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2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDate: 2008-04-10
Contact: Kim Wall
Public Relations Program Coordinator
Marketing and Community Relations Office
University of New Hampshire, Manchester
(603) 641-4306
kim.wall@unh.edu
Student Project Recognized for Service to the Community
Manchester, NH: When does 0 + 7 = 800? When a commitment to service, community and learning come together as they did in Fall 2007 with the Warmth from the Millyard clothing drive lead by the Community Leadership class at UNH Manchester. Their commitment earned them the Presidential Leadership Award from Campus Compact for NH which will be awarded at a reception on April 15th. The Warmth from the Millyard project and UNH Durham's "Dare to Care-Be Willing to Share," a Thanksgiving food basket, were also accepted for the National Service Learning Conference Showcase at the 19th Annual National Service Learning Conference held in April in Minneapolis, MN. The National Showcase highlights high-quality, service-learning projects from across the country. The UNH Community Leadership Program also received the 2007 Spirit of NH Award for Higher Education which was presented to students and faculty from the Manchester and Durham programs by Governor John Lynch and Volunteer NH for their work in promoting community service and civic engagement in the state.
In launching the UNH Thompson School's Community Leadership (CoLead) program on the Manchester campus, Kate Hanson, CoLead chairperson, sought to expand student leadership opportunities and further the program's mission of community service and civic engagement in the greater Manchester region. UNH Manchester's existing outreach and service initiatives in education, the environment, crises management and youth development provides CoLead students with a variety of leadership and service opportunities.
Warmth from the Millyard emerged as the project for students in the first CSL 201 class in Manchester. They recognized that warm cloths were becoming "luxury" items for those facing ever increasing costs for fuel, food, medicine and rent. With an abundance of energy and optimism, the students set out to collect as many winter clothes as possible.
Partnerships were established with area businesses including PSNH, the Manchester School District, FIRST, Autodesk, Morgan Storage, the NH Fisher Cats, the Manchester Historic Association and Millyard Museum. In November, 800 warm clothing items were brought to UNH Manchester by people moved to action by the work of the students Burhan Altin, Anna Gdanian, Danielle Huntress, Hana Jabri, Megan Parnell and Will Stewart guided by Kate Hanson and supported by Kim Wall, UNH Manchester's Public Relations Program Coordinator. Warm clothing was distributed through the YWCA in Manchester, SHARE of Milford and New Horizons for New Hampshire. The effort generated Warmth from the Millyard far beyond UNH Manchester.
UNH Manchester, UNH's urban campus, offers liberal arts and applied majors in business, science, and technology, all with an urban focus. UNH Manchester is UNH. Learn more at www.unhm.unh.edu.
