ACT End of Year Magazine 2016-2017 | Appalachian State University

2016-2017

act

table OF contents FACTS AND FIGURES.......... 1 THE BIG EVENTS............... 2 STUDENT LEADERS............ 5 ALTERNATIVE SERVICE EXPERIENCE..................... 6

Appalachian &the community together

COMMUNITY PARTNERS...... 8

kate johnson

ASU BOARD FELLOWS......... 10

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ENGAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

brian macharg DIRECTOR, ACADEMIC CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT & SERVICE LEARNING..............11

heather jo mashburn ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ACT

emily wolschlag COORDINATOR, act

828.262.2545 | ACT.APPSTATE.EDU

CLINTON GLOBAL GRANTS.... 14

15 FAREWELLS..................... 16

AWARDS & RECOGNITION...

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this year...

WE COLLECTED:

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1,235 PINTS

$1,173,494

3,800 POUNDS

OF BLOOD

IN FINANCIAL BENEFIT

OF FOOD

RAISED FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS

$64,317

OTH E

RP

ROG R

AM

S

MLK CHALLENGE

SERVICE LEARNING

DON’T THROW IT AWAY

BLOOD DRIVE MLK CHALLENGE

DANCE MARATHON

THE BIG SALE

DANCE MARATHON

ASE

48,612 HOURS OF SERVICE THROUGH ACT PROGRAMS

the

BIG

events

THE BIG SALE The 16th annual BIG Sale was a great way to kick off the year! On a bright August day, students and community members gathered at Legends to sift through 70 tons of items! Over $22,851.15 was raised for 4 local nonprofits to improve the energy efficiency of their organization.

10TH ANNUAL HOMECOMING BLOOD DRIVE Our 10th Annual Homecoming Blood Drive was a riotous success! With over 1,600 donors present, we collected 1,235 pints of blood for the Red Cross. The pints collected on September 21st, 2016 have the potential to save thousands of lives! We remain the largest single day, single site blood drive in the nation.

THE HUNGER GAMES The Hunger Games capped off an incredible Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week.

Several events provided education and discussion on hunger and homelessness and how we address it within our community! The Hunger Games can drive boasted 19 participating organizations and collected over 3,800 pounds of food for the Hospitality House.

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LEIGH LANE DAY OF SERVICE

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To honor the legacy of Leigh Lane Edwards, over 40 students gathered on November 12th to serve the community and learn about issues of hunger, poverty, and homelessness in the High Country.

SOCIAL JUSTICE COFFEE HOUR Social Justice Coffee Hour offers a time every few weeks for students to come together to learn about issues seen in their everyday lives, and discuss the role they may play in these systemic problems. This year’s highlights include events on Free speech and Hate Speech, Disability in our Campus Community, and much more!

THE MLK CHALLENGE On Saturday, January 21st, the 18th annual MLK Challenge was held. Over 200 students, faculty, and staff participated in this massive day of service. 19 teams of students worked alongside 21 communtiy partners to complete over 1,600 hours of combined service.

Throughout the day, students called upon the community to help them raise over $1,500 for the Junaluska Community Fountation.

DANCE MARATHON 4 The 2017 Dance Marathon was a huge success this year! Over 200 dancers raised $39,088.90 for Western Youth Network and Parent to Parent. Students and community members came together to share stories and dance for a total of 15 hours!

FARM DAY OF SERVICE Over 50 students chose to spend their Earth Day serving local farmers around the community on ACT’s Farm Day of Service!

We worked with 5 local farms including Hospitality House Garden and the Campus Garden to learn more about food systems in the High Country.

DON’T THROW IT AWAY Don’t Throw it Away took place between May 5th and May 13th of this year. We worked with over 400 volunteers and collected over 70 tons of materials throughout the week! It was a successful event to end a great semester!

THE act TEAM impact and service advisors

Impact Team: Evan Montpellier, Kayla Burnett, Danielle Boase, Hailey Pister, Jacob Thomas, Elizabeth Ohmer, Katie Miller, Mackenzie Morgan, Alexis Lacewell, Alyson Graham (Not Pictured: Sarah Aldridge, Kirby Rose) Service Advisors: Abigail Baist, Elizabeth Bun, Molly Campell, Krista Gilbert, Natalie Spiccia, Jaleigh Jensen (Not Pictured: Morgan Nettles, Kailey Plowman) ASE E-Board: Lola Benfield, Michael Catania,Thomas Gallagher, Natalie Frankel, Jordan Hines, Sarah Lopez-Ibanez, Victoria Redmon Staff and Grads: Kate Johnson, Heather Jo Mashburn, Emily Wolschlag, Kaci Ausmus, Kaitlin Hipp, William Post, Savannah Garland (Not Pictured: Brian Macharg, Sydney Preudhomme, Jennifer Iwerks)

ase EXECUTIVE BOARD

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a s e 2

ASE.APPSTATE.EDU The mission of Alternative Service Experience program at Appalachian State University is to provide co-curricular learning opportunities by engaging in meaningful service and dialogue.

