Last modified: Thursday, October 29, 2009
2009 IU Advocates for Community Engagement liaisons named
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 29, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Advocates for Community Engagement (ACE) Program today announced the selection of 25 students charged with serving as liaisons between local nonprofit agencies and the more than 80 IU Bloomington service-learning courses during the 2009-10 academic year.
ACE Alex Luboff (far right) and Hilltop Gardens and Nature Center Director Greg Speichert (far left) work with IU Bloomington service-learning students.
ACE students serve as an integral component of service-learning at IU, developing, nurturing, and sustaining academic links between the university and nonprofits. Their work includes coordinating, orienting, and training service-learners and volunteers, and helping students make connections between their coursework and the service they're providing outside of the classroom.
ACE community partner agencies address a myriad of social issues, including domestic violence, the environment, prison systems, education, and poverty -- offering students multiple opportunities to apply their knowledge in the real world.
"Being an ACE puts me in the kind of work -- grassroots, fast-paced, people-oriented -- that I would like to do in a future career," said ACE Alex Luboff, who helps at Hilltop Garden and Nature Center. "I get to use my creative side when recruiting new students and courses, and I never have to take the same approach twice. This sort of atmosphere keeps me on my toes and ready for a new challenge or partnership each week."
Hilltop director Greg Speichert added, "The ACEs are invaluable in making new contacts in departments and schools and developing relationships that are beneficial to both sides."
In addition to advocating for local nonprofits, coordinating service-learning opportunities, and assisting their fellow students to become more engaged, ACEs also participate in professional and leadership development opportunities. Many attend and present at national conferences, ultimately raising the visibility of the program on a national level while providing assistance to other colleges and universities interested in creating similar programs.
To learn more about the ACE program, visit https://www.indiana.edu/~iubosl/.
2009-2010 Advocates for Community Engagement (ACEs) and their Community Partners are:
• Ashley Flora -- Girls Inc.
• Alexis Suskin-Sperry -- IU Office of Sustainability
• Nicole Holderman -- Shalom Community Center
• Ashley Troth -- Mother Hubbard's Cupboard
• Vince Stange -- Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM)
• Kathryn Goodwin -- Templeton Elementary School
• Crystal Alley -- Stone Belt
• Darian Stahl -- Middle Way House
• Jennifer Jameson -- Hoosier Hills Food Bank
• Michael Coleman -- Boys and Girls Club/Crestmont
• Kaitlin King -- Monroe County Public Library
• Tony Bowen -- Volunteers in Medicine (VIM)
• Alex Luboff -- Hilltop Garden and Nature Center
• Theresa Caluag -- Head Start
• Jessie Gutgsell -- My Sister's Closet
• Sarah Pennal -- Fairview Elementary School
• Tiffany Aylor -- Boys and Girls Club/Downtown
• Kyle Rinne -- Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Nicole Shelpman -- Banneker Community Center
• Emily Rizzo -- City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department
• Searle Slutzkin -- Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project
• Gaby Cheikh -- Fair Trade Bloomington
• Chris Wood -- People and Animal Learning Services (PALS)
• Alaura Ruterbories -- MCCSC Office of English Language Learning
• Alyssa Rosch -- El Centro Communal Latino
