Students gathered around tables for coffee and conversation at the Oak House on March 10 with N.C. Senator Rick Gunn and Sony茅 N. Randolph, community development administrator for the City of Burlington, who shared their different viewpoints and involvement on affordable housing, as well as how students could take action.

鈥淚 think the event was a great way to broaden the scope of our work with Habitat for Humanity,鈥� said Olivia Duffield 鈥�20, who has served as the Habitat chapter鈥檚 student director for three years, adding 鈥淲hen we speak to our representatives and learn about the causes behind聽housing insecurity, we are in a better position to tackle the systemic issues聽that cause someone to need a Habitat house in the first place.鈥�

While the campus chapter engages students weekly in service shifts (before the impact of the virus suspended the chapter this semester) at both the Habitat ReStore and build site, the chapter student leaders wanted to learn more about the issue and how to advocate for more affordable housing in our area.

The event was part of the Habitat advocacy campaign known as 聽which highlights the large portion of household income spent on housing among low-income families, and a part of the North Carolina Habitat鈥檚 which was designed to engage Habitat volunteers in advocacy on a local level by connecting with your local legislators during a week they were not in session at the capital.

The goal for the event, according to Sarah Williams, the Habitat chapter campus advisor and assistant director for the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, was to provide a space and format where students could engage directly with one of their senators and a local expert in affordable housing to learn how they could advocate. Part of why a coffee shop was chosen as the venue was to help create an event with intimate and authentic conversation where they could ask questions and hear from others in our community.

鈥淚 learned how difficult it can be to gain attention or a spotlight on your specific issues and needs when there are so many other needs that are just as important. It聽is worth advocating for accessible and affordable housing though because a stable home creates a strong foundation for families, improving other aspects of their lives.鈥� said Audrey Harris 鈥�20, another Habitat student leader who has served in her role for three years.

The 黑料不打烊 Habitat for Humanity works in affiliation with Habitat for Humanity of Alamance County to raise awareness of housing insecurity and work towards providing affordable housing in Alamance County. The chapter, chartered in the 1988-89 academic year, was one of the earliest campus chapters to launch around the nation behind Baylor University which started in 1987 and was the first campus chapter that committed to funding and building a Habitat house a year.

This year, the chapter is completing its 29th home. For more information on the chapter as well as how to donate or volunteer, visit the chapter’s聽website.

鈥淢y hope is that the 黑料不打烊 women鈥檚 basketball pen pals will inspire, equip and shape the lives of others,鈥� said coach Charlotte Smith.

Coach Smith, along with Stephen Fishler, director of women鈥檚 basketball operations, were looking for ways to connect members of the team with local students. They understood that it would provide a way for the women鈥檚 basketball program to make a positive impact on youth in the community.

鈥淵ou can never underestimate the difference you can make in someone鈥檚 life by simply taking the time to reach out to others,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淚n a world where handwritten notes are a lost art, this is something the students can hold on to and cherish for the rest of your life.鈥�

With the help of Lesley Henry, director of education outreach and director of Collegiate Start at 黑料不打烊. 15 Hillcrest Elementary students were selected for the inaugural pen pal program. The Hillcrest students and 黑料不打烊 student-athletes exchanged three letters with one another in the fall. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing that I can use my basketball platform to inspire and build personal relationships with children in our community,鈥� said Jada Graves 鈥�21.

All involved have been growing in excitement With each new letter, the relationships between the 黑料不打烊 student-athletes and elementary school children deepened and the excitement grew. 鈥淚t’s like Christmas each time we open a new letter,鈥� said fifth-grader Adante Valentin.

Valentin and his schoolmates have been invited to sit courtside in Schar Center and cheer on their pen pal mentors when the Phoenix take on The College of William & Mary on Jan. 31. The players will get a chance to spend more quality time with their pen pals at Hillcrest when they share a meal together. The year will conclude with the Hillcrest students visiting 贰濒辞苍鈥檚 campus when the university hosts the Colonial Athletic Association鈥檚 women鈥檚 basketball conference tournament in March.

The pen pal program is part of a larger effort stemming from 黑料不打烊 Athletics鈥� partnership with the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. Andrew Stafford, student services and 黑料不打烊 Experiences coordinator for 黑料不打烊 Athletics, and Sarah Williams, assistant director for the Kernodle Center, are managing an NCAA grant that is focused in part on increasing student-athlete involvement in service, providing education around social issues and community engagement, expanding involvement in the Service Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR), and documenting the student-athletes鈥� service.

