Wichita’s Littlest Heroes’ is passionate about changing the landscape of what pediatric resources look like for generations to come in Kansas by providing programming for medically fragile children and their families. SCPB members felt that, as a group, these children didn’t choose this life and that it is very expensive to afford school supplies on top of all the medical bills that the family has to pay first.

The SCPB awards annual grants through a competitive application and review process.

“This struck a passion within our hearts that some families couldn’t even afford school supplies for their children because they are drowning in medical bills to pay,” says Trevor Peterson, a student in the Nonprofit class. “We feel that this grant would greatly benefit and extend beyond the child to help the families of these medically fragile children.”

The SCPB was developed from the Students4Giving Campus Compact grant awarded in August of 2008. With this funding, Southwestern created the SCPB as well as the Nonprofit Leadership class offered on the main campus to explore all aspects of the philanthropic process. The SCPB is committed to developing an opportunity for students to explore philanthropy, non-profit organizations, community partnerships and available grant resources. The SCPB and the class work together annually to distribute grant funding to community-based non-profit organizations.

PHOTO—SC senior Dalton Ward along with Allyson Moon perform the official ribbon cutting of the new Moon Grove, in memory of Roger Moon, at the Southwestern College Learning Center.

The idea developed from the work of Southwestern College senior Dalton Ward in his capstone leadership project.  He desired to find a project to improve the environment through lowering our local carbon footprint and at the same time providing a sustainable source of food. 

“I’m very excited to share getting down in the dirt with the kids in planting trees and picking apples,” Ward says.  “These apples will reduce the community's carbon footprint and the children will have the enjoyment of watching their own apples grow.” 

Ward also says that Moon Grove wouldn’t have happened without the help from Alexis Miers, director of the SC Learning Center; Raquel Resendiz, campus life director; Laura Gottlob, Gottlob Lawn and Landscape; and funders, the Leo Grant Award and SGA Grant Award.

Applications are due by March 31 and the winner will be announced on April 13. 

“This is an opportunity for your organization to receive funds that align with our needs statement,” says SC student Cierra Harrison, a member of the Non-profit Leadership class.

The SCPB was developed from the Students4Giving Campus Compact grant awarded in August of 2008.  With this funding, Southwestern created the SCPB as well as the Non-profit Leadership class offered on the main campus to explore all aspects of the philanthropic process.  The SCPB is committed to developing an opportunity for students to explore philanthropy, non-profit organizations, community partnerships, and available grant resources.  The SCPB and the class work together annually to distribute grant funding to community-based non-profit organizations.

View the RFP Application

If you would like Leadership Southwestern students to work on your property or would like to donate to the organization, call (620) 440-9956 or email delainey.clum@sckans.edu. 

The three-course meal will include salad and breadsticks, lasagna, and a brownie sundae.  Tickets are $45 per person or $280 for a table of eight.  Deadline to RSVP is Feb. 28.

Leadership student Logan Weppler says that the guests will play the role of the detectives while the students play roles in the murder mystery.

“The guests will have the task of gathering clues and do their best sleuthing to find the murderer,” Weppler says.

Order Tickets

For more information, contact Weppler at (316) 640-7862 or email logan.weppler@sckans.edu.

The student-led board currently consists of Ashleigh Hollis, Quinlan Stein, and Raquel Resendiz. These three accepted the award on the behalf of the board's work and past student board members over the last 10 years. The November issue of the Wichita Business Journal highlighted the board in a two-page spread including Laura (Morgan) Gottlob, who started the board as her senior leadership project in 2008.

“It is important for young people to be involved in philanthropy because it gives them a chance to represent a cause they believe in,” Hollis says.  “To me, this honor means that youth philanthropy work is not going unnoticed.  This is important to our organization because we can show future youth philanthropy groups that they can do good work and make a difference no matter how young or old they are.”

In 2008, Southwestern was selected as one of 10 academic institutions to participate in the students4giving program, an initiative that provides opportunity for students to give grants to nonprofits. Gottlob set up the Southwestern board in response to this grant, which allows other students to learn about the giving cycle and give out grant money to non-profits. Since its inception, the board has awarded over $10,000 grant money to a variety of organizations. The organizations and non-profits are selected under direction and guidance from the board through a non-profit class at Southwestern, currently taught by Lindsay Morgan.

