We are proud to support the missions and projects of our seven winners with funding that will allow them to further their valuable work.
Digital Divide Team - Saint Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire The Digital Divide program was launched in the fall of 2000 in order to connect Saint Anselm students with senior citizens who lacked computers and the skills necessary to use them. The school has since provided the seniors with used computers and the seniors, with guidance and assistance from Saint Anselm students have learned to use the Internet in recent years. The program’s reach has now expanded to young students (grades K-3) and adult refugees and immigrants who previously had no computer skills. The Office of Information Technology at Saint Anselm has provided technical support and donated computers throughout the history of the Digital Divide program. In the 2007-2008 academic year, 78 service-learners taught computers at various sites organized by the group. Over the years, the Digital Divide program has strengthened the campus-community ties through the use of this computer communication.
Engineers for a Sustainable World & Mudders Organizing for Sustainable Solutions (EWS-MOSS) - Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California Engineers for a Sustainable World and Mudders Organizing for Sustainability Solutions (ESW-MOSS) is a student-run organization at Harvey Mudd College dedicated to energy conservation and global sustainability. ESW is a national organization and the HMC chapter, founded in 2006, is currently working on two international projects. The projects focus on purifying the mineral-rich-well-water of Ngomano, Kenya and developing alternative agricultural practices in Koundara, Guinea. MOSS was founded in 2007 to help students become aware of and progress toward environmental sustainability on campus. This enthusiastic club has assisted in multiple initiatives within the campus own dorm rooms and also globally reaching Kenya, Guinea and beyond.
Feed My Starving Children - Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa Feed My Starving Children is a project which was first undertaken in March of 2008. The Wartburg College Feed My Starving Children Pack Event resulted in packing 108,000 meals that were sent to more than 50 countries around the world. Funding for the project was done locally and the campus ministry group was responsible for facilitating and coordinating much of the effort to set up and organize the event. The students of Wartburg College are eager to host this event again, as the number of people that they reached with their meals made in a 3-day event is astounding.
Innocence Institute - Point Park University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Since 2001, the Innocence Institute of Point Park University has completed more than a dozen investigations into possible wrongful convictions. This group investigates claims of wrongful convictions, raises awareness of the frailties associated with the criminal justice system, acts as a resource to those working to reverse injustice and provides educational training in investigative reporting to college students and professionals. The hard work of the students and their mentor, a seasoned investigative journalist, has been recognized regionally and nationally. The group not only creates an enriched, engaged learning environment, but it changes the lives of those who have been wrongfully convicted.
New Friends - Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin New Friends is a student-run organization that serves adults in the community who have cognitive and physical disabilities. New Friends began at Wisconsin Lutheran College in 1999 and has continued to support the community by assisting individuals that are underserved through existing community resources. This year, New Friends seeks to expand their reach by going out into the community and meeting their clients at their homes.
SCOUT BANANA - Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan SCOUT BANANA (Serving Citizens of Uganda Today Because Africa Needs a New Ambulance) was created in 2001 by a high school senior with the goal of delivering an ambulance to the St. Ambrose Health Center in Uganda. When the founder of this group, Alex Hill, entered as a freshman at Michigan State University, the original project launched into an extremely successful organization that provided more medical supplies and healthcare resources to Uganda. By 2006, fifteen chapters at other universities in the US and Canada were created in order to support the mission. In the past school year, 2007-2008, SCOUT BANANA raised $11,000 to build two to three wells so that between 850 and 1250 people will soon be provided with clean water. The students in the chapters of SCOUT BANANA are fully committed to the public healthcare movement and have immensely improved many lives in Uganda.
Women Beyond Borders - Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona Women Beyond Borders (WBB) is a student-organized, women’s human rights advocacy group at Arizona State University. WBB works in solidarity with community-based women’s organizations worldwide to address issues of violence, poverty, education and health. The group, founded 3 years ago, has partnered with women’s groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mexico and the Navajo Nation and their primary projects have been to aid the women in these regions. Through selling handicrafts made by the women of Afghanistan, creating social awareness campaigns in Mexico, and installing resource libraries in the Navajo reservation, Women Beyond Borders has created a profound impact for the women and families in these regions.
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