Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Make A Difference Day Featured Event: Glendive's Haunted Hallow

Campus Corps volunteers from Dawson Community College, located in Glendive, MT decided to take full advantage of the most recent National Service Day's proximity to the Halloween holiday by constructing a "Haunted Hollow" for their Make a Difference Day service project.   There was more to the event than just spooking the local community, however, (although I am sure there was a lot of that too!) as all of the proceeds from the event were donated to the local Relay for Life: one of the flagship fundraisers for the American Cancer Society.

About 20 volunteers came out to help and together they constructed several outdoor custom built scenes, each of which promised to instill fear into anyone that dared to pass through. Their many hours of hard work paid off, and the event attracted a large number of visitors to keep them busy with their scare tactics all day long. Raising an impressive $3,000 for a good cause, Glendive's Haunted Hollow was a great success and DCC’s Corps members have done a fine job of illustrating how we can make a difference in our communities while having a lot of fun in the process!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Meet Michael : Stone Child College's "Pioneer Leader"


      I think it's safe to say that Michael "the Yellow Dart" Yegerlehner is a Campus Corps "pioneer leader".  Michael has taken on the role of leading a brand new Campus Corps program at the Montana Campus Compact's newest addition: Stone Child College.  Having relocated to Box Elder, MT on the Rocky Boy reservation all the way from his hometown of Palmyra Missouri, Michael arrived fully energized (which can partially be attributed to his tendency to sometimes overdo his coffee consumption) and ready to hit the ground running!  Faced with what many would consider the daunting challenge of establishing a new program from the ground up, Michael was not at all phased by the task at hand, and enthusiastically approached the job ready to put into action his many creative ideas as to how to engage the local community in Campus Corps.  His progress and ability to work effectively was in no way hindered by the fact that he was without an office for the first few weeks on the job, and he impressed us all with his ability to "set up shop" wherever he found space at a moment's notice.  In getting to know Michael, I have come to admire
his unfaltering optimism and "can do" attitude.
 

             In addition to his role as Stone Child College's Corps leader, Michael is also taking the lead role in a partnership with non-profit organization Opportunity Link to initiate a program on the reservation that will provide financial literacy and tax preparation training to residents of the community.  This program's initial success can be attributed to Michael's creativity and hard work.

           When he's not running around the local community setting up new partnerships and promoting Campus Corps, Michael enjoys reading a variety of literature as well as utilizing his artistic talent in painting and drawing. He has been involved in youth ministry and has found this work especially rewarding.  In the future Michael hopes to be a published author and artist in addition to teaching at the high school level and continuing his involvement in youth ministry. Certainly an ambitious career path, but I am more than confident that Michael will be successful at whatever he puts his mind to!



         

Friday, October 14, 2011

Make A Difference Day 2011



Taking place every year on the 4th Saturday of October, National Make A Difference Day rallies Americans to take action to serve their communities and to make a positive change in the world. Sponsored by USA WEEKEND & the HandsOn Network this annual event engages millions of people throughout the nation in meaningful community service. Check out the events that our Campus Corps programs throughout the state have organized to see how you too can be a part of Make A Difference Day 2011!
Aaniih Nakoda College (Harlem, MT/Fort Belknap Reservation)
Contact: Alison Graham - agraham@mail.fbcc.edu (406-353-2607)
When: October 24th, 2011
Where: Head Start, Fort Belknap Agency
Event: In honor of National Art & Humanities month and Make a Difference Day members of the Early Educations program, Campus Corps, and other volunteers will be partnering with the local Head Start Program. Specifically, participants will be assigned classrooms for which they will read a book, plan an activity around the book, and give the students a tour of the library.

When: October 26th, 2011 Where: Head Start, Fort Belknap Agency
Event: Volunteers will be working with Head Start students to paint pumpkins in celebration of Halloween. Pumpkins have been donated by the local USDA extension.

