Leader Profile: Hazel Todd

Hazel (right) at a Campus Corps event at MSU-B

          This week's featured leader is Hazel Todd who has already had an impressively successful year leading her Campus Corps members serving at MSU-Billings. Hazel is a Montana native, born and raised in the town of Butte. She left her hometown for her college years which were spent in Bozeman, MT studying at MSU. Hazel is proud of her Montana roots and shares that "I like telling people I am from Montana; I feel really proud to be a part of such a beautiful place!” . This year she has made a new home for herself in Billings and has already, in these past few months, created for herself a strong sense of community in her new town. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, and running.  Hazel has big plans for next year, as she intends to move all the way to Austin, Texas!

         In college Hazel focused her studies in the field of Family Sciences and foresees the pursuit of a masters degree in Social Work in her future. As a student at MSU Hazel was a member of Campus Corps and her experiences serving others seem to have had a lasting effect on her, as involvement in community service has become an important component of her life. Hazel's lifelong commitment to service is illustrated in her vision for her future; specifically, she explains that in 10 years she sees herself "working at an organization that values service as much as I do". Wherever that may be will certainly be lucky to have such a passionate, fun, and dedicated addition to their organization!

Campus Corps Helps Prepare Students for College with "Know How 2 Go"

 During the month of January, The University of Montana-Western and Montana Tech have been working together to bring the “Know How 2 Go” initiative to Southwestern Montana to the high schools in the Ruby Valley area. Montana Tech also brought the “Know How 2 Go” initiative to middle students from Butte, Anaconda, Deer Lodge and Helena.

Know How 2 Go is a national initiative that aims to help high school and middle school students successfully make the transition from high school to a post-secondary education. These visits comprise fun, educational, and interactive lessons on the steps for getting into college and adapting to college life. Schylar Canfield-Baber the Student Assistance Foundation based at Montana Tech gave presentations concerning applying for scholarships and other means of financial Aid. Campus Corps members facilitated games such as Jeopardy or “Double Dare” that intended to get the students engaged in learning about the college experience. One student from Harrison High School even said, “We should have assemblies like this more often”.

Along with going into the high schools, middle school students from Butte, Anaconda, Deer Lodge and Helena were able to visit Carroll College and the University of Montana-Helena to gain valuable first-hand experience from real world professionals. These students also attended workshops that were facilitated by Montana Tech Campus Corps members that pertained to the 4 Steps of the “Know How 2 Go” initiative.
             Cheyanne Marcy, Campus Corps Team Leader at UM-Western, was one of the many representatives involved in the program. “Opening the doors to options beyond high school by educating students on the resources available to them is pertinent to their success. Many students do not have the access or support outside the classroom, bringing the KnowHow2Go college access program to the students opens their minds up to the possibilities that do exist for them to accomplish their dreams.”

Sean Cochrane, Campus Corps Team Leader at Montana Tech says, “It was great to see the students get involved and really take a vested interest in their futures. I feel that we were able to reach a lot of the kids, which is always great, and I look forward to seeing them continue their educations.”

For more information on the Know How 2 Go Initiative, visit their website at www.knowhow2go.org.

Sean Cochrane Wins MLK Day Photo Contest!

Montana AmeriCorps Connection challenged volunteers from all over the state to see who could capture the best photograph from their MLK Jr. Day service events. The award for top photo went to Campus Corps' very own Sean Cochrane whose submission was taken at the "Stop, Drop, & Read" event that M-Tech's Campus Corps program hosted in honor of MLK Jr. Day! Congratulations to Sean for a job well done!

Photo by Sean Cochrane, 1/16/12 “Butte children meet a firefighter in full bunker gear, so they won’t be scared by the man in the suit in the event they need to be rescued.”

Visit the Campus Corps Facebook Page to see more photos from this event and from other MLK Day projects that took place across the state and check out the other photo conenders on the Montana AmeriCorps Connection Website. Furthermore, the Governor's Office of Community Service featured an article about Sean's achievement on the Serve Montana Website.

Red Cross Campus Corps Member Steps Up to Provide Disaster Relief Services to Victims of Forest Fires

Red Cross Campus Corps members and their leader Jill Washburn at this year's BEC Conference. Raina is in the center.

This year Campus Corps has joined forces with the Red Cross of Montana to help make communities throughout the state better prepared for potential disasters. Working in such a large state with a variety of geographic regions, the Red Cross of Montana has stepped up to help communities deal with everything from severe flash flooding to forest fires to blizzards. With 8 Campus Corps members stationed at campuses throughout the state, Red Cross of Montana has equipped each with thespecific knowledge and skills needed to best assist the particular region in which they are serving.

While efforts are for the most part focused on equipping local communities to better deal with potential disasters, when disaster does strike, members are called upon to step up, and are asked to put their knowledge and skills into action.  Raina Witherite, Campus Corps member at MSU-Great Falls, truly embodied the mission of the Red Cross this winter break when she travelled across the state to respond to a Montana community's call for help. Specifically, Raina courageously offered to be a part of the emergency crew that travelled to Browning, MT to provide disaster relief to the communities of northwestern Montana that were being devastated by forest fires.

MSU-GF Campus Corps leader, T.C. Knutson interviewed Raina to learn more about her experience in Browning. T.C. speaks very highly of Reina and shared that: "I am proud to have her on my Campus Corps team; she really knows what service to her community is".  See what Raina had to say about her recent Red Cross experience and about volunteering in general:

Why do you enjoy working with the Red Cross?

“I like helping people, and it makes me feel all fuzzy inside.”

What was the most memorable thing about the Browning fires?

“When I first saw the fire, I knew it was something really big and affecting a lot of people. I knew I would be helping a lot of people.”

Why did you join Campus Corps?

“Because I really enjoy volunteering, and I knew that I would have a lot of volunteering opportunities with Campus Corps.”

What’s been your favorite volunteering activity so far?

“Working at the Heisey Soup Kitchen.”

Why is that?

“Because I’ve met a lot of really nice people there, and I can see the people I’m helping first hand and interact with them.”

What has been your most rewarding experience with the Red Cross so far?

“Probably when we went to Browning.”

Why?

“Because it was such a large scale disaster and I got to see all the disaster components of the Red Cross come together.”

What do you mean by "components"?

“Like all the SOUs and shelter surveys, and all the work they’ve been trying to get me to do, I can see now how it all works together and how it is used.”

Will you continue volunteering with the Red Cross?

“YEP!  I’m excited to help more people in disasters!”

What do you find so interesting about people in disasters?

“They are so thankful that you are there. Most of the time they are really nice and willing to ‘help you help them’”

MLK Jr. Day 2012 - A Successful "Day On"

MLK Day was a great success for Campus Communities across the state with Campus Corps programs hosting a variety of events to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! An overwhelming number of volunteers came out to take part in the various events, embracing the idea that the holiday be viewed as a "day on" and an opportunity to be of service to one's community, rather than just another day out of the office. Congratulations to everyone involved in this year's MLK Day National Day of Service, for being a part of such a successful statewide initiative!  And thank you to all volunteers who devoted a great deal of their time and effort to support an important cause!

Projects in Billings & Butte were both featured in their local news stations. Check out the coverage that Campus Corps at MSU-B & M-Tech received for their exceptional MLK Day projects:

MSU-B on local Billings station KTVQ. Story starts 9min30sec into the clip: http://www.ktvq.com/videos/q2-5-30pm-news-1-16-2012/

M-Tech's "Stop, Drop, & Read" Event was featured on local Butte news station, kxlf: http://www.kxlf.com/player/?video_id=11532
It was also written up in the Montana Standard Newspaper:

http://mtstandard.com/news/local/visiting-the-fire-station/article_fde133c0-40d6-11e1-bd37-0019bb2963f4.html

MSU-Northern's event was covered in the Daily Havre News. View it here!

Campus Corps Members Gear up for Tax Season with VITA

January 31st marks the beginning of tax season: a time of year that many Americans dread as it entails either an attempt to navigate the confusing process of filing one's own taxes or spending excessive amounts of money to pay someone to complete the task for you. While the accurate completion of one's taxes is indeed a common struggle for many Americans, it is especially difficult for those living in isolated rural communities in which there are minimal services available to provide assistance and where most residents would not be able to afford such services even if they were present.

Having been identified as a pressing community need, the lack of affordable tax assistance available to those living in the more rural areas of the state is now being addressed by a few initiatives that have emerged in recent years to help rectify this problem.  Campus Corps has joined efforts with one such program, having recognized this issue as something to which college students can contribute to by using their specialized skills to make a positive difference.  Specifically, three of our member institutions, MSU-Northern, Stone Child College, and Aaniiih Nakoda College have placed volunteers to serve with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program: a statewide initiative that trains volunteers in the tax process then coordinates efforts to have them provide free tax assistance and preparation services to the members of their local communities.

The six Campus Corps members working with the VITA program have devoted a great deal of time over the past few months attending tax preparation classes and studying for their certification exam, which they are required to pass by January 31st. Through this rigorous training process, VITA ensures that volunteers are well equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to provide adequate tax guidance services to their local community.  SCC member Michael explains that they are encouraged to first practice their newly mastered skills by offering their services to friends who may be in need of tax assistance.  Once it's time to put their skills into action, volunteers are stationed at various locations throughout the state including libraries, community centers, schools, etc. where local residents can schedule appointments with them to receive their services completely free of charge.  Grace Milanowski, Campus Corps leader at MSU-N and VITA volunteer, admits that the class was challenging, but shares that "the thing that I think is great is that I am learning a ton from the experience that will be useful to me personally". She goes on to explain that while it is difficult to see the payoff of her hard work at this point (as they have not yet started providing services) she is" looking forward to the opportunity to finally put my knowledge into action and to help the people in my community". Well said Grace and we are all looking forward to hearing how your experience unfolds!

Aaniiih Nakoda's Campus Corps Leader Ali Graham

I am proud to introduce Campus Corps leader Alison Graham, better known as Ali, who has been paving the way in creating a culture of service within the community on the Fort Belknap Reservation.  Ali serves as the college's first ever Campus Corps leader and was lucky enough to be  a part of the campus community this past fall when it underwent its monumental name change from Fort Belknap College to the self-proclaimed traditional title of "Aaniiih Nakoda College". The renaming officially took place in September of 2011 and marked the culmination of the efforts of many to make this long awaited vision finally become a reality.

Ali seems to have acclimated to life in the small town of Chinook, MT with remarkable ease, which certainly serves as a testament to the adaptability of this “go-with-the-flow" southern girl. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Ali left home for college and has spent the past four years living in the Midwest enrolled as a student at Saint Louis University where she majored in Psychology.  Ali intends to incorporate the knowledge and wisdom gained from this field of study in her pursuit of a career as a licensed social worker.

When speaking with Ali about her college years, she cites that some of her fondest memories are from her involvement with the Campus Kitchen program: a non-profit food re-purposing program that utilizes excess food from grocery stores, catering services, and other organizations to create healthy meals for hungry individuals living nearby the campus.  Ali especially enjoyed her role in involving the members of local youth groups in this admirable program.

Some fun facts about Ali are that she enjoys reading, cooking, taking pictures, and baking in her spare time. Her favorite holiday by far is Thanksgiving and fittingly enough her favorite food is mashed potatoes. She has embraced living amongst a community of people who so strongly identify with the rich cultural heritage that they have worked so hard to preserve. In fact, one of the projects she is most looking forward to this spring is organizing a series of cultural events in partnership with Aaniih Nakoda students that will celebrate and share their rich cultural heritage.

MLK Day of Service

The Corporation for National & Community Service is urging community members across the nation on this MLK Day holiday to "Make it a day on, not a day off" by participating in service projects in honor of MLK Jr.  Campus Corps programs throughout the state are on board with this national initiative to promote service and diversity in honor of our national hero. Check out   the list of projects taking place on campuses across the state to see how you can be involved in your local community!


