 | Learn and Serve UMass MLK Semester of Service Student Awards |
Building on the Promise: Learn and Serve UMass is proud to sponsor a 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
Students are invited to submit proposals outlining community service projects they hope to undertake in the Spring semester. The top three ideas will receive funding awards of $500 with which to accomplish these projects.
Proposals for the 2012 Awards are due to UMass Learn and Serve by 5pm on December 23, 2011. The deadline has been extended to 5pm on January 4, 2012.
Winners will be announced on Martin Luther King Day, January 16, on UMassMedNow, and recognized by the Dean at the medical school's MLK Day celebration on January 23, 2012. The judging panel will be 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 Suzanne Cashman or Heather-Lyn Haley, the UMass Worcester Learn and Serve faculty representatives.
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 UMass Learn and Serve by 5pm on December 23, 2011 DEADLINE EXTENDED TO January 4, 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?
2011-2012 JUDGING PANEL
Kola Akindele: Community Relations Associate, UMMS Office of Government Relations
Mark Bilotta: CEO, Colleges of Worcester Consortium
Kerry Conaghan, VP for Community Impact, United Way of Central MA
James Leary: Vice Chancellor for Community and Government Relations, UMMS
Carrie Rice: Director of Service Learning, Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Services, 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.
What is Learn and Serve UMass?
Learn and Serve UMass is a UMass system-wide grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, supporting student involvement taking place on all five UMass campuses. The overarching goal of this UMass initiative is 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 is managed by the department of Family Medicine and Community Health: Suzanne Cashman, PI, Heather-Lyn Haley, project manager.