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13 TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS $8,600 AWARDED

LOCAL

FALL BREAK

30 PROGRAMS

3 WINTER BREAK

351 PARTICIPANTS

23 SPRING BREAK

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4 PILLARS OF ASE ASE has spent the last 18 months creating a foundation for the elements that undergird its work. This has included an intentional language shift to social issue-specific language, rather than destination-based language, as well as the creation of a logo and the development of 4 pillars.

service together Participants engage in mutually beneficial relationships with community partners to complete service that has the potential to be transformational for oneself and the partnering community.

full engagement Participants actively engage in service and reflections while abstaining from drugs, alcohol, and excessive use of technology as a means to allow for full immersion in the experience.

thoughtful dialogue HELLO

$

Meaningful conversations are encouraged through the inclusion of varying perspectives and daily reflections encompassing social justice issues, personal growth, and active citizenship in communities.

simple living An alternative lifestyle is approached in these programs, encompassing the principles of carbon neutrality, vegetarianism, and living on a limited budget for housing and meals.

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COMMUNITY PARTNERS

THIS YEAR, ACT WELCOMED SEVERAL NEW COMMUNITY PARTNERS!

LAUREN JAQUAY’S YOUTH ALLIANCE Youth Alliance provides a forum for communication and dialogue and is committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and inquiry with particular respect to sexual orientation and gender identity for youth 12 – 18. Youth Alliance provides a safe, happy, and healthy environment that will enrich a positive self-image, promote confidence to live peacefully in a community, and feel secure in their schools.

WILDWOOD AGILE LEARNING COMMUNITY Wildwood’s program is for home/unschoolers who wish to engage in collaborative self-directed learning experiences.

Wildwood’s learning environment embraces choice and freedom along with collaboration between peers, facilitators, and the local community.

VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS

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VFW nonprofit in Boone is here to foster camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts, to serve our veterans, the military and our communities, and to advocate on behalf of all veterans. VFW’s vision is to ensure that veterans are respected for their service, always receive their earned entitlements, and are recognized for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of this great country.

MEDI HOME HEALTH & HOSPICE Medi Home Health & Hospice mission is to serve the mountain community with the highest quality of care for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families. The goal of their interdisciplinary team is to bring comfort, dignity, and unparalleled support to patients and their caregivers.

stone soup Stone Soup convened in the wake of the economic turndown of 2008 as funding sources were disappearing and community needs continued to increase. These individuals realized that there was a wealth of resources in the way of expertise and knowledge in the High Country community. Various nonprofits came together to think about how to draw on the strengths of each other to better the community.

Stone Soup hosted several programs this year to support our local community partners. There were workshops focusing on Self-Care, Grant Writing, and Program Evaluation. Several mixers at local restaurants allowed community partners to network and share stories and ideas from their work. This year also debuted our first-ever Stone Soup Book Club! Several community partners enjoyed the book Rising Strong by Brene Brown.

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WHAT’S NEW?

This year, Board Fellows were placed with 8 ideal community partners!

The Board Fellows Program matches undergraduate students with a local nonprofit board of directors to gain insight into the operations involved in making our many active community partners successful. This experience provides students opportunities to be exposed to community leadership, nonprofit management, and governance while gaining valuable skills and experience as future community leaders.

Hunger & Health Coalition Parent Abby Frye to Parent

Amelia Bass

Children’s Council Bea Gutierrez

Mountain Alliance

Ellie Coleman

Spencer Spencer

Watauga County Humane Society

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture

“Being a Board Fellow has provided wonderful opportunities to learn about, grow, experience, and network in the nonprofit world.

I've learned so much about my community, both in Boone and Appalachian State. Hunger and Health Coalition especially has a big place in my heart because of this. I couldn't be more thankful for the Board Fellows program for initiating and supporting this relationship.”

-Abby Frye, 2017

Western Youth Network

Meagan Williams

Watauga County Arts Council Molly Campell

Lola Benfield

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mandela FELLOWS ACT collaborated with OIED to host 25 young leaders from 19 African countries for a series of workshops and networking sessions. This was part of the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute.

