| MLK Semester of Service Student Awards |
2013 Winners announced!
1. Worcester Free Clinic Medical Interpreter Project: Miriam Madsen, Aurian Garcia-Gonzalez, Israel Molina and Wei Sum Li will work with the St. Anne's Clinic and the UMass Memorial Interpreter Services to improve the quality and availability of Spanish-language interpreters for patients who currently rely on the Free Clinic system.
2. Department of Youth Services Health Education Curriculum: Rahela Aziz-Bose and Julia Randall will work with the Central Region DYS to create and teach a series of health education classes on topics of interest to the youth housed within the detention system, including nutrition and exercise, drugs and alcohol, anatomy and puberty, STIs and contraception, and healthy relationship.
3. Integrative Medicine Gynecological Oncology Initiative: Building on the success of last year's Oncology Initiative, James Doolin, Nicole Koulisis, Emily Levoy and Ye Li will work with the Division of Gynecological Oncology to extend the provision of wellness classes to include free individualized integrative medicine sessions to those with sensitive gynecological oncology issues.
4. Mentoring Local Refugee Youth for Storytelling and Performance: Jennifer Perez, Sarah Tracy and Meredith Walsh will work with the Worcester Refugee Assistance Project to mentor local youth as they reflect on their life experiences and personal goals. The program will culminate in a story-telling performance at the annual African Children's Education Program Spring Festival.
Students are invited to submit proposals outlining community service projects they hope to undertake in the Spring semester. The top four ideas will receive funding awards of $500 with which to accomplish these projects.
Proposals for the 2013 Awards were due by 5pm on December 28, 2012.
Winners areannounced on Martin Luther King Day on UMassMedNow, and recognized by the Dean at the medical school's MLK Day celebration in January. The judging panel is comprised of members of both internal and external groups involved in community service and service learning.
Priority will be given to projects that:
• Enhance or strengthen existing relationships with the community
• Address both community needs and student learning objectives
• Provide opportunities for a diverse range of UMass community members to work together
• Increase the number of students, staff and faculty engaged in the community
• Include opportunities for learners to reflect on their experience
How do I apply?
Applicants must be current UMass Worcester students in good academic and professional standing who wish to organize and run a community service project during the spring 2012 semester. Students are encouraged to partner with a local organization that is a non-profit with 501c3 or other tax-exempt status. For assistance connecting with a community partner, interested students should speak with Heather-Lyn Haley or any other member of the UMass Worcester Community Engagement Committee.
Please submit an application containing all of the items specified below.
1. Student name(s), school, class, and contact information
2. Community-based organization name(s), contact name and information
3. Narrative (no more than three pages) that includes:
• Project overview
• Explanation of community needs/assets being addressed
• Student learning objectives being met
• Proposed activities and timeline
• Description of target audience and participants
• Plan for recruiting and training of participants
• Plan for reflection and evaluation of results
• Budget narrative
What is the deadline?
All proposals are due to Heather-Lyn Haley by 5pm on December 28, 2012.
How do I submit my proposal?
Email completed proposals to the UMass Worcester Learn and Serve Site Coordinator, Heather-Lyn Haley
at Heather-Lyn.Haley@umassmed.edu or deliver to
Heather-Lyn Haley, PhD
UMass Medical School
55 Lake Ave N, Benedict A3-219
Worcester, MA 01655
Who will select the winners?
2012-2013 JUDGING PANEL
Mark Bilotta: CEO, Colleges of Worcester Consortium
Kerry Conaghan, VP Community Impact, United Way of Central MA
James Leary: Vice Chancellor for Community and Government Relations, UMMS
Carrie Rice: Director of Service Learning, MCPHS University, and Chair, Colleges of
Worcester Consortium Community Engagement Committee
Clara Savage: Director, Common Pathways Community Health Network Coalition
Mark Shelton: Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications, UMMS
What is expected of students who are awarded a Learn and Serve Student Award?
All students who receive an award are expected to plan and execute a community service project during the Spring semester. All materials created in the execution of the project should bear the Learn and Serve logo. A brief final report documenting the use of funds, number of participants, outcomes of the project, and lessons to be shared with future awardees will be requested, preferably in the form of a powerpoint presentation that can be uploaded for archiving on the Learn and Serve UMass facebook page. They will also be asked to administer a brief online Learn and Serve survey to all students who participate in the service project, and document the numbers and types of participants involved both as volunteers and as recipients of service.
History of the awards:
Building on the Promise: Learn and Serve UMass was a two-year grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (2010-2012). The grant funded the first two years of this community service initiative designed to support student-driven service projects in the communities that surround the UMass Worcester campus.
The first awards were given in January of 2011 to support:
- WooFoods healthy menu restaurant education initiative
- Family Health Night with the Burma Youth Organization
- Healthy Foods Rotating Potluck Nutrition program with African Community Education Program
- GEAR-UP reading group with North High School students
The 2012 grant winners included:
- Kelley Backpacks for children entering foster care
- Integrative Oncology Project bringing meditation and alternative therapies to cancer patients
- Free Clinic Laptop Project helping to bring efficiency to the care of patients across free clinics
- Free Clinic Medication Management Project to more safely manage and distribute medication to those in need
What is Learn and Serve UMass?
Learn and Serve UMass was a UMass system-wide grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, supporting student involvement taking place on all five UMass campuses from 2010-2012. The overarching goal of this UMass initiative was to expand service learning and community service opportunities for students, with specific focuses on youth work, economic development, and community partnerships.
At UMass Worcester, it was managed by the department of Family Medicine and Community Health: Suzanne Cashman, PI, Heather-Lyn Haley, project manager.