Action Research Center News
Meagan DeSalvo, Matt LaLonde, Dave McGrath, Annette Rauch Named Weir Fellows
ARC awards the $1500 fellowships to students who have successfully implemented a project that has the potential to forge and sustain collaborative efforts in the community. Read the full story here.
ARC’s Danny Kenny named Lincoln Laureate
Daniel Kenny, a senior from Wildwood, Mo., has been selected as Illinois Wesleyan University’s recipient of the 2012 Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Laureate Award. The award recognizes outstanding academic achievement and extracurricular activities among college seniors. Read the full story here.
IWU Student Helping to Start a Tool Library In Bloomington (Pantagraph)
After her husband died last year, Normal resident Elsie Cadieux was left with boxes of tools she would never use. “He was very handy and liked to have a tool for everything,” Cadieux said of her late husband, Andre. “I was so happy to put them someplace where they would be used.” Cadieux donated many of the tools to a new community project, The Tool Library, started earlier this year by Matt LaLonde, an Illinois Wesleyan University junior accounting major from Downers Grove. Read the story here.
ARC Students Engage With Community
Ten Illinois Wesleyan University students had an active summer this year interning and making contributions to the Bloomington-Normal community. Katie Rose Brosnan, Veronica Watson, Maggie Maddox, Danielle Jauregui, Celeste Borjas, Lizzie Egan, Zach Meyer, Matt LaLonde, Cameron Blossom, Mark Gianni participated in IWU's Action Research Center's (ARC) Community Partnership Program (CPP). Read more here.
LaLonde ‘14 to Launch Tool Library
Illinois Wesleyan University student Matt LaLonde is launching a Tool Library for the Bloomington-Normal area, which will open on Nov. 10 at the West Bloomington Revitalization Project's (WBRP) office (800 W. Washington St., Bloomington). A tool library is a service that lends home repair tools, free of charge, to residents in a community for home repair and gardening. Read the story here.
Students to Embark on Alternative Fall Break
This year, Illinois Wesleyan University students will have the opportunity to participate in a new program called Alternative Fall Break. Students will work with University Chaplain Elyse Nelson Winger and Deborah Halperin, the coordinator for the Action Research Center. The program was created by the Student Volunteer and Resource Center, the West Bloomington Revitalization Project and the Action Research Center. Read more here.
New Peace Garden Brings Fresh Food to Community
When strolling through the produce section at a grocery store or harvesting a home garden, many of us hope to find sweet strawberries, plump tomatoes and buttery lettuce. However, there are members of the Bloomington-Normal community that do not have access to fresh produce or have the space to grow a garden. At Illinois Wesleyan, Ryan Dyar, Class of 2014 and Danny Kenny, Class of 2013, are promoting community connectedness and trying to make produce accessible to all through an IWU Peace Garden, located at Francis Street and Prospect Avenue. Read more here.
Grant Writing Course Gives Back to the Community
Each fall, Deborah Halperin, coordinator of the Action Research Center (ARC), teaches the Action Research Seminar, a course that takes on a large community project and focuses on the skills students need to bring about positive change in their community. Click here for full article.
Action Research Center Links Students to Community
For nearly 10 years, Illinois Wesleyan’s Action Research Center has taken hands-on learning to a whole new level by connecting students with not-for-profit service, citizen groups and private-sector firms in the Bloomington-Normal area. Click here for full article.
Alumnus Aids Bloomington Police Department
The doorbell rings. You peer outside your window to see if it’s anyone you know. No. It’s a well-dressed young man holding papers….It could be a door-to-door salesman or someone handing out pamphlets. You may choose not to answer the door, but many residents on the west side of Bloomington did, and met Illinois Wesleyan University student, and now alumnus Ryan Lambert ’10. Click here for full article.
Students Named 2011 Weir Fellows
Senior Kaitie Fancher and junior Matt Hill were awarded fellowships in recognition of their commitment to community service. For full article click here .
ARC Receives Grant From State Farm Youth Advisory Board
ARC is pleased to announce that we have received a $98,490 grant from the State Farm Youth Advisory Board (www.statefarmyab.com) to support the launch of Blank Canvas. For full article click here.
MLK teach-in advocates social justice
Students came in waves from their classes to Illinois Wesleyan University’s Hansen Student Center on Monday, Jan. 18, to increase their awareness on three points of global importance.For full article click here.
2010 Weir Fellows Announced
Illinois Wesleyan University students Lindsey Haines and Kenny Woodard are the recipients of the Weir Fellowship that honors students who make a deep commitment to volunteering in the community. For full article click here.
State Farm Continues Support for ARC
For the third consecutive year, Illinois Wesleyan University's Action Research Center (ARC) has been awarded a $55,000 grant from the State Farm Companies Foundation. Learn more here .
2009 Weir Fellows Announced
Sneh Rajbhandari and Danny Burke have been named the 2009 Weir Fellows. Elizabeth Weir met them on a recent visit to campus. Learn more about Ms. Weir and the Fellows here .
ARC-Sponsored Not-For-Profit Leadership Workshop Series
ARC has announced the schedule for its Fall 2008 Not-for-Profit Leadership Workshop series. These workshops are designed to enhance the value of the community-based experience and to enrich the students' understanding of not-for-profit organizations. Students will learn skills and techniques from ARC staff and partners and learn from each other as they share the successes and challenges of their projects. The workