Dec. 12, 2012
For Immediate Release
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| Trent Creason, standing, observes his FIRST CLASS small group as they work with Kentucky Heartland Outreach to repair a roof during Campbellsville University’s Repair Affair. (Campbellsville University Photo by Ashley Wilson) |
By Samantha Stevenson, student news writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. —“Campbellsville University faculty, staff, coaches and students are providing community service as part of their call to be Christian servant leaders,” Dr. Michael V. Carter, president, said, and the monetary value of this service totals over $1 million.
“While the monetary value of the community service is estimated to be worth more than $1 million during the past year, the greater value is beyond human measure as we seek to change lives, impact the community and world for Christ, and give of ourselves in service to others in the name of Christ,” he said.
“I deeply appreciate the support of our community and region and truly hope that this is further evidence of our commitment to the community and world in which we live,” Carter said.
An estimated 70 percent of Campbellsville University faculty participated in some form of community service, contributing over 8,000 hours of service, averaging about 65 hours per employee.
An estimated 2,236 students at Campbellsville University participate in community service, contributing over 48,500 hours of community service, averaging almost 22 hours per student.
The students have contributed an estimated $857,507.60 to community service projects, according to Jon Hansford, director of the First Year Experience at Campbellsville University.
The faculty of Campbellsville University has contributed an estimated $146,503.30 to community service projects. These two have a combined total of over $1,004,037.90.
Campbellsville University faculty, staff, students and coaches participate in several community service projects each semester that greatly impact the campus community and the Campbellsville community.
Every freshman at Campbellsville University is enrolled in the FIRST CLASS program, a program that helps students transition academically, socially and spiritually into the collegiate community.
Freshmen are required to participate in two main service projects. Their first is Repair Affair, where students and staff members travel off campus to help a family in need. The Repair Affair involved 462 students along with 24 faculty and staff members and benefited 17 low-income homeowners with badly needed home repairs in 2012.
Students in the university’s First Year Experience class worked collaboratively with an affiliated ministry of Campbellsville University, Kentucky Heartland Outreach, to complete five building ramps and 12 decks, while contributing to a total of 3,005 hours of service.
“Service to others always benefits more than those being served because it connects our head and heart together,” Hansford said.
“Our investment of time given to the improvement of our community continues to keep the door open to our diverse and yet common humanity,” he said. “At Campbellsville University, we make every effort to ensure that we continue to provide opportunities for our students that make these connections a lifelong reality.”
This project improved over the past year by serving more than twice as many homeowners. The university works to improve the Repair Affair each year through detailed student evaluations, and staff reflections from the university and its community partner. This demonstrates the commitment each partner has to the sustainability of the program.
Federal work-study, an AmeriCorps VISTA member and the grants that KHO receive support the Repair Affair.
During the second semester at Campbellsville University, freshmen are enrolled in OR 110 FYS Part II: The Servant Leadership Project, but this class is specific to their declared major or field in which they are interested. During their second semester, freshmen students are responsible for creating and implementing a service project with their classmates.
The Servant Leadership Project in 2011 consisted of 414 students and 40 faculty and staff members completing 1,950 hours of service to serve 20,800 members of the community. Services included: tutoring students in area schools, raising money and awareness about homelessness and human trafficking, cleaning up local parks, streams, and creeks, planting over 20 trees, providing 26 health screenings, serving in area nursing homes and two local clothes closets, creating PSAs to keep the environment clean and organizing an Earth Day program for over 50 elementary school students.
The Servant Leadership Project introduces every first-year student to Campbellsville University’s culture of servant leadership and prepares him or her for lifelong service of which Christ calls His children to do.
Freshmen are not the only students who have the opportunity to serve others in the community. Members of Green Minds, a club at CU in which students who are interested in horticulture or who are passionate about the environment, also participate in community-improvement projects.
In 2011, Green Minds completed a series of projects that involved 80 students and ten faculty and staff members who contributed 560 hours of service to benefit 500 individuals. Projects include: building seven community vegetable gardens, tutoring over 100 elementary students in environmental education and sustainability practices, creek-side trash clean ups, planting 150 trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers, and providing habitat improvement for the local ecosystem.
Green Minds exemplifies the culture of servant leadership at Campbellsville University because of their effort to make the world a better place to live. Also, every single project implemented by Green Minds is initiated and completed by students. By doing this, the members of Green Minds exemplify the mission and values of Campbellsville University.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master’s degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.