Support U101. Visit the Sharing our Service event Thursday 11/17. U101 peer leaders share posters about their section’s community projects!
- Sharing our Service
- Location: CLC Ballroom
- Date: November 17
- Time: 3:00-4:30 PM (Come & go as you like)
Great things are happening in University 101: Introduction to the University. Every U101 section does ~4 hours of service. The U101 program has a whole will celebrate their experience with an event open to all.
As a preview, we’d like to celebrate 3 of the many sections (presented alphabetically by the instructor’s first name).
Amanda Karls
Bee Campus USA
USC Upstate recently joined the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) seeking to become a sustainability rated institution. Becoming certified as a Bee Campus is one of the many ways Upstate can demonstrate a commitment to conservation and environmental stewardship.
The University U101 campus service project provided first year students an opportunity to establish a pollinator area on campus by increasing the abundance of native plants and providing nest sites. Students researched and identified the resources needed for a designing a pollinator habitat and discovered the important role pollinators support in many aspects of our lives.
The pollinator habitat will continue to be enhanced each year and the campus community will continue to benefit from the initial work and effort the U101 students dedicated to the inaugural planting. Through the creation of informational resources for the campus community, this service learning project embraced the essential career competencies of Teamwork/Collaboration and Communication.
John Montemayor
Carolina Miracle League
Peer Leaders: Raven Miller & Jordan Jimenez
The Carolina Miracle League provides children and young adults with mental and/or physical challenges an opportunity to play baseball in a league environment. This organization’s mission is why I am so passionate about my students participating with their athletes.
I am a father of autistic young man, now 23 years old. He never was able to participate in athletics and know what it is like to feel like you have accomplished something in a team environment. Also, I grew up with my youngest sister, who had Down Syndrome. She recently passed away from COVID. Many of the athletes remind me of her, so having my students interact with the athletes is one way of staying connected with her, commemorating her memory, and at the same time giving back to those who face similar challenges.
Myles Alexander
International Kite Festival in Barnet Park (Spartanburg Soars)
On Saturday, the eighth of October, Alexander’s University 101 class spent all day helping out the International Kite Festival (Spartanburg Soars).
Sponsored by the Chapman Cultural Center, the all-day event provides an opportunity for families to meet at Barnet Park and spend time flying kites or playing games, along with visiting the many booths and exhibits. There are also ample food trucks available.
We spent long hours in the morning helping set up the booths and exhibits, then spent the late afternoon hours helping people dismantle and load things back up. One patron said “I’ve never been to a festival or show where so many people did so much to help. They truly gave the day a communal vibe.”
The students provided a gift to the entire community of Spartanburg with their tireless service, and in doing so the students received the gift of satisfaction that a job well-done for a good cause brings.
Again, come to the CLC Ballroom 11/17/2022 to learn more about these exciting projects and MANY more!