Service In Action '09: Champlain Students Making a Difference

Alternative Spring Break is a wonderful thing. Last year we had a group of student who went to New Orleans and helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity. This year a different group of students are heading to Washington, DC to help out local food banks and homeless shelters.

Not only is this a way for our students to give to a community, it is also a life-changing experience for the students who go.

They are often, for the first time, seeing a level of poverty and challenge that they have never seen before. They learn just how much one person can make a difference in the lives of someone else and they gain a much more intimate understanding of how interconnected we all are as human beings.

They leave very soon (next week is our break) and while they have done a great deal of fundraising, they are still $1500 short of their goal. They are looking for help to raise that money so they can offset the cost of the trip. If you are able to help out, go here: https://secure.champlain.edu/annualfund/ and designate your donation for THE CENTER FOR SERVICE AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT who helps to coordinate the Alternative Spring Break. Consider how your donation will help not just our students but the people that they will be helping.

Now that's paying it forward.

Real School Choice

I've been wondering a lot lately about school choice and the concept that parents should have the ability to send their children to an educational facility that fits the families needs.

Many families elect to send their children to the public school in their neighborhood/district because it makes the most economic sense and they want to be part of that community.

I am not one of those families. That's not to say that the school district where I live is not successful, but when it came time to select a school for my daughter I was very clear that it would be a private, catholic school. Why? Because I went to a private catholic school when I was a child and I believe that the education I received there built a strong foundation for who I am today.

Educating the "whole child". It's part of the mission of the school my daughter goes to and as I see her moving through her education I realize just how important that is today more than ever. The children in my daughter's school are well-behaved (for the most part), respectful and helpful in their attitudes. They are learning how to read and write and how to think both qualitatively and quantitatively. They are learning the basics. And their learning environment is safe and is something that I, as a parent, actually have a say in. No one is "making out" in the hallway. No one is afraid to go to school. The kids are dressed appropriately (I LOVE uniforms...even if my daughter doesn't). I can talk with her teachers and have access to the school in a way that my friends who have children in public schools just don't seem to have.

While public education struggles with budget shortfalls and continually "reinvents" itself I hear from other parents who have children in the public school system about how they worry about their children. It is often about an environment issue between smoking, drugs and pregnancy and violence. So legislative bodies bandy about the concept of school choice and we have "no child left behind" and our children are caught in the middle.

And we are left wondering if we have a choice.

I know we have a choice. I am an example of that choice. My daughter is an example of that choice.

Here in Burlington we are lucky enough to have several private catholic schools as well as several other different religious schools. They are located throughout the city. They are convenient and offer an education for the whole child. Regardless of your faith there is an opportunity here to explore your school choice -- if your public school isn't performing the way you want it to, take a look at what the private school's have to offer.

My daughter's school has small classes so she gets individualized attention, she's learning French and has access to computers and science. It's a traditional education without a bunch of bells and whistles and when she completes eight grade, I'll know she has a solid education that will allow her to take on anything in high school -- she'll be ready (not sure if I will be!).

As an educator myself, who sees what a difference a strong elementary and high school education mean for the students I teach, it's an investment in my daughter's future that I'm happy to make.

St. Joseph Catholic School, where my daughter goes, has an open house on March 2nd and 3rd from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. You can call them at 802-864-5623 to set up an appointment. To find out more about other Catholic schools in the Burlington Area check out: http://www.catholicschoolsvt.org/

A club, a cause, an event worth going to

The Champlain Campus is starting to buzz about a fundraising event that is being organized by the college's International Development Club to help raise money for a local non-profit Global Reach Partnerships.

Students have gotten sponsorships, a venue, and are recruiting local high school basketball players to participate in a Slam Dunk competition -- all to benefit an organization that is focused on helping refugees connect with mentors and role models here in Vermont. The Slam for Sudan is the event and here is what they have done so far:

1. Created a Website: http://www.theslamforsudan.org/
2. Created a Facebook Fan Page
3. Created a Facebook Event
4. Created a Twitter Account

They have also garnerned some great sponsorships:

1. Ben and Jerry's


2. Jay Peak


3. Ralph Lauren


4. Bogner


5. Essex Shops and Cinema


6. The Inn at Essex


7. Eating Well


8. Late Night Saturday


9. CHAMP Radio Station


10. The Links at Lang Farm


11. Champlain College

What I love about this is the fact that students on campus are fired up about this. The organizers are passionate and excited. They are working to connect as many people as possible to a cause that they believe in. It's a great example of how passion can help drive forward an idea. The idea itself, to involve local high school basketball players from around Vermont and to get sponsorships for the different segments of the event and give out prizes...Wow! (note the different parts)

The BEN AND JERRY'S Slam Dunk Contest

and

The JAY PEAK 3 Point Shoot Out

It's a wonderful blend of marketing techniques for a good cause that is local and helps make a difference.

The event is on March 25th and it will be interesting to not only watch the club utilize different marketing techniques to publicize the event, but to watch the community get involved to help an organization that is there for a new group of people who have come to and become part of our community.

Two of Champlain's faculty, Tom Myers and Scott Baker are board members with Global Reach Partnerships and several of us have students from the club in our classes.

So take a few minutes to check out this charity event and if you are local -- sign up! And if you aren't local, plan a trip to Vermont at the end of March. And if you can't do that, use their PAYPAL donation tool to donate some money to help this important organization do their work. Friend them on Facebook, visit their website, add their event, follow their twitter!

Guest Post at Danny Brown's Blog: Small Business and Social Media

As promised in my last post, I have written a guest post for Blogger and PR Professional Danny Brown. It came from a Twitter conversation I had with Danny (who I follow on Twitter @dannybrown) late last year. He felt that 2008 was THE year for Social Media -- and I politely disagreed (smile). Out of that conversation came his request that I provide a guest blog post at his site.

I finally got it done today and he posted it lightening quick! Here's the link: http://dannybrown.me/2009/02/01/small-business-not-ready-for-prime-time-yet/

Enjoy.