The Jenzabar Foundation Announces 2009 Student Leadership Award Winners
Foundation to Grant A Total of $50,000 for Ten Student-Led Programs
Boston, MA (Vocus) May 29, 2009
The Jenzabar Foundation (http://www. jenzabar. net/about_jbar/Foundation. html) today announced the winners of its 2009 Student Leadership Awards, recognizing ten student-led campus groups and projects that have made a significant contribution to better the world outside of their institutions of higher education. The winners of the second annual Student Leadership Awards have demonstrated a commitment to making a difference through community service, and their campus groups will receive a $5,000 grant to continue their work.
Nearly 150 Student Leadership Award submissions were received from students, non-profit organizations, and institutions across the globe, representing ongoing activities or projects completed during the 2008-2009 academic year. The nominations were evaluated according to the community service or humanitarian endeavors' beneficiary impact, campus influence, model, outcome, and presentation. The 2009 award winners are as follows:
Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California - SOURCE: SOURCE is a student-run organization that consults with local nonprofits in order to improve their operations and effectiveness. The organization was created by Claremont McKenna College students in 2005. The professional services that SOURCE offers to local nonprofits are entirely free of charge and assist the nonprofits in their delivery of services to their clients. During the 2008-2009 academic year, SOURCE worked closely with six local nonprofit organizations, serving a wide range of clientele. During the fall of 2008, SOURCE's partner organizations served more than 320 clients through the following nonprofit service providers.
Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin - M3C Fellows (AmeriCorps): An Edgewood College student and AmeriCorps (M3C) volunteer, Stacie Pinzl, has provided critical leadership and coordination for a central campus volunteers program that provides after-school support to children in one of Madison's largest homeless shelters. Over the 2008-2009 academic year, Stacie has single-handedly organized and coordinated an ongoing effort to recruit Edgewood College student volunteers, making it feasible to operate the after-school recreational programming for children in the Madison shelter.
Episcopal Ministry at MIT, Cambridge, MA - Lutheran Episcopal Ministry: Steven Peters, an MIT student, has helped churches in the Boston area renovate their facilities and change their building usage habits to conserve energy and lower heating bills. Because of his work, several congregations in the Boston area are wasting less energy and are able to redirect funds to programs serving children and others in need in the local neighborhoods. Steve has helped these churches find practical ways to live into their theology of caring for creation and has inspired other students at MIT to reach out to the community with their skills.
Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida - Flagler College Students in Free Enterprise: Flagler College Students in Free Enterprise prepares student leaders to create a better world for everyone. Their outreach programs are designed to create economic opportunity for others by helping them solve real world problems. 50 Flagler College Students in Free Enterprise from many different academic disciplines work together to create programs that positively impact lives and teach young working adults about the impact of dishonesty on businesses, people and the economy. FCSIFE partnered with Winmark Corporation to create employee training videos dealing with ethical behavior in a retail setting to promote and encourage thought and discussion on the ethical aspects of life and how it relates to specific issues in the workplace.
Franklin Pierce University, Rindge, New Hampshire - Reality Check: Reality Check is a student-created and student-run community service group at Franklin Pierce University. Through dramatic skits at schools and other venues, the students bring difficult issues teens are facing into the open, addressing suicide, drunk driving, drug use, cutting, domestic violence, and help them see there are ways to make healthy choices. Reality Check was created by a sophomore student in 1997, and since has presented for many public and non-profit schools and organizations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. In the past year, the group has reached approximately 2,000 individuals.
Grove City College, Grove City, PA - The Student Philanthropy Project: The Student Philanthropy Project was launched at Grove City College to provide an opportunity to help fulfill The College's mission to encourage students the development of moral character shaped by Christian principles who are prepared to serve as responsible citizens and leaders of society. By integrating philanthropy into the classroom, giving students a forum for hands-on experience in researching and supporting non-profit service organizations, the Project helps students learn how to be engaged citizens and to understand the important role philanthropy plays in the health of local communities. In 2008 $4,000 dollars contributed to Grove City College for this purpose was awarded in three grants of $2,000, $1,000, and $1,000 respectively. Students planned and hosted an award ceremony for the three finalists selected through the class project.
