State grant paving the way for Centre College to expand community service commitment

Centre College’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement has received a boost for promoting service and volunteerism at the College.

As a Kentucky Campus Compact member institution, Centre will receive three years of EngageKY+ grant funding provided by the AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation fund.

“The goal is to increase the quantity and quality of volunteerism led by Kentucky higher education institutions with students, faculty, staff and community partners,” said Jessica Weasner, director of the Office of Civic and Community Engagement (OCCE). “The objectives are to reduce barriers to volunteering and to build capacity for collegiate volunteer programs.” 

Centre will use the funds in multiple ways: Weasner said it will help pay for the College’s online community service platform, CentreEngage. Funds will allow the OCCE to hire student employees and help pair student affinity groups with service opportunities. 

One example is through the Danville Families First Family Resource Center, where Centre students play an integral role in their service to two local elementary schools, Hogsett Primary and Toliver.

“Not only do they take part in providing our usual service offerings, like delivering weekend food to homes, they also help with needs that are voiced throughout the year,” said Jenny Clark, the family resource center director. “For instance, one of our Bonner Scholars is leading a ‘Lunch Bunch’ with fifth-grade girls to help with transitioning to middle school, social interactions and issues, and self-esteem. We helped her find a curriculum from our guidance counselors, and she is doing the rest. It has been insightful for all involved.”

Centre volunteers also bring fresh perspectives to the center’s work, she said. 

Another local organization that is frequented by Centre volunteers: The Danville/Boyle County Humane Society. An average of 15 students per week visit the Danville/Boyle County Humane Society, according to the humane society executive director Kari Kuh.

"Centre students are at the heart of our volunteer corps and we're lucky to have them," Kari said. "Not only are the students reliable and responsible, they're also fun to work with. Students assist with cleaning, socializing animals, data entry, greeting guests, and much more. The DBCHS is a better organization because of Centre volunteers."

Weasner noted the funds will also be used to offer “mini-grants” to faculty and staff who would like to incorporate service into existing programs and courses. Stodghill Professor of Religion Rick Axtell made the most of these funds in his course, “World Hunger and the Environment,” in a recent course trip to Louisville, Kentucky. 

After visits to the Healing Place, Phoenix Clinic and an environmental justice tour, students volunteer at an open-mic coffeehouse where most of the guests and many of the performers are unhoused residents of Louisville, Axtell said. 

“The students waited on tables, served in the kitchen filling orders, interacted with those in attendance, and even provided some of the music,” he said. “This model is unlike any performance venue I know of, bringing together people as diverse as numerous poets and rappers, a Louisville orchestra violist, a blues singer who lived in a riverside camp, and one shelter resident trained in opera.”

Through the class, students will also tour a low-impact hydroelectric plant, help on a farm that participates in community-supported agriculture, learn to cook at an off-the-grid homestead using a solar oven and do some hiking and cleanup at the Kentucky Wildlife Refuge.

"Service is one of the key tenets of a Centre College education for a reason. Engagement in the local community through service helps students build leadership and communication skills," Weasner said. "It gives them an opportunity to apply classroom learning to 'real-world' contexts, improving their ability to problem-solve and think critically. It also gives many students greater insight into their career goals, providing them with the chance to make connections with community members and professionals in their chosen field. Students who engage with the community are also shown to have greater satisfaction with college, improved graduation rates, and to be more likely to be involved in community service post-college."

At top: Professor Rick Axtell's course on poverty, hunger and the environment visited the offices of Kentucky Refugee Ministries, thanks in part to grant funding through the Office of Civic and Community Engagement.

Any member of the Centre College community interested in community service can find opportunities through CentreEngage. Faculty and staff interested in “mini-grant” funding can apply here. To stay connected, sign up for the CentreEngaged Newsletter by emailing communityengagement@centre.edu.