OSLCE Awards and Recognition

If you have ever visited the Office of Service Learning and Campus Engagement, then you probably have seen the awards that litter the walls of the office.  These awards were given to the OSLCE to recognize the work they have done to better the Cedar Rapids Community.

The Coe College Office of Service Learning and Campus Engagement received the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in 2009 and 2010. The OSLCE was recognized for distinguished general community service in recognition of extraordinary volunteer efforts by the school and its students to serve area neighborhoods and communities.

Coe College is also recognized as a proud member of Iowa Campus Compact (IACC).  IACC is a statewide association of college and university presidents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education by educating students for active citizenship and building strong communities. This is accomplished by integrating community service, service-learning and community engagement opportunities into student's academic and co-curricular activities.

Coe College Office of Service-Learning and Campus Engagement was named Volunteer of the Year from the ARC of East Central Iowa in 2009.  This award was given to recognize the work of the service-learning professional writing class and the first year students’ service-learning program called Movin’ and Groovin’.

In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Coe College Office of Service-Learning and Campus Engagement received the Al Smith School and Community Partner Recognition Award from the following three schools: Taylor Elementary, Polk Elementary, and McKinley Middle School.  Taylor Elementary recognized Coe College for their Service-Learning Recess Buddies Program and HACAP Backpack Program. Polk Elementary honored Coe College for the Backpack Program, Off Campus Federal Work Study, and Girl Scout Outreach Program. McKinley Middle School recognized Coe College for their work with the Core Skills Study Hour Tutors, Learning Lunches, and the PenPal program.

In January 2011, the Office of Service-Learning and Campus Engagement was recognized as the “NRHH Faculty/Staff of the Month.”  This award was for their work on MLK Day.

In May 2011, Cedar Rapids Dance Marathon was recognized as the Philanthropic Contribution of the Year at Coe College during the annual Leadership Convocation.  Cedar Rapids Dance Marathon was also named the "Best new Dance Marathon" in July 2011.

Coe College Office of Service-Learning and Campus Engagement was also recognized by the Internal Revenue Service and the Iowa Department of Revenue in 2011.  This award was for their work with the VITA Super Tax Saturday held on campus in February of 2011.

Keep up the good work OSLCE!

Looking forward to a great year!

Hello! My name is Wendy and I have been a VISTA at Coe for exactly one year (today!)! However, I don't think I've actually introduced myself on this blog. So I'm here to do that!

I graduated from the University of Iowa in 2010 with a degree that does not have much to do with community service. How did I end up at Coe then, you might ask. Well, I've always been involved with my own community service and a few service-oriented organizations. I also discovered an interest in working with students while I worked in an advising office during undergrad. I was lucky to find this position at Coe because it does a great job of combining my interests in student affairs and my love for helping people.

I love to spend time with my family and friends. I've been blessed to have a very large family (45 and counting cousins that I'm very close with) and lots of friends that support me in all that I do. My family is relatively close by to Coe, so I'm fortunate to be able to see them often. Another fun fact about me is that I grew up on a dairy farm! I love talking to people about what it's like to live on a farm, so if you are curious I'm happy to share my experiences! I'm also a big hockey fan (well, it's a new interest for me, but I love it!) and college football fan.

A few of my favorite things from last year were definitely the Alternative Spring Break trip I was lucky to help advise. It was my first time in Atlanta, but it was a great experience! I also loved being able to help students throughout the year find a new passion, or continue with a passion they already held, but maybe in a new way. I really enjoy the variety of things I get to experience at Coe. I've been able to help a group of students pack over 9,000 meals in just a few hours for Kids Against Hunger, build a shed for a Habitat for Humanity family, raise over $25,500 for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, and work Aging Services to put 500 hours in one day into the community helping the elderly in the community with their housework. There's so much potential for us to help the Cedar Rapids community and I can't wait to get started on the new school year! I look forward to working with all of the new students at Coe this fall!

Best wishes, Wendy

Hey Everyone!

Hey guys!
My name is Noel Rozum, and I am the new VISTA in the Service Learning Department here at Coe. I am really excited to be working here this year because service is one of the things that I am the most passionate about. I have done a lot of volunteer work in my young adult years. I have spent more than 100 hours volunteering at a rural Iowa nursing home. I love working with the elderly! I have also spent many summer hours gutting flooded homes in the downtown Cedar Rapids area. I love organic farming and have been apart of a local community garden. This is a great way to get to know your neighbors and to be a part of the local food movement.

Besides volunteering, some of my other passions are leadership development and public speaking. I have been a student and volunteer staff member of regional leadership schools. My favorite part of these particular experiences was helping to facilitate organizational and interpersonal communication groups. From these experiences I learned about the power of teamwork. It is amazing to me how much you can get accomplished when you work as a team, especially when you are working on issues that are in dire need of community Voice.