Aaniiih Nakoda College (Harlem, MT/ Fort Belknap Reservation)
Event: Read for Peace: Student Volunteers will be going into classrooms to read books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as other peace-themed books to students who will then complete a corresponding art activity.
When: Friday January 13th, 2012
Where: Head Start of Harlem & the Immersion School
Contact: Alison Graham (agraham@mail.fbcc.edu/ 406-353-2607)


Dawson Community College (Glendive, MT)
Event: Community members will have their photos taken to be displayed in an exhibit along with an explanation of what diversity means to them. This exhibit will be on display both at the Glendive Boys & Girls Club as well as on the DCC campus.
When: TBD
Where: Glendive Boys & Girls Club/ DCC Campus
Contact: Jacob Kilgore (volunteer@dawson.edu/406-377-9460)


Fort Peck Community College (Poplar, MT/ Fort Peck Reservation)
Event: Read for Peace: On January 17th, the The Campus Corps program at FPCC will host a two part read for peace event intended to educate student's of Dr. King's legacy and will involve community members and parents in the process. There will be an afternoon reading project that will take place at the Ft. Peck Library, led by volunteers and aimed at pre-school aged head start children. This will be followed by an evening read-a-thon at Poplar Elementary Schools, during which teachers, volunteers and families will come together to enjoy a meal, read to the children, and work on art and written projects focusing on the theme of diversity.
When:  January 17th, 2012 (12:00pm-5:00pm)
Where: Poplar Public Library (afternoon Read for Peace) & Poplar Public Schools (evening read-a-thon)
Contact: Katie Wise (kwise@fpcc.edu/406-768-6333)


Flathead Valley Community College (Kalispell, MT)
Event: In collaboration with the Culinary Arts Program at FVCC, Campus Corps members have helped organize a free cooking class intended for community members currently receiving SNAP and Food Bank Benefits.  The class will offer creative ways to stretch one's dollar in order to provide nutritious non processed meals for their family.
When: January 16th, 2012
Where: FVCC Campus (777 Grandview Dr.)
Contact: Carson Booth (campuscorps@fvcc.edu/ 406-756-3372)


Montana State University (Bozeman, MT)
Event: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Bozeman Celebration & March : The Bozeman community will host a march to the Emerson Cultural Center where there will be music, speeches, and a variety of local non profits set up at tables. The objective of the event is to promote diversity, raise awareness of volunteer opportunities, and to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King in the process.
When: January 16th, 2012 (1:00pm-3:30pm)
Where: Emerson Cultural Center (111 South Grand Ave. Bozeman, MT 59715)
Contact: Alex Black (teamleader@montana.edu/ 406-994-7571)


MSU-Billings (Billings, MT)
Event: MLK Power of One Week: On Monday morning the MSU-B Campus Corps program will host have a bell ringing ceremony in Peaks to Plains Park and then proceed to the Atrium in our SUB building for a program that will include, a reenactment of an excerpt from one of King’s speeches, songs from the MSUB choir, an opportunity to sign MLK pledge cards and quotes read aloud by campus corps team members.  Ad
When: January 16th, 2012 (9:50am - 11:00am)
Where:  MSU-Billings SUB 225, 1500 University Dr. Billings, MT 59101

Contact: Hazel Todd (hazel.todd@msubillings.edu/ 406-896-5817)


Event: MLK Service Saturday - Students that participate in this month's Service Saturday event will visit different group homes in the Billings area and work with the residents to do an art project, play games, and read books, all of which will focus on diversity. Additionally, they will purchase new games and books to donate to the group homes. 
When: January 21st, 2012
Where: MSU Billings
Contact: Hazel Todd (hazel.todd@msubillings.edu/ 406-896-5817)

MSU- Great Falls (Great Falls, MT)

Event: MLK & Childhood Awareness The Boys’ and Girls’ Club and Campus Corps are going to work with children in their after-school programs to raise their awareness about Martin Luther King Jr.  Kindergarten through 4^th graders will participate in Read for Peace, a program in which volunteers read age appropriate books about MLK to students and allows for those children to reflect on ideas generated from their reading through poems and pictures.  5-12^th graders will participate in a film on MLK that highlights his goals and ideas of equality.  The film will be accompanied with a guest speaker. 
When: January 13th, 2012 (4:00pm-6:00pm)

      Where: Boys & Girls Club ( 600 1st Ave SW, Great Falls, MT 59404
   Contact: T.C. Knutson (campuscorps@msugf.edu/ 406-771-4324)

MSU- Northern (Havre, MT)

Event: In an effort to honor this vision and the work and legacy of Dr. King and raise awareness about appreciating diversity in our community, MSU-Northern plans to host a free luncheon and art exhibit on campus. The lunch will be open to all students, faculty and the public, will include a presentation of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and will display local community members’ and students’ art pieces focused on diversity. After this event to celebrate diversity and Dr. King, the art will be on display on campus and open to the public for a week after. Artists will have the option to donate their piece for a silent auction and proceeds will go towards the Havre Food bank, an organization that fills the crucial need of providing food to community members in need.