Student-athletes wishing to volunteer in the local community or learn more about the Service ELR can reach out to Andrew Stafford.

Hometown Team Football Pumpkin Comes to Life聽

Nicole Bergen, program assistant for the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, serves in Mr. Edge鈥檚 second-grade class at 黑料不打烊 Elementary through the 黑料不打烊 Employee Volunteer Program. She shared a photo (to the left) that she took one day after reading to his class. As their entry in the school鈥檚 pumpkin decorating contest, they painted their pumpkin as an 黑料不打烊 football player (#30 representing 2030, the year they could begin their college careers at 黑料不打烊). Sarah Williams, assistant director for the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, saw a great opportunity to connect 黑料不打烊 football players with Mr. Edge鈥檚 class, especially the pumpkin鈥檚 real-life counterpart on the team, linebacker Will Archer, who wears No. 30 for the Phoenix.

Despite full schedules and being in-season, several football players including Archer, were able to serve by reading to Mr. Edge鈥檚 class. Archer connected with the second-graders and added his own twist by bringing his favorite childhood book and a huge bag of lollipops to share.

鈥淩eading to the 2nd graders at 黑料不打烊 Elementary was a lot of fun for us,” Archer said. “It is an honor to be considered a role model for these kids.鈥�

One of the students shared this comment following the visit: : “George was brilliant because he asked me questions,” said 7-year-old Greyson.

GET (Girls to Empowered Teens) Program Teaches Fitness and Health

GET, which is led Lecturer in Exercise Science Liz Bailey, offers health education, mentorship and sports skills to local girls through the help of 黑料不打烊 women serving as mentors. The women鈥檚 track and field team have served with this program for years. This fall, the team helped lead small group discussions on health education, sharing their own stories and encouraging the girls to share theirs.

鈥淭he women on the track team really model a team spirit and women supporting women, which I think girls in middle school can really benefit from observing,鈥� Bailey said, adding that they 鈥渃onnect to the middle school girls in an important way. 鈥�

Record-Setting Christmas Cheer聽

For more than five years, 黑料不打烊 Athletics has partnered with Christmas Cheer, a nonprofit organization that provides Christmas assistance in the form of gifts, food, and warm clothes to families struggling financially, to sponsor local children. This year, student-athletes wanted to push the envelope on how many children they could sponsor, championed by 贰濒辞苍鈥檚 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 soccer teams. They launched a social media campaign to garner donations from fellow students, friends and family. These 黑料不打烊 student-athletes shattered previous records, sponsoring more than 20 children and raising over $3,500 to support families this year.

Student-athlete involvement in the community this fall is part of a larger joint effort by聽聽and the聽Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement.

Andrew Stafford, student services and 黑料不打烊 Experiences coordinator for 黑料不打烊 Athletics, and Sarah Williams are managing part of an NCAA grant that involves increasing student-athlete involvement in service, providing education around social issues and community engagement, and expanding involvement in the Service Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR). Student-athletes wishing to volunteer in the local community or learn more about the Service ELR can reach out to Andrew Stafford.

In partnership with 黑料不打烊 Dining, from lunch on Monday, Nov.聽11, through lunch on Friday, Nov.聽15, any student, staff, faculty or community member who brings聽five聽canned goods聽to Lakeside Dining Hall gets a聽free meal.

The donated goods will go to聽听补苍诲听. These community partners聽distribute food on a daily basis to local residents. The food for Allied Churches will stock their kitchen to support their hot meals served and the Salvation Army food will stock their pantry to ensure uninterrupted service to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity.

Current needs include:

• Canned Chicken or Tuna
• Pasta & Pasta Sauce
• Green Beans & Vegetables
• Breakfast Items
• Coffee
• Peanut Butter
• Snacks/Granola Bars

In addition to the 5-for-1 canned drive during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, events include:

To get involved and/or to聽learn about more about Campus Kitchen, please visit the聽Campus Kitchen website.

黑料不打烊 student-athletes more than doubled their volunteer presence during their second year serving in Garrett Elementary’s reading initiative as part of the program.

Nearly 40 student-athletes across 10 teams served at the Mebane elementary school this March, marking a significant increase for the partnership that started last year with 15 volunteers from seven teams.