I also like to spend time with my friends and family. Relationship are very important to me. I spend a good deal of time playing with my cat Momodu. He loves people, so come play with him sometime! I also love to read and usually have several books open at one time. I love being outdoors on hiking and camping trips.

I am a recent graduate of Coe. I majored in Religious Studies and hope to go to grad school next year for Social Work. I would like to be a counselor and would love to work with refugees. I see this next year, serving as a VISTA, to be great chance to develop myself personally and professionally. I am excited about all of the people I will get to meet and work with. As always, I am super pumped about this wonderful chance to do something good for our Cedar Rapid's community.

So, now you know a little bit about me! I can't wait to get to know all of you. I look forward to being apart of Team Service Learning!

Noel Rozum 

Vernon Inn for Gyros and Spanakopita

If you are looking for a new place to eat in Cedar Rapids you should definitely check out Vernon Inn.  If you are like myself, and LOVE Greek food than you will certainly enjoy this restaurant.  However, if you are little apprehensive about trying something new, don't be.  Vernon Inn also serves traditional American items such as chicken fingers and french fries, but I would suggest the traditional lamb and chicken gyro.  And for all you vegetarians out there, the spanakopita (spinach and feta pie) is superb.  Be sure to top it off with a tasty chunk of Baklava.  Vernon Inn is located at 2663 Mount Vernon Road Southeast.  If you're still not convinced, check out their menu at
http://vernoninn.com/menu.php

Crystal

Foundation 2 food pantry

As we all know, especially us college kids, food is a vital part of life.  We need it to obvisiously survive but also to make a movie night a TRUE movie night. However, for those less fortunate having access to food has become an ever growing struggle.  As the price of food and other products continue to go up and the state is suffering from budget cuts, families in the greater Cedar Rapids area are struggling to make ends meet.  For years this has been occuring, but within the past five years the crisis has grown even more and places such as Cedar Rapids greatly depend on donations and volutneers to help run the food pantries.  I myself am one of those volunteers that have devoted countless hours to Foundation 2 food pantry, why?  Because I know I am making a difference, oh and I LOVE it.

I started volutneering at Foundation a little over a year ago and have enjoyed every minute of it.  The pantry is located practically right across Coe, a five minute walk tops.  The food pantry is the only on in the area that is open after hours, to allow those that are at work all day, to come in and get food for their family.  I have been asked many times by people "Why a food pantry?  How much can it help?"  I always say, have you ever gone without food for more than a few days?  Some of the clients that come in to receive food go days without food, their kids are lucky to get breakfast and lunch.  The economy has truly taken a hit on those who are less fortunate.  As a food pantry based off mainly donations and HACAP (Hawkeye Area Community Action Program) orders,  we rely on volunteer help and food drives to help maintain our supply of food. 

Being a Marion native, about 7 minutes from Cedar Rapids, I was sadly not as informed as I should have been about the issues that are plaguing the Cedar Rapids area.  Since I started volutneering at Foundation 2, I have become much more educated about the area and the resources that are out there for really anyone to utilize (fun fact, Cedar Rapids is one of the best equiped cities in Eastern Iowa with social programs that aim to provide assistance to those that need it).  Having educated myself through my experience I have also met some amazing people, people who have been through so much and can still walk in smiling saying it can only get better.  Since volunteering here, I have helped people who have told me their life stories, cried, voiced their anger, been embarrased about coming, and those that have hugged me as they are walking about the door.  One story that sticks with me to this day, is when I served a family of six.  Two parents and four children.  Both the parents had just lost their jobs and were struggling to find another, they had used what they could of their savings and had finally resorted to using some of Cedar Rapids resources.  I spent about 20 minutes with them total, listening to what was going on and getting their food ready for them. They had a little boy, around the age of 3 who followed me around and helped me.  He made a copy of their sheet, put some food in their bags, and helped carry bags out.  When we were going through the cupboards grabbing the food I give to all clients, he took a can of green beans and asked if he could have them, because they did not have the money to buy them anymore.  Of course I gave them to him and he gave me a high five saying "yesssss."  I thought I was in a movie, did this little boy just get excited about a can of green beans.  A can of green beans that at his age I probably would have ate with reluctance.  That moment truly made me love volunteering at the food pantry, it made me feel that I am making a difference.

Volutneering at Foundation 2 has opened so many doors for me since I have been here, job opportunities have come along (which I am now employed through Foundation 2), scholarship applications have appeared in my mail box, and the chance to see the process of grant writing has popped up, and so much more.  Volunteering has benefitted so many people but it has also had its rewards for the volunteers.

Jenna

Eat at Zoey's!!