Beyond the honor for national philanthropy day, the class and board held their own grant ceremony on Dec. 13 to feature their 2018 choice for grant recipients. With the board's leadership, the class officially decided to fund the Circles local chapter with $950 for their collaborative work on a children’s curriculum and stipends for their leaders, and the Wichita Sexual Assault Center with $500 to host an event in Cowley County. This ceremony gave some history of the grant, featured the recipients, and announced future new board members.
 

“I am encouraging anyone, especially our students, to take advantage of such opportunities to listen and learn from people who are trying to help them connect the dots between college and career,” says Brae Wood, director of Leadership Southwestern.  “The big picture is tying everything together: what these leaders know now that they wish they would have known in college. The theme is embedded around books, each speaker picking a book they wish they would have read in college. I think we have some very interesting speakers, very interesting book choices, and very interesting connections to specific disciplines in the social science division.”

The featured speakers include:
•       Monday, Nov. 5— Department of Psychology presents Allison Moltisanti.  Moltisanti is a neuropsychologist residing in Wichita. She received her Ph.D. from Florida State University, and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the KU School of Medicine-Wichita. Book she wishes she had read in college: “Sphere” by Michael Crichton
•       Tuesday, Nov. 6— Department of History presents J.K. Campbell.  Campbell recently joined SC faculty and the education division after 32 years in K-12 public education.  What he wishes he had read in college: “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair
•       Wednesday, Nov. 7— Department of Philosophy and Religion presents Rev. Mitch Reece.  Reece is the Wichita East and West District Superintendent for the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church. What he wishes he had read in college: “Canoeing the Mountains” by Tod Bolsinger. 
•       Thursday, Nov. 8—Leadership Southwestern presents Southwestern College President Brad Andrews.  Andrews earned his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in education from Drake University, and his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin. What he wishes he had read in college: “Shackleton’s Way” by Margot Miller and Stephanie Capparell
•       Friday, Nov. 9—Political science presents Russell Fox.  Fox is a leading voice in political science from Wichita. He received his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from, Brigham Young University and his Ph.D., from Catholic University of America.  What he wishes he had read in college: “Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community” by Wendell Berry.

For more information, email Brae.Wood@sckans.edu.

Nearly 200 freshman, Leadership Southwestern students and other student leaders joined SC staff, faculty, and administrators working around Winfield at 18 sites to help homeowners and non-profits in service work. This combined effort yielded more than 1,000 service hours and an estimated value of $28,364 donated to the Winfield community. 

Legacy Foundation donated to the day by helping give every student a Freshman Work Day t-shirt.

“On this 26th Freshman Work Day students were asked to think about the concept of neighboring and what it means to be a good neighbor in a community as they are now a part of the Southwestern and Winfield communities,” says Brae Wood, director of Leadership Southwestern.  “Reflection at the end of the day gave students a great chance to talk about their experience. Many best moments centered around the students getting to know the homeowners they were painting or working for. Southwestern and the service learning teams will continue to work on the concept of ‘neighboring’ throughout the year.”

According to Southwestern junior Bailey Pfingsten, who organized the trip, 17 team members helped demolish the interiors of two houses that were covered in mold due to the flooding. This was done in partnership with the Saint Bernard Project. Their goal was to cut down on the rebuild time and get families back in their homes faster.  In total, the team donated 209 hours of service. She says that is an estimated $4,924.56 donated by the Leadership team to the hurricane relief effort.

“Last year the team decided our trip destination would be Maine,” Pfingsten says.  “But then, once we were all back at school and after the hurricane hit, our team decided that as servant leaders our services would be better spent helping those affected by the hurricane. I am proud to be a part of a team that cares about the world and works to make an impact.  It was a lot of fun to spend time and bond with teammates while also making a difference in a community.”

The team also had some fun including line dance lessons, a day trip to the Riverwalk where they met up with alumnus Aidan Goodrich who is working at SeaWorld, and lots of team bonding navigating Houston traffic.