App State was one of 40 institutions across the nation to host the six-week institute focused on civic leadership.

cbr COMMUNITY BASED RESEARCH

Community Based Research is research that is conducted as an equal partnership between traditionally trained "experts" and members of a community. A CBR project starts with the community partner being invited to fully participate in all aspects of the research process. CBR encourages collaboration of partners from any area of expertise, and is fully committed to producing outcomes usable to the community.

COMMUNITY BASED RESEARCH AT APPALACHIAN > A Health and Nutrition student worked with the Hunger and Health Coalition to determine, design and build the most effective signage regarding nutrition within the food-provision department. > A Special Education student worked with a teacher in

Civic Engagement partnered with the Lincolnton, NC to study and test various new methods of Office of Student Research to teaching special education students. support four sponsored CBR projects this academic year.

Each of these projects involved a student working with a > A student in Recreation Management worked with a community partner under the local non-profit camp to determine the most effective guidance of a faculty sponsor. ways to teach values in children utilizing various These included: outdoor activities and experiences.

ACADEMIC CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 786 STUDENTS

FALL SEMESTER

38 CLASSES

73 CLASSES 1,528 STUDENTS 22,920 SERVICE HOURS 35 CLASSES

SPRING SEMESTER 742 STUDENTS

Service Learning blends for-credit courses with service activities, encouraging students to serve the community and reflect on their service as it relates to course content.

faculty fellows The Faculty Fellows Program is designed to provide ASU faculty with the opportunity to learn how to effectively integrate service-learning into their courses. Faculty members spent two full days in workshops followed by a syllabus consultation workshop.

2016 - 2017 FACULTY FELLOWS > Prof. Jamie Sanchagrin, Sociology > Prof. Kristina Heiks, English > Prof. Andrea McDowell, Honors College/Anthropology > Prof. Jennifer Zwetsloot, Health & Exercise Science

> Prof. Mark Bradbury, Public Administration > Prof. Carolyn Edy, Journalism > Prof. Lindsay Masland, Psychology > Prof. Jaxon Xiong, Computer Information Systems

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WHAT DOES SERVICE LEARNING LOOK LIKE? Prof. Emily Dakin teaches several Social Work classes on Gerontology. As her students study the life cycle, they engage in service work at elderly-serving agencies and make observations about the clients there to compare with the theories they are discussing in class.

Prof. Adam Hege teaches courses on community-based health. He partners with local health and medicine-providing non-profits to have his students both serve these agencies and better understand the challenges of providing such services in the community.

Prof. Tom Mueller teaches a class on Advertising in the Communications department. He has his students survey local residents about their perceptions of various non-profits in the community to determine how to most clearly communicate the agencies’ mission to more effectively fundraise.

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Prof. Andy Hill teaches several sections of First Year Seminar which focus on developing reflective writing and rhetorical skills. His students engage in multiple service-learning projects to develop clear and concise writing exercises describing the experiences. Prof. Hill then uses the students’ reflections on the service experience to improve their writing.

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COFFEE TALK This program was designed to bridge ASU students with developmentally disabled people in our community and make bridges with our Scholars with Diverse Abilities program. This program provided space, coffee, and snacks as a way to have students with diverse abilities and App State students get to know and understand each other.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

The Clinton Global Initiative University effort at App State is an opportunity for students to propose a project that they would like to undertake that meets a particular local or international need. Individuals or small groups of students apply for funding and execute their projects in the spring term.

This year, three projects were funded:

NC LEO

The "NC Leo" project assisted Spanish-speaking, non-native K-6 students in the High Country improve their English skills.

MOVIES THAT matter

The “Cultural Exchange Program with School-Aged Refugees” allowed App State students to partner with refugee-serving agencies in the Raleigh This year, the ACT office held an area to provide activities, resources, eight-week series of short films to and needed home supplies for the facilitate discussions on various social clients they serve. Students justice and service issues. Topics includtravelled to Raleigh to work ed the white working poor, the use of sex alongside refugees where and virginity as power, homelessness, “stop they live. and frisk’, and women’s education, among other topics.

award WINNERS act HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE SEVERAL STUDENTS THIS YEAR IN THEIR MANY ACHIEVEMENTS! patrick holder award

patrick holder award

VICTORIA REDMON

ALEXIS LACEWELL

tough ‘act’ to follow award

act innovator award

ABIGAIL BAIST

DANIELLE BOASE

nc campus compact community impact award

EVAN MONTPELLIER

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SAYING farewell Natalie Evan Montpellier Frankel

Kaitlin Hipp

Natalie Frankel

William Post

Lola Benfield

Sarah Lopez-Ibanez

Thomas Gallgher

Emily Wolschlag

Jennifer Iwerks

CONGRATS TO OUR GRADUATES!

Sydney Preudhomme

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THANK YOU FOR A GREAT YEAR!

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