Keuka College, Keuka Park, NY - Up 'til Dawn Program: Up 'til Dawn is a student led and run philanthropic program in which college students nationwide raise funds for and awareness of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The student leadership committee worked with the St. Jude's field director to set fund raising and awareness goals for the current school year. Over 100 Keuka College students teamed up to write more than 2,000 letters reaching all of Keuka's 963 on-campus students with information about St. Jude's, and raised more than $9,000 for St. Jude's Research Hospital. The Keuka Up 'til Dawn program has, to date, raised more money than the other first year programs and matched or exceeded funds raised by more established programs at larger schools.
The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, - SENEA Project: The SENEA Project presents technologically appropriate energy solutions to the millions of underprivileged minority residents of northeastern Asia. SENEA team members design sustainable systems out of raw materials that are available in the region and priced reasonably for the target community. A primary outcome of the SENEA Project is the construction of a model home and greenhouse called the Sustainable Shepherd's Residence (SSR), which was designed to keep the plants and soil from freezing even in the harsh sub-Siberian winters of the region. The project site has already been visited by the mayors of several local villages, provincial policy makers and representatives of many other foreign and domestic NGOs working in the region. The SENEA team has been invited to return during the summer of 2009 and has requests from six different sites for sustainable energy model projects.
The University of Dubuque, Dubuque, Illinois - Web of Life Student Environmental Organization: Web of Life is a leader in environmental awareness and education within the Dubuque community. On campus, Web of Life regularly raises environmental awareness and promotes environmental stewardship through informational campaigns and activities. University of Dubuque's Web of Life Student Environmental Organization has impacted student involvement in environmental awareness and education programming within the Dubuque community, from the group's ongoing participation in a highway clean-up program to their effort to restore Osprey, a fish eating bird of prey, back into eastern Iowa.
University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, Indiana - One Block at a Time: One Block at a Time, in cooperation with the Haitian Health Foundation, is an organization whose focus is to provide homes and other assistance for the impoverished people of Haiti. University of Saint Francis student, Cortney Shepard, has motivated different campus clubs to create novel means of fund-raising for the purchase of infant formula. Cortney provided the groups with suggested fund-raiser ideas, but encouraged them to come up with ideas that suited their specific areas. Each club that volunteered to help was assigned a particular month to promote the formula project and raise funds. The response was so positive that often there were two groups working simultaneously to create awareness and collect money. As of March 2009, she has been instrumental in securing $3,300 for an infant formula project and collecting donations from student fund-raising efforts and the general public.
"We received so many outstanding nominations this year that we decided to award an additional three student-led activities rather than the planned seven," said Bob Maginn, Chairman of the Jenzabar Foundation and CEO and Chairman of the Board of Jenzabar, Inc. "Honorees should be extremely proud of their accomplishments and the beneficiary outcomes they have made possible through their efforts. We are eager to help these individuals progress as student leaders and continue to make a positive impact on society."
About The Jenzabar Foundation:
The Jenzabar Foundation (http://www. jenzabar. net/about_jbar/Foundation. html) is the philanthropic arm of Jenzabar, Inc. The Foundation issues grants to institutions of higher education and other non-profit organizations with similarly aligned missions, and helps promote the activities of grant recipients within their communities and on a global level. The Jenzabar Foundation is incorporated as a "charitable," non-governmental, non-profit private foundation that receives its funding from the corporation--Jenzabar, Inc.--whose name it bears. Foundation grants are managed by the Foundation itself or through partner organizations. For more information please visit The Foundation Web site at www. thejenzabarfoundation. org].
Contact:
Carina Ganias
The Jenzabar Foundation
Carina. Ganias (at) jenzabar (dot) net
617-492-9099 ext. 365
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