Leadership Southwestern team members experience service learning trips where members get to experience a new part of the world while serving others.  Following a four-year rotation, students have the opportunity to participate in trips in Kansas, outdoors location, an urban location, and an international site. These trips allow students to serve culturally diverse populations and learn more about being a leader in a global society.

Freshman Work Day is the final day of Southwestern orientation for the incoming freshman class.  All freshman head out into the Winfield community to work on homes and nonprofit buildings that need repair, painting, cleaning, or yardwork.  Freshman Work Day was started by the Leadership program in 1992 with the goal of establishing positive relationships between Southwestern College and the community.  Since then, all incoming freshman have spent their first day as Moundbuilders doing service for the community.

“The service work on Freshman Work Day helps new Southwestern College freshmen connect to the Winfield community as well as framing part of the school mission for students to be responsible citizens and engage in leadership through service,” says Brae Wood, director of Leadership Southwestern. 

To apply or to request services for someone else, call (620) 229-6367 and leave your name and phone number.  Applications can be found online at www.sckans.edu/freshmanworkday.

Leading Through Nature is the title of Good’s senior leadership project.  He says it focused on restoring and renovating the local nature trails in the Timber Creek Nature Center. 

“This was a two-part project: first cleaning and restoring the existing trails to an enjoyable state, then installing educational, interpretive signs along the restored trails,” Good says.  “My hope is that this project will encourage visitors to enjoy what nature has to offer and educate them about the local flora and fauna.” 

Good sought outside help with this project.  He chose Mark Olney, director of parks and public for the city of Winfield and Richard Cowlishaw, biology professor at Southwestern College. 

“I chose Mr. Olney because he has a strong personality and loves his community,” Good said.  “He gave me insight into how to implement this project on city property and make it sustainable.  Dr. Cowlishaw loves the outdoors and is an avid hiker and nature explore.  He added the educational side of my project by assisting me in providing proper information for the interpretive signs that were installed along the trail.  His knowledge in nature and his biology education was critical to providing the proper identification and information.”

“I’m also grateful for Jim Banks,” Good says.  “He is a SC leadership alumnus and he generously awarded me funding for this project.”

There is no admission charge but donations will be accepted and appreciated.  Leadership students will wash both cars and dogs to earn donations, and all proceeds will go towards the students' service learning trip to Philadelphia in May. 

If you would like Leadership Southwestern students to work on your property or would like to donate to the organization, call (620) 305-9971 or email zachary.moya@sckans.edu.  

The Leadership team is composed of approximately 26 members from all majors and activities at the college. Members learn about team dynamics, personal strengths and weaknesses, ethics, and styles of leadership, which are then practiced through service. Leadership students at Southwestern put their skills into practice by planning and implementing service projects in the community. Each year approximately 25 Leadership service projects are underway in the community, involving more than 210 college students, and 2,000 hours of service. 

“Lunches With Leaders” is sponsored by the division of social sciences at Southwestern College.  Lunch will be provided by five different eating establishments in Winfield.  Though the event is geared towards Southwestern College students, community members and other schools or organizations are welcome to attend with a reservation.

The theme for each speaker is “Freedom of Choice.”

The featured speakers, date, and lunch provider include:

