawrence Assistance Reaching Youth (LARY) Buddies 1,884.5

Habitat for Humanity 1,188.5

Lambda Sigma 916

Lawrence University 683

People for Animal Welfare (PAW) 380.5

LU Premed Chapter AMSA (AMSA) 291

Lawrence University Hockey 227.5

Delta Gamma 221.5

Kappa Alpha Theta 213

Beta Theta Pi 210

Lawrence University Roteract 152

GlamourGals 125.5

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee 99.5

Sustainable Lawrence University Gardens 91

Sigma Alpha Iota 88

Bomb Squad - Chemistry Show 58

Mortar Board 58

Lawrence International 46.5

Trever Hall Council 46.5

Kappa Kappa Gamma 37

The Magpie-LU Thrift Store 36

Circle K 26.5

Sigma Phi Epsilon 18

College Democrats 17

Hours by Top 20 Credited Student Organizations 2013-14

Habitat for Humanity 1,016.5

Beta Theta Pi 987

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Kappa Alpha Theta 943

Lambda Sigma 738.5

Kappa Kappa Gamma 616.5

People for Animal Welfare(PAW) 337.5

Vol in Tutoring at Lawr(VITAL) 315.5

Delta Gamma 315

Hockey 248

Lawrence University Roteract 234

Phi Kappa Tau 103.5

Sage Hall Council 102

Lawrence Christian Fellowship 96

GlamourGals 94

Sigma Alpha Iota 94

LU Premed Chapter AMSA (AMSA) 79.5

Circle K International 68

Sigma Phi Epsilon 64

Women's Basketball 64

Mortar Board 61

Hours by Category 2013-14

Volunteerism Education 2,982

Volunteerism Community Serv 1,961

Volunteerism Children 1,400

Volunteerism Housing/Homeless 1,298.5

Volunteerism Health 1,013

Volunteerism Environment 950

Volunteerism Elderly 618

Volunteerism Sports/Recreate 605.5

Volunteerism Animals 484.5

Volunteerism Arts/History 427.5

Volunteerism Diversity 274

Volunteerism Crisis Int/Resp 207

Volunteerism Hunger 124

Volunteerism Disability 75.5

Students with Over 100 Hours of Service 2013-14

Alexander James Hurlburt 180.5

Lucy Elizabeth Brown 153

Michela Lynn Giampetroni 148.5

Konstantinos Vlachos 135.5

Nathaniel Michael Nichols-Weliky-Fearing 116

Sara Jean Larsen 106.5

Monica Paniagua Montoya 103

Danielle Taylor Calhoun 99