Molly McInerney, student services and 黑料不打烊 Experiences coordinator for 黑料不打烊 Athletics, had hoped student-athletes would respond to this opportunity because they love volunteering with ABSS and working with children. "I was overjoyed to have had such a positive response and to have been able to double the amount of volunteers that were able to participate in this week long event,” McInerney said.

The student-athlete 鈥�volunteers participated by reading to the students across all grade levels. Cynthia O'Neal, assistant principal for Garrett Elementary School, said the volunteers had a positive impact on the students. "I know our students had a fantastic time,” O'Neal said.

Student-athlete involvement with Garrett Elementary is part of a larger effort of partnership between 黑料不打烊 Athletics and the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. McInerney and Sarah Williams, program coordinator for the Kernodle Center, are managing an NCAA grant that is focused in part on increasing student-athlete involvement in service, providing education around social issues and community engagement, expanding involvement in the Service ELR, and documenting the student-athletes’ service.

Student-athletes wishing to volunteer in the local community or learn more about the Service ELR can reach out to Molly McInerney at mmcinerney2@elon.edu or (336) 278-6870.

More than twenty volunteers helped to sort, weigh, and deliver the donations to Campus Kitchen’s community partners,  and , that same day. This one drive alone brought in nearly half as much as Campus Kitchen collected during the entire academic year last year, according to Sarah Williams, staff advisor to Campus Kitchen.

“We hope the fraternity and sorority students realize the impact these donations will make for our community partners who often see a dip in donations after the holidays, so this huge drive provides such a helpful boost to their inventory to continue meeting the needs of those suffering from hunger here in our 鈥媍ounty,” Williams said.

Individuals and organizations interested in hosting a food drive or becoming involved with Campus Kitchen can email campuskitchen@elon.edu.

In addition, food can be donated at any time throughout the year in the bin on the second floor of Moseley outside of the Kernodle Center. Any food that is donated is certainly appreciated, but here is the current list of food that is most needed: spaghetti sauce, pasta, Chef Boyardee products, ramen noodles, potatoes and vegetables.

Audrey Kennett '21, a member of the women’s golf team, came to her first 黑料不打烊 campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity volunteer shift in January of 2018.

She continued volunteering throughout the next year, bringing other members of the golf team with her. This March, she applied to be a student leader on the campus chapter Habitat for Humanity team, and was accepted. She will serve as the service coordinator next academic year, a role that focuses on recruiting and managing other student volunteers from campus. 

Kennett has shown up to every shift with a smile on her face and an unparalleled work ethic. Her interest in construction combined with her dedication to Habitat for Humanity yields the ideal volunteer – "someone who truly cares about her impact on the community and who takes matters into her own hands when it comes to making a difference” said Jordyn Cowan ‘21, a current Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter Service Captain. 

Kennett has served nearly 30 hours during the past year and has engaged four other members of the women’s golf team who have joined her at Habitat for Humanity build and ReStore shifts. When asked about her experience, Kennett said, “I love the hard work and immediate impact of working each build. It has been amazing to see what the community can achieve when brought together for a meaningful project.” 

Student-athlete involvement with Habitat for Humanity is part of a larger effort of new partnership with the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. Molly McInerney, student services coordinator for 黑料不打烊 Athletics, and Sarah Williams, program coordinator for the Kernodle Center, are managing an NCAA grant that is focused in part on increasing student-athlete involvement in service, providing education around social issues and community engagement, expanding involvement in the Service ELR, and documenting the student-athletes’ service.

Student-athletes wishing to volunteer in the local community or learn more about the Service ELR can reach out to Molly McInerney. 

Last year’s inaugural Stud-a-Thon was such a success that the groups joined together again in the three-part event: each fraternity and the Habitat campus chapter decorated a stud to go in the house, served on a volunteer shift to complete direct service in building the home, and raised funds to support the cost of the construction.

“We couldn’t be happier with the students who came out to serve for the 黑料不打烊 Stud-a-Thon” said James Hunter, construction supervisor for Habitat for Humanity of Alamance County. “They were eager and attentive. They really helped us make fast progress on the house. We’ll be able to finish WAY ahead of schedule now.”