• Monday, Nov. 9—Thomas Kinlen, Ph.D., presented by the Department of Psychology. Kinlen is currently employed as the superintendent at Larned State Hospital (LSH).  At this time, he also provides psychology supervision for the State Security Program and the Sexual Predator Treatment Program while also serving as the director of clinical training for an American Psychological Association accredited predoctoral internship.  He received his graduate training in clinical psychology at Mississippi State University and Sam Houston State University while also receiving an undergraduate degree in psychology from Florida State University. (Taste of Winfield lunch by College Hill Coffee).
• Tuesday, Nov. 10—Susan Andrews, presented by the Department of History. She spent 15 years teaching English, speech, and drama full-time in Wichita public schools, and part-time at WSU, before going to work for Boeing as a facilitator in the quality management program. She soon moved to Seattle as an internal organization consultant at corporate headquarters, and now travels the country as a consultant for Boeing and other clients. She was born in Arkansas City and now lives in Winfield, and will speak about the freedom to take risks in your professional career. (Taste of Winfield lunch by The Eatery).
• Wednesday, Nov. 11—Rev. Ben Hanne, presented by the Department of Philosophy and Religion. Hanne began serving as the campus minister for Southwestern College in July after nine years of pastoral ministry in several United Methodist churches in Kansas.  After receiving a degree in psychology from Kansas State University in 2002, Hanne took a massive leap of faith and moved to Denver to attend Iliff School of Theology.  In his role as a pastor Hanne has united couples in marriage, welcomed new life into the world, sat with the sick and dying, rebuilt homes, cried with the heartbroken, and offered hope to as many as possible. These have shaped his understanding of leadership and convinced him of the power in having the freedom to rethink (everything). (Taste of Winfield lunch by El Maguey).
• Thursday, Nov. 12—Dr. Jean K. Phillips, presented by the Department of Political Science. “It never occurred to me that I was not free to choose my path in life,” Phillips says.  “Even though my gender was viewed as an obstacle by some, I was encouraged by my mentors to push beyond my comfort zone.  Through working with the Cuban detainees incarcerated at the United States prison in Leavenworth during the 1980s, I quickly discovered what it really meant not to be free.  In the process, I found a career path where I can make a difference in the lives of those around me.”  (Taste of Winfield lunch by Kathryn’s).
• Friday, Nov. 13—Chris Kaufman, presented by Leadership Southwestern.  Kaufman is the program coordinator for Reaching Out From Within (ROFW) at Winfield Correctional Facility.  He says that ROFW is a self-help group for offenders who want to stop violence in communities by stopping the violence within themselves.

To RSVP for any or all of the lunches, e-mail leaders@sckans.edu.  

Southwestern College is a private institution granting undergraduate and graduate degrees and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.  About 1,700 students attend classes at the main Winfield campus, at six professional studies sites in Kansas and Oklahoma, or online around the world.

This event is an opportunity to help the Leadership Southwestern team raise funds for their annual service learning trip, which will head to Ireland this year.  

Reservations are $40 each or $280 for a table of eight.  Paid reservations are required and space is limited.  To make a reservation, email leaders@sckans.edu or call (620) 229-6367. Reservations may also be made online at www.sckans.edu/roses.  Deadline for reservations is Monday, Feb. 2.

Students learned about the responsibilities and possibilities of servant leadership through interactive experiences such as the ropes course at Camp Horizon, leadership lessons taught by SC students minoring in leadership studies, and a service day at the Winfield Kansas Veterans’ Home.  

The service experience on Memorial Day was particularly meaningful for camp participants, say camp organizers.  Students attended the Winfield Memorial Day celebration then spent the afternoon interviewing and talking with veterans about their experiences, wisdom, and challenges. The students also shared an ice cream social with the veterans.  At the closing of camp, many students noted lessons learned from their veterans and even wrote poems detailing their experiences.

RYLA camp members included: Paige Richardson, Sydney Fox, Trenton Ging, Laura Podschun, Andrew Everett and Ally Hovey, Winfield; Julia Montoya and Ellie Gerber, Garden City; Angel Palacioz, Kayleigh Serviss, and Autum Povrhussin, Derby; Morgan Lyles and Jaylynn Luna, Wellington; Jeremy Anderson, Kingman; Megan Bartley, Haven; Elena Carlos and Marissavel Rodriguez, Dodge City; Gabe YoNash, Belle Plaine; and Wisdom Knerr, Etoy Modica, and Mahalia Clemons, Wichita.

District Rotary clubs sponsored the camp costs for students who attended.  Additionally, Legacy Regional Community Foundation sponsored a student from Belle Plaine.  The Winfield Rotary Club of District 5690 played a significant role in the design and implementation of the camp.  Member Dean Kennedy helped to orchestrate a Rotary picnic and secured Judge Tommy B. Webb to come and deliver his “You Can Make a Difference” motivational speech to campers.

“Rotary Leadership Camp is always a powerful experience,” says Lindsay Wilke, assistant director of Leadership Southwestern.  “In a span of five short days, campers grow and learn things about themselves and others that challenge them to make an impact in their home communities.  Campers come to realize that true leadership springs from a desire to serve and make the world around oneself better, and this is a freeing and motivating experience for many of them.  They become friends with students from around the state, connect with Rotarians who are living lives of service, and are challenged to do something differently when they return home.  It is inspiring to witness.”