Dawson Community College (Glendive, MT)
Contact: Jacob Kilgore - volunteer@dawson.edu (406-377-9460)
When: October 22nd, 2011
Where:Cow Patty Links, Glendive, MT
Event: Campus Corps volunteers will be constructing a "Haunted Hollow": an outdoor haunted house with several different "scenes" that participants can walk through and can expect to be spooked when they do. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the American Cancer Society's local Relay For Life Event.
Flathead Valley Community College (Kalispell, MT)
Contact: Carson Booth - campuscorps@fvcc.edu (406-756-3372)
When: October 22nd, 2011
Where: the old Gateway West Mall site in Kalispell, MT
Event: Flathead Food Bank and Second Helpings are located within the old Gateway West Mall in Kalispell.  Both organizations have worked with the current mall owners, Teletech inc, to lease space out to service, volunteer, and NGO organizations within the valley. However, having sat unused for close to 15 years, the lease sites need cleaning, new paint, lighting, and other light maintenance work. Flathead Food Bank and Second Helpings are coordinating volunteers
in conjunction with the FVCC service office to help with renovations so agencies can move into the building before the end of the year.
Fort Peck Community College (Poplar, MT & Wolf Point, MT)
Contact:Katie Wise - kwise@fpcc.edu (406)768-6333
When: October 22nd, 2011
Where The Lord's Table; Wolf Point, MT
Event: Campus Corps volunteers from Fort Peck Community College will be organizing a coat drive to better equip the community for the quickly approaching cold Montana winter. They will be setting up donation locations where community members can drop off new and gently used winter coats from October 14 through the 22nd, at which date the group of volunteers will be collecting, sorting through, and delivering all of the coats to local assistance program, The Lord’s Table.
MSU (Bozeman, MT)
Contact: Alexandra Black - teamleader@montana.edu (406-994-6902)
When:October 18th, 2011 (5:00pm-7:00pm)
Where: Gallatin Valley Foodbank Event: Volunteers will be helping to package and distribute food boxes for the Senior Lunch Program.

When: October 21st, 2011
Where: The Bozeman Bowl (414 East Babcock St)
Event: Volunteers from MSU will be lending a hand at the annual "Bowl for Kid's Sake" fundraiser for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

MSU- Billings & Rocky Mountain College
Contact: Hazel Todd – hazel.todd@msubillings.edu (406-896-5815) & Jill Washburn – jill.washburn@rocky.edu (406-238-7394)
When: October 22nd (9:00am-12:00pm)
Where: 4715 Rebecca's Place
Event: Volunteers from both Rocky Mountain College and MSU-Billings will be lending a hand at the Habitat for Humanity build hosted by Montana Conservation Corps. The collaborative group of AmeriCorps members will be working to  landscape the residence located at 4715 Rebecca’s Place in Billings. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers and all over the age of 14 are welcome to participate.

MSU-Great Falls (Great Falls, MT)
Contact: T.C. Knutson – campuscorps@msugf.edu (406-771-4324)
When: October 22nd, 2011 (shift 1 at 9:00am; shift 2 at 12:30pm)
Where: shift 1 will meet at 1000 3rd Ave NW; shift 2 will meet at 1701 21st Ave.
Event: Campus Corps volunteers from MSU-GF will be partnering with local non profit organization, NeighborWorks to plant trees throughout the community. The event will take place rain or shine, so be sure to dress appropriately for the weather. Water, snacks, & pizza will be 
provided for all volunteers.

Montana Tech of the UM (Butte, MT)
Contact: Sean Cochrane - scochrane@mtech.edu (406-496-4692)
When: October 22nd, 2011 (10:00am-1:00pm)
Where:Butte Rescue Mission; volunteers will meet at their site on East 2nd St.
Event: Campus Corps volunteers from M-Tech will be lending a hand to the Butte Rescue Mission which is in desperate need of additional housing with the winter months quickly approaching. To meet this need they purchased a two-story dormitory style building that needs to be cleaned up.  Volunteers will be sweeping out and mopping the floors as well as putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls.


When: October 22nd,2011 (8:15am-11:00am)
Where: Juvenile Prison; volunteers will meet at the M-Tech Campus Motor Pool
Event: Volunteers will be working with inmates at the local Juvenile Prison

Stone Child College (Box Elder, MT / Rocky Boy Reservation)
Contact: Michael Yegerlehner - myegerlehner@stonechild.edu (573-822-6171)
When: October 20th, 26th, &27th (8:00am-10:00am)
Where: Kennewash Hall Foyer, Stone Child College
Event: Student volunteers will be organizing a coat drive for both adults and children in need that live in the local community.

University Of Montana (Missoula, MT)
Contact: Shanna Ungate – shanna.ungate@mso.umt.edu (406-243-5106)
When: October 15th, 2011 (12:30pm-4:30pm)
Where: PEAS Farm (3010 Duncan Dr.)
Event: The Campus Corps group at UM will be collaborating with local non-profit organization Garden City Harvest; specifically, they will be volunteering at their annual Fall Harvest Festival which takes place at the PEAS farm.  