When: Primarily 1/18/12 (and art exhibit open 1/18/12-1/27/12)
Where: UM Northern Student Union Building Ballroom

Contact: Grace Milanowski (campuscorps@msun.edu/ 406-265-3577)


MSU - Western (Dillon, MT)

Event: Read for Peace. Student volunteers at UM-W have expanded this program to apply to students enrolled in K-12, altering the projects to ensure that they are age appropriate for each audience. They will read stories to classrooms in elementary and middle school and complete an accompanying art project afterwards. The UM-W Campus Corps program has also organized a "freedom speech" writing competition with a local high school English class. The event will culminate on January 16th with a community event during which the top 3 speech writers will deliver their speeches for the local community and the art work created by students in local classrooms will be displayed.  

When: TBD
Where: Dillon Elementary/Beaverhead County High School

Contact: Cheyanne Marcy (campuscorps@umwestern.edu/406-683-7202)

Montana Tech of the UM (Butte, MT)

Event: "Stop, Drop, & Read" Children will have a “day off” of school but a “day on” of learning. Stop Drop and Read will take place at two local fire stations, one in the uptown area and one in the downtown area. At each location, firefighters will read a story to the children, followed by a tour of the fire station. The firefighters will also give a short presentation on fire safety. Local veterans will present the children with and American flag and lead them through the pledge of allegiance. At the end of the event, McDonald’s will provide refreshments for the children, and each child will be able to choose a book of their very own to take home with them so they can start their own reading library.

When: January 16th, 2012

Where: Butte Fire Dept. (1:00pm-2:30pm)

Contact: Sean Cochrane (SCochrane@mtech.edu/406-496-4692)

Rocky Mountain College (Billings, MT)

Event: We will have a few activities going on between January 9th-31st to celebrate MLK day and community service. From 1/9-1/31 we will be doing a canned food drive that will be part of our April Canstruction event that will benefit the Billings Food Bank and Family Services Inc. On 1/17 in partnership with Rocky's Student Activities group we will be having students make cards that will be passed out to children at the local hospital, we also be using their activity promotion areas around campus to highlight the importance of community service. In partnership with our Physician's Assistants program we will be promoting and encouraging students, staff and faculty to sign up for the blood drive scheduled on February 9th. On 1/26 and 1/27 some Rocky students will volunteer to help out with the annual Billings Project Homeless Connect. Lastly we will also staff a table during the lunch hours on the Mondays in January to promote upcoming community service activities and MLK day information.

When: January 9th - January 31st
Where: Various Locations

Contact: Jill Washburn (campuscorps@rocky.edu/ 406-238-7394)

Stone Child College (Box Elder, MT/Rocky Boy Reservation)

Event: Read for PeaceIn the spirit of Martin Luther King, volunteers at SCC will come together to promote a more just and peaceful world, starting with education at the lowest levels.  Volunteers will sign up to read to students at the local Head Start over a span of 5 days. They have selected to read 'The Peace Book' by Todd Parr which deals with simple and practical issues that the kids can grasp and put into practice even at their young age, laying a strong foundation for future growth.

When: January 16th-20th, 2012
Where:  Head Start/Stone Child College (8294Box Elder Rd.)

Contact: Michael Yegerlehner (myegerlehner@stonechild.edu/ 573-822-6171)

University of Montana (Missoula, MT)

Event: The National Coalition Building Institute will be hosting a MLK Day rally and parade including speakers and live music.  During the rally, representatives from the Missoula AIDS Council and Campus Corps volunteers from UM will be collecting clothes to benefit Project Homeless Connect(PHC).  PHC is a one day event in late January that provides showers, food, legal advice, id help and other aid to the homeless population of Missoula.  The clothes collected by volunteers at the rally will be given to community members in need during the PHC event.

When: January 16th, 2012 (10:00am-2:00pm)

Where: Caras Park, downtown Missoula

Contact: Shanna Ungate (shanna.ungate@mso.umt.edu/406-243-5531)