SC Leadership team members Madison Hovey and Shawn Pancoast served as the directors of the camp, and leadership team members served as counselors. Counselors were Caleb Janssen, Michael Bond, Brenna Truhe, and Maggie Collett.

According to Wilke, anyone who may be interested in the May 2015 Rotary Camp, is asked to email leaders@sckans.edu or visit online at www.sckans.edu/rotarycamp.  Scholarships are available.

“Good leaders are stewards of both people and resources,” says Lindsay Wilke, assistant director of Leadership Southwestern.  “The outdoor world around us is one of those resources.  So every four years, the Leadership team takes a trip focused on outdoor service efforts.  It is our hope that students will learn valuable lessons about the complex and intertwined nature of leadership work and the environment around us and learn to make informed decisions that take this relationship into account as they graduate and move beyond the walls of SC.”

While on the trip, the team toured and worked for the nationally-recognized nonprofit Equi-Kids Therapeutic Riding Program. Students helped to prepare running and riding trails for a 5K fundraiser, and they also did maintenance work on the grounds.  Additionally, the team spent two days building fire pits in Virginia’s First Landing State Park.  

The team also visited Colonial Williamsburg, in addition to area beaches and cypress swamps.  In keeping with the outdoor theme of the trip, the students bunked at the local KOA campground. SC junior Tavinia Tucker served as the trip planner and coordinator.  

“The service learning trips that Leadership takes help expose students to different leadership efforts across the globe,” Wilke says.  “Their impact on students is invaluable and often remains a highlight of their time at SC.  They are educational, fun, and eye-opening all at the same time.”  

Wilke adds that if anybody is interested in helping to fund scholarships for future leadership service learning trips, email leaders@sckans.edu. To learn more about the Leadership program at Southwestern College, visit www.sckans.edu/leadership or www.facebook.com/leadershipsouthwestern.

The team attended the Kansas Hunger Dialogue in Wichita in February to research the issue and listened to speakers from across the nation discuss creative ways to combat hunger.  Students then designed a service project that focuses on food redistribution; taking unused food that would go to waste and getting it to places that it can be used in the community.  

The students designed a delivery system for the Barns at Timber Creek Bed & Breakfast to get untouched food catered at weddings to First United Methodist Church for the Tuesday’s Table community meal program. They are also trying to raise awareness for the Prairie Land Food service that offers savings on food packages at discounted costs. 

“The Food Redistribution Project is a creative way to fight the issue of hunger,” says Lindsay Wilke, assistant director of Leadership Southwestern.  “Southwestern students researched community organizations and food programs to learn what the needs are for hungry citizens in the Cowley community.  They learned that access to affordable, healthy food is a barrier for many citizens.  So they decided to look for ways to address this disparity through food recovery and redistribution.  They went beyond the common idea of a food drive and attempted to design a sustainable system that will last.”

Contact leaders@sckans.edu or call (620) 229-6393 to let the Leadership team know how they can reach out to other parts of the community to help redistribute quality, healthy food. 

Students in the SCPB awarded a grant of $2,500 to Mid-KS Community Action Program (Mid-KS CAP).  Mid-KS CAP is going to partner with the K-State Research and Extension Cowley County to provide a nutritional program to income-sensitive families in Cowley County.  The program is intended to reach approximately 126 families.  The program will provide participants with education but also with food that they will practice preparing in the classes and can then take home to their families.  In a recent pilot session, participants received a slow cooker and a cook book, and prepared two freezer-ready healthy slow cooker meals to take home.  Benefits of the classes include:

• Healthy meal and cost effective meal ideas;
• Experience in meal planning;
• Increased kitchen skills;
• Familiarity of nutritious foods and values;
• Building community support and networks.

According to Lindsay Wilke, assistant director for Leadership Southwestern, the SCPB aimed to grant funding this year to a program that would improve the wellness of individuals in Cowley County, a central element of the county-wide strategic plan, Vision 2020.  The students indicated a broad definition of wellness that included spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental components.  A total of 11 grant applications were received from non-profits throughout the county for a myriad of programs and projects.