University of Montana - Northern (Havre, MT)
Contact: Grace Milanowski - campuscorps@msun.edu (406-265-3577)
When:October 22nd, 2011
Where:Salvation Army of Havre, MT
Event: Volunteers will be helping out with some general cleaning, raking, shredding papers: important things that the staff does not have time to do!


When: October 29th, 2011
Where: Head Start of Havre, MT Event: Volunteers will be lending a hand with some much needed playground maintenance: painting windows in play areas, raking up and redistributing wood-chips under play areas, replacing sand in the sand box, and repainting toy sheds.


University of Montana - Western (Dillon, MT) 
Contact: Cheyanne Marcy – campuscorps@umwestern.edu (406-683-7202)
When: October 8th, 2011
Where: Virginia City town park
Event: Campus Corps volunteers from UM-Western scheduled their Make a Difference Day event a few weeks prior to the official date, as their project needed to be completed before the weather got too cold.  On Saturday October 8th, the group traveled to Virginia City where they spent a full day taking part in the town’s city park clean up/weatherization/ restoration project.  Specifically, they primed & painted the city bathroom building, stained picnic tables, and trimmed the trees and shrubs surrounding the broom ball/ice-skating rink. The Virginia City community was very grateful for all of their hard work and for all of the improvements that they made happen.

When:October 21st & 22nd, 2011
Where: Bannack, MT
Event: On October 21st & 22nd, volunteers from UM-W will be travelling to the historic ghost town of Bannack, MT to light the way for the town’s annual historic ghost walk.







Monday, October 10, 2011

2011 Building Engaged Citizens Conference : The Culture of Service

The Building Engaged Citizens Conference (BEC) is an annual training event for individuals affiliated with the Montana Campus Compact and its programs.  This year, thanks in part to Campus Compact and the Jenzabar Foundation, BEC has been expanded to include tribal campuses from around the country, providing participants sessions on the "culture of service".  Students and Service members have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, cultural awareness, and undergo skills training.
This year’s conference will take place in Billings, with lodging at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana and training activities hosted by MSU-Billings College of Technology, a Campus Compact member institution.  This year's conference promises to be a worthwhile experience for all who attend. Not only will you gain valuable knowledge and skills to better equip you to serve your communities, but it also provides an opportunity to meet and make connections with other AmeriCorps members serving throughout the state. Register now at www.regonline.com/BEC2011

Featured Leader : Katie Wise!

Meet Katie Wise, Campus Corps leader at Fort Peck Community College located in Poplar, MT on the Fort Peck reservation.  Born and raised in Denver, Colorado Katie headed east to attend Kalamazoo College located in Michigan where she fostered her natural creative juices by pursuing a degree in English with a focus in creative writing.  Her years spent at college must have suited her well, as she now aspires to pursue a career in Higher Education, specifically as an English professor.  When she's not voraciously reading novels or writing her own stories,you can likely find Katie using her creative talent in a variety of crafts.  Not only is she an excellent knitter and sewer, she has just has recently taken up the art of beading as well.  And don't be surprised to find her absorbed in an old movie while working on her many projects -  she loves old films and the Turner Classics are hands down her favorite!  Certainly a woman of many interests, I can only provide you with a mere glimpse of the amazing individual that is Katie Wise, so on that note I encourage you to get to know her yourself!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Campus Corps Hits the Road

From our home base in beautiful Missoula, the Campus Corps Network Office works hard to support our campuses widespread across the state in the great work that they do for their communities.  As much as modern technology has enabled us to effectively serve campuses from afar, there's really nothing like the real thing. Lucky for us, the Campus Corps staff get the chance to see firsthand the great things that you have going on at your campuses during our site visits, which take place at a couple of points throughout the year.

As Senior Leader, it has been especially exciting for me to see my leaders "in their element" and I continue to find myself exceedingly impressed by the amazing work that they do to build their programs, to support their members, and ultimately to serve their local communities.  Furthermore, I am exhilarated by the fact that they have made such remarkable strides so early on in the year. At this rate there is no telling what great things will transpire come spring!


Next stop: the Hi-Line. That's right, tomorrow I will be making my way up to Havre, MT and can't wait to see what Corps Leaders Michael, Grace, Alison, and their Corps members are up to!