Zoey's Pizza is by far the best pizza in the area! Zoey's is located in Marion. The pizzeria is locally owned and the restaurant is a family friendly and the staff is extremely personable. The pizza is incredible. There is a variety of crusts to choose from and some very unique topping combinations. I reccomend canadian bacon and sauerkraut. YUM!! Grab a glass bottle of Coke and enjoy this pizza-you won't regret it!
-Sarah

You've been served! Alternative Spring Break Trip to Atlanta, GA

Alternative Spring Break trip to Atlanta, Georgia

March 5-12, 2011

Our journey from Coe to Atlanta started bright and early at 8 in the morning.  Our first day of driving took us all the way to Nashville, where we stopped for the night.  We ate at the famous Nashville Palace, and the locals there taught us how to line dance!  We spent over two hours on the dance floor, showing off our mad skills.  It was the perfect bonding experience to kick off our week of service.

The road to Atlanta was gorgeous:  there were waterfalls, misty hills, and a lot of cow herds to see.  However, we were glad to reach the city on Sunday afternoon.  Right away when we arrived, we explored the headquarters of the CNN empire and got to take a tour, which included seeing a live broadcast.  For dinner, we went to Daddy D's, which proved that you can't judge a book (or barbeque joint) by its cover.  Though the outside looked sketchy, the food inside was absolutely delicious.

We got to St. Mark's Church around 8:30 and unloaded our things.  We met David and Megan, the coordinators of DOOR (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection).  They gave us an outline of our week and helped us settle in.  We also met the choir; they welcomed us with a special rendition of "Seasons of Love".  Talk about southern hospitality.

Our first day of service in Atlanta was wonderful!  We split up into three groups and dispersed to conquer the city.  The first group went to work on a CSA farm, which grew vegetables in a low-income neighborhood.  The supervisor there was Farmer Tim, who had "the most epic beard ever."  The second group worked with Catholic Charities handing out basic supplies to needy families, and then switched midday to Books for Africa to package donated books to send to kids in Africa.  My group worked with a program called Decatour Cooperative Ministries.  We cleaned up a transitional house by scrubbing down the walls, blinds, and floors.  During the lunch break our supervisor, Sue, explained how they help about 800 families a year with housing.  It really hit me when she told us that without our help the family wouldn't be able to move in for another month.

My group went to Calvin Court, an assisted living residency, on the second day.  We served over 80 residents a Mardi Gras breakfast.  Then we visited the fitness center and eventually wound up in a small computer lab to  teach residents basic computer skills.  A different group went to a coffee shop and helped out there.  It was an interesting project because their goal wasn't to directly serve people, but to decorate and stock a shop that needed extra hands.  The last group went to the transitional house and started painting the walls.

Over the entire week, Coe's three groups managed to serve a wide variety of programs.  One group worked with HouseProud to paint a woman's house, as she didn't have the ability and resources to maintain her home by herself.  Another group went to Medshare and packaged up medical supplies to send to needy countries.  One group even went to a shelter to serve lunch.  It was an interesting place:  instead of serving the food cafeteria-style, they brought the plates to the tables and waited on them. 

Our trip wasn't all work and no play:  we often got an hour or two of free time in the afternoon or evenings to explore the city.   Besides the CNN tour, we took a tour of the Atlanta Underground and the shopping district inside.  We also found some interesting little shops and a lot of good restaurants.  Since Mandi's birthday was that week, we celebrated by seeing how much free food and gifts she could get.  The grand total was somewhere over 8 - that's a lot of desserts.

We even frequented a couple of famous buildings and historical sites.  On Wednesday, we took the afternoon off and visited the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.  There was a tour of his boyhood home and a museum to honor all those who fought for civil rights.  It was really inspiring for us and relevant to our own trip and experience, because we were in Atlanta to help raise people above their current living conditions.  We weren't fighting racism like MLK, but we were fighting poverty.

Every night after dinner, we all sat in a circle for reflection.  David and Megan led the discussion.  The first night's theme seemed to be "the face of homelessness" - how anyone can become homeless through extreme circumstances.   Another common theme that week was the impact of different types of service.  We discussed how some volunteer work is like a band-aid:  it helps patch the problem, but is only a temporary relief, like giving spare change to the homeless people on the street.  Other projects go deeper and impact people for a lot longer, such as preparing the house for a family or growing food on a community farm.  Finally, we talked about what our future plans for service were, and how we would take our experience back to Cedar Rapids to share and motivate others.

The ride back was pretty uneventful, but we did stop in St. Louis, Missouri, for the St. Patrick's Day parade.  It was a festive, fun day.  We finally arrived at Coe on Saturday night exhausted, but elated.  We accomplished a lot in our brief stay in Atlanta.  DOOR allowed us to experience a wide variety of service projects.  I think we all learned something about different cultures, patience, and what service to others meant to us.  I personally had a blast, and I can't wait until the next service trip!

Hannah