“The depth and breadth of the applications the SCPB received highlights the good work that is taking place throughout the county and is a testament to the strength of the SCPB grant application,” Wilke says.  “The students worked hard to develop an application that would allow their funding to be put to good use, and they succeeded.  The collaborative partnership between Mid-KS CAP and K-State Research and Extension Cowley County is an exciting one that promises to strengthen the health of Cowley residents through a unique nutrition program.  It is rare that students get to sit in the seat of the funders, and in doing so, they learned valuable lessons about stewardship. I am proud of their work.”

Southwestern College students that participated were Jessie Riggs, Hannah Podschun, Mariam Mamah, Michael Bond, Katy Hamilton, Sally McGuire, Lauren Strain, and Sydnee Nelson.

If anyone would like to donate to the work of the SCPB or learn more about the student group, email scpb@sckans.edu or visit the web site at www.sckans.edu/makeagift/contribution/category/102/.

Students began the process back in November.  Understanding grant-making is the centerpiece of the KICC program. The students work to create and refine a Request for Proposals (RFP) under the supervision of the Leadership program at Southwestern College, then each group accepted applications from other organizations in their school.
KICC is funded through an endowment held with Legacy Regional Community Foundation. Legacy Regional Community Foundation creates a stronger future for our area by building endowments, providing informed leadership, and connecting donors to the critical needs of the region.

Michael Bond is the director for KICC this year and he has been impressed with the dedication of the high school students.

“Their passion to help their community is exciting,” Bond says.  “They have done a lot of work and it’s hard work at times but they have had a positive attitude throughout the year and it has been such a great joy to be able to work with people who want to make an impact in their school and their community.”

According to Lindsay Wilke, assistant director for Leadership Southwestern, the goal of the KICC program is two-fold: give young people the skills to become better leaders and provide them with a community arena to put their skills into practice right now.

Students who are a part of KICC and participated are:

• Winfield High School—Megan Lance, Alessandra Bevilacqua, and Avery Osen;
• Arkansas City High School—Madison McDowell, Jesus Del Angel, Manny Green, Jesus

Rodriguez, and Marissa Leake;
• Udall High School—Kelsie Hoffman, Darby Aldrich, Abby Hoffman, Zach Kratochvil, Heath Sattarlee, and Michael Propst;
• Central (Burden) High School—Zach Koppelmann, Travis Wham, Shelby Bannister, Greg Hilario, John Taylor, Grant Loewer, Rylee Liebau, Josh Koppelmann, Lucas McMichael, Michael Delaney, Jordyn Foley, Jeremiah Klick, Saydi Loewer, Cooper Dennett, and Bailee Ellis.

In addition to awarding the grants, all of the students in KICC visited the 2012 Winfield Habitat House and did service at Twin Rivers Developmental Supports to plant raised flower beds and gardens for their residents. 

“We work from a definition that philanthropy is ‘voluntary action for the public good,’” Wilke says. “Students learn that philanthropy is about giving both money and service to others.  To do this effectively, one has to become aware of what exists in the community.  What are the needs and assets?  This knowledge then informs the grant-making cycle.”

For more information about Legacy Regional Community Foundation, call (620) 221-7224 or (620) 442-1322 or visit www.legacyregionalfoundation.org/.

On Saturday, April 20, the first year Leadership students spent several hours providing services to multiple locally owned organizations such as Neives,’ Graves Drug, Eagles Nest, Posh, S & Y Industries, Bradbury Kitchen, and Hometown True Value.  In return, many local businesses are providing discounts to Southwestern College students.

“Since small town locally owned stores thrive on local customers, our students will be providing one of the greatest services that these businesses could ask for, customers,” says Southwestern College freshman and Leadership Southwestern student Michael Becker.

“This event will give Cowley County residents the opportunity to discard old electronic items to be recycled,” McGuire says. 

By definition of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, e-waste includes all types of obsolete, unused, or unwanted electronic equipment.  The presence of lead in many of the items has caused some states and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to express concerns about disposal in non-hazardous waste landfills. 