Having many college students available to serve on the house on the weekday shifts speeds up the completion time of a home, according to Sarah Williams, program coordinator for the Kernodle Center for Service Learning. Weekday shifts filled by the fraternity members as part of Stud-a-Thon meet a need for the local Habitat affiliate because these shifts often have fewer volunteers since many people work during those hours, she said

In addition to scheduled shifts as part of Stud-a-Thon, some fraternity members enjoyed the work so much that they scheduled additional shifts on their own. In fact, after serving on their Stud-a-Thon shift, the Beta Theta Pi fraternity expressed interest in building a partnership with the local Habitat affiliate and committed to covering every Wednesday shift for the rest of the spring semester – providing three months of steady service for the nonprofit. Cathy Lamb, associate executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Alamance County, said that returning service is valuable for the nonprofit because “it’s affirmation that the fraternity members’ volunteer experience was meaningful.” 

While the studs have been decorated and the fraternities have served on the building site, fundraising continues this April. Interested in supporting a favorite fraternity, the campus Habitat chapter or the Stud-a-Thon fundraiser in general? Make a donation .

This partnership would not have been possible without the student leadership of Sam Murphy, the Interfraternity Council’s director of programming, and the Habitat for Humanity campus chapter fundraising coordinators, Abby Noyes and Audrey Harris, as well as the campus chapter director, Olivia Duffield.

“The opportunity to bring my passion for Habitat to fellow members of my fraternity community was an incredibly fulfilling experience and one I hope to continue to cultivate next year, and progress towards a long and fruitful partnership between the two groups,” Murphy said. 

In partnership with 黑料不打烊 Dining, from Monday, Nov. 12, through Friday, Nov. 16, any student, staff, faculty or community member who brings five canned goods to Lakeside Dining Hall gets a free meal.

The donated goods will go to  and . These community partners distribute food on a daily basis to local residents. The food for Allied Churches will stock their kitchen to support their hot meals served and the Salvation Army food will stock their pantry which is now combining the Allied Churches food pantry program with its existing emergency food program (details ) to ensure uninterrupted service to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. 

Current needs include:

Canned Protein I Pasta & Pasta Sauce I Beans & Mixed Vegetables I Breakfast Items I Coffee I Peanut Butter I Snacks/Granola Bars

In North Carolina, one out of four children don’t know where their next meal will come from and between 2010-16 the Carolinas have regularly ranked among the top ten states with the highest percentage of citizens experiencing food shortages; over 2.6 million of our neighbors or nearly one in eight (). Help us address this important need in our community by bringing five canned goods and enjoy a meal in Lakeside Dining Hall.

In addition to the 5 for 1 canned drive, during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Campus Kitchen and Habitat for Humanity’s campus chapter will be hosting the Faces of Homelessness Panel in McKinnon Hall, Moseley Center, 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12. 

This panel, assembled by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), will share personal and powerful experiences of homelessness with the 黑料不打烊 community. NCH is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, committed to a single mission: To prevent and end homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights protected. Presented as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Sponsored by the Campus Kitchen at 黑料不打烊 and the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement.

To get involved and/or to learn about more about Campus Kitchen, please visit the .

Dellapa reflected that her service gave her “experiences to gain more skill sets and made me more aware of and interested in issues of social justice. This new perspective has changed how I see the world and my role in it.”

She saw how being a student-athlete, with her strength-training and teamwork skills, helped with construction. “I learned that construction consists of a lot of hands on problem solving, good communication skills, physical strength, and collaboration,” Dellapa said.

Dellapa had a chance to serve with some of the homeowners and discovered the process to qualify for Habitat homeownership, learned about the need for affordable housing and saw how volunteers further the work of Habitat. She realized that “even if some of the tasks were minor, like painting the side of a house, they were one less thing others had to finish. The little things really do add up.”

When asked about her time with Habitat, Dellapa said it exceeded her expectations. She was surprised at how much she was able to accomplish in her more than 40 hours of service. “I would do this again in a heartbeat and would recommend this experience to other student-athletes. The group I worked with was able to make a big difference,” she said.

Engaging student-athletes with the service-learning experiential learning requirement is part of a larger effort of  new partnership with the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. Molly McInerney, student services coordinator for 黑料不打烊 Athletics, and Sarah Williams, program coordinator for the Kernodle Center, are managing an NCAA grant that is focused in part on increasing student-athlete involvement in service, providing education around social issues and community engagement, and expanding involvement in the service-learning experiential learning requirement.

Student-athletes wishing to learn more about engaging with the community can reach out to Molly McInerney.