A dozen Kellogg Community College students served several hundred hours’ worth of community service during the Spring 2013 semester as part of the second SERV 200 service learning course offered at KCC’s Grahl Center in Coldwater.
The course combines service to the community with academic objectives to equally benefit the community and the student. Students participated in projects that met community needs and involved self-discovery, self-reflection and the acquisition of values, skills and content knowledge.
As part of the course, 12 students each designed a 20-hour project to be implemented at a local nonprofit of his or her choice. Student projects included putting together personal care packages and serving as mentors for individuals working with Pathways to Independence; volunteering in local schools by offering tutoring services and collecting school supplies; offering Arabic translation services for the Beginnings Care for Life Center; creating a website and promotional materials for the Friendship Center; holding a birthday bag collection for the Branch Area Food Pantry; and organizing a Jump Rope for Your Health event held for members of the Coldwater Community Schools’ Kids Club.
“Service learning creates a hands-on experience for students to apply their classroom learning while also helping students understand, appreciate and give back to the wonderful community we live in,” said Bobbi Gagnon, director of the Grahl Center. “The impact of this class is immeasurable in our community.”
An expanded service learning initiative that began at KCC last fall requires every student pursuing an associate degree outside of the applied sciences to complete 15 hours of service learning in a course with a service-learning certified faculty member or to complete 24 hours of service learning as part of SERV 200.
The SERV 200 course will be offered at the Grahl Center again this fall, with classes beginning on Aug. 29. Organizations interested in participating with KCC students in future service learning projects are encouraged to contact Grahl Center Director Bobbi Gagnon at 517-278-3300.
For more information about service learning initiatives at KCC, visit www.kellogg.edu/socialscience/servicelearning. For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at daily.kellogg.edu/category/press-releases.