Electronics will be delivered to Asset LifeCycle in Topeka, a state authorized e-waste recycling facility.  This facility accepts laptops, monitors, keyboards, scanners, cell phones, printers, controllers, and much more.  Items are accepted for free except CRT monitors ($10) and televisions ($20).  It is advised to remove all personal information from electronic devices; however, Asset LifeCycle assures removal of all personal information upon receiving the devices. 

According to McGuire, the project would not be possible without the help of Frito-Lay, Inc. in Topeka, who will be providing a semi-truck for transportation to the recycling facility free of charge.

For a full list of accepted items or for any other questions, contact McGuire at sally.mcguire@sckans.edu.

According to Lindsay Wilke, associate director for Leadership Southwestern, this is a competition hosted at Washburn in which teams of students participate in a Leadership simulation and are judged by a variety of persons (business executives, faculty, and community leaders) on their performance as individuals and as a group.  A total of eight college teams were at the competition from the following schools: Fort Hays State University, Missouri Southern State University, Tabor College, Kansas State University, Metropolitation Community College, and Southwestern.

Southwestern College earned the Team Communication award and the Team Collaboration award.  This marks the second time that Leadership Southwestern has taken teams to this event and both times SC teams have won an award.

“The students’ performance at the challenge event is a testament to the strength of the Leadership program at Southwestern and the caliber of the students participating in the program,” Wilke says.  “Students in the Leadership program spend a great deal of time developing their personal strengths and weaknesses and learning to utilize these effectively in a team setting.  The awards from Washburn prove that the students are making great strides in leadership development work and can stand up against competition from recognized universities and colleges across the state. I could not be more proud of their efforts.”

The participating Southwestern students were: Taylor Fogle and Katy Hamilton, Bartlesville, Okla.; Dalton Carver, Ozawkie; Carlos Cruz, Crowley, Texas; Sara Peck, Wellington; Tavinia Tucker, San Antonio, Texas; Stevie Heidzig, Rogersville, Mo.; Lauren Strain, Pryor, Okla.; Kelcey Gabriel, Lincoln, Neb.; and Michael Bond, Wichita.

“I think that Southwestern Leadership did so well because we really know each other as individuals and we are like a little family,” says student Sara Peck.  “We truly build off others’ ideas, and we are not afraid to step in when things get out of hand.  I think we did a great job at realizing each individual’s strengths and weaknesses and in turn using them to our advantage when it came to the challenge event.  The two-day event was a great experience and brought us closer as a team.”
 

A total of 36 middle school students visited campus to learn about servant leadership practices and to design a service project for their school.  While on campus, the students participated in a service project of writing 43 Thanksgiving and Christmas letters to be sent via Operation Shoebox to American troops serving overseas.  
Lindsay Wilke, assistant director for Leadership Southwestern, hopes that the middle school students will take the lessons they learned on campus back into their school to help foster service and leadership at WMS. 

“The Leadership students designed an interactive and engaging day for the middle school students,” Wilke says.  “They worked hard to provide the students with lessons that will help them make positive contributions in their school and in their personal lives.”

Leadership Southwestern student Mandy Watson says that it is the small things that make a big difference.

“It’s an amazing feeling working with younger kids that are so enthused about service learning,” Schmitt says.   “It’s nice to know that you can start early with the kids in teaching them how to build community and what an impact it can make, even if it is something as simple as writing a letter to a soldier.  Sometimes it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for some it can make a big difference.”

Jalaine Richardson, coordinator of the WMS Builder Club, helped coordinate the event.

“The Southwestern students have proven that they care about the issue of hunger and are willing to act on their convictions. And by contributing funding and support to the event, the institution as a whole is living out its commitment to service,” said Lindsay Wilke, associate director of Leadership Southwestern.

“I know the Kansas Food Bank will be so appreciative because they have been responsible to provide this,” Campbell says.  “They are always looking for partners because there is such a huge need here and across the state.”

SCPB members presented a $2,000 grant to the Eastern Cowley County Resource Center (ECCRC).  ECCRC was founded in 2003 with a focus on computers and reading literacy. ECCRC is the sponsor of the Lighthouse Library project, an ocean-themed rural library with a 21,000 book collection. The funds granted to ECCRC will fund computer towers that will be used in robotics programming for youth and senior citizen computer workshops.
The SCPB awarded $1,000 to Family Life Services located in Arkansas City.  The funds granted will go towards 40 hours of counseling sessions for parents who are having problems with abuse in their families or parents who have had abuse problems growing up.

The SCPB also awarded $800 to Eagle Nest of Winfield.  The funds granted will go towards class scholarships for women. 

The SCPB was formed four years ago as a senior Leadership Southwestern student’s project.  A grant was written, and Southwestern College was chosen by Campus Compact’s Students4Giving program as one of 10 institutions to receive a start-up grant of $15,000.  The college also contributed to this amount.
With this funding, a group of students from the three Southwestern College service learning teams (Leadership Southwestern, Discipleship Southwestern, and Green Team Southwestern) formed the SCPB.  The board consists of five members from the three programs.
The mission of the SCPB is twofold.  First, it exists to teach college students about philanthropy and grant-making.  Each year, the SCPB creates Request for Funding Proposals (RFPs) and distributes them to Cowley County non-profit organizations.  The board then meets to review and award grant applications.  The second part of the mission is to help students connect and build relationships with local non-profits.  This year, the board worked toward this goal by visiting past grant recipients and hosting an on-campus philanthropy awareness week.
According to SCPB advisor Lindsay Wilke, the focus for this year’s RFP covered three areas and was derived from the county’s Vision 2020 plan:
• Decreasing the high incidence of child abuse in the county
• Increasing recreation and educational opportunities for young people ages 0-25
• Improving services for senior citizens.
A total of 11 non-profit organizations submitted funding requests, but programs that met one or more of the areas above were given priority.
Wilke has been pleased with the group.
“The board and the class took their job of crafting an RFP very seriously this year,” Wilke says.  “They researched county needs and assets and studied Vision 2020 thoroughly to ensure that the grant money would make a difference.”
Members of the SCPB include Sally McGuire, Denton, Texas; Jessie Riggs, Wellington; Sydnee Nelson, Clay Center; Mariam Mamah, Tulsa, Okla.; and Hannah Podschun, Winfield.  Members of the philanthropy and grant making class that worked in conjunction with the SCPB to develop the RFP and award the grant include: Tavinia Tucker, San Antonio, Texas; Michael Bond, Wichita; Taylor Fogle and Katy Hamilton, Bartlesville, Okla.; Stevie Heidzig, Rogersville, Mo.; Kaley Rodriguez, Gypsum; and Lauren Strain, Pryor, Okla.

The gazebo started off as a Green Team fundraiser.  McGuire was attempting to build something out of recycled aircraft pallets to sell for the Green Team. This eventually morphed into a gazebo.

According to McGuire, the inspiration for a gazebo that features a solar charging dock came from the "Solar Docks" freshman Leadership survey in 2011.

“The survey asked the student body if there was an interest in outdoor solar powered picnic tables. The student body liked the idea but not the $11,000 price tag,” McGuire says.

The gazebo is 8'x8.5' and is made from one aircraft pallet. The roofing material is Ondura which is 50% post-consumer recycled material. The gazebo also features a 45-watt solar panel that powers two LED lights and, according to McGuire, will charge a computer, play a boom box, and run a number of other things.

The financial donation to the project was $1,000 made by McGuire, which was the approximate cost of the solar powered system.  The gazebo was placed on the south side of Reid next to the sand volleyball court April 23, however, the final installation site for it has yet to be determined. 

Taking the L.E.A.D. (leadership, exercise, action, and diet) was taught by the SC students with assistance from community members Terri Fields, Nancy Miller, and Becky Reid.

A celebration for the culmination of the curriculum was held on April 18 at Lowell.  Funding for the celebration was provided by a grant from Youth Service America for Global Youth Service Day.

“It has been fun watching the Leadership students build relationships with the second graders,” says Lindsay Wilke, assistant director for Leadership Southwestern.  “The Leadership team took on an extensive project over the course of the semester and secured grant funding to make it happen.  Watching the project unfold has been extremely rewarding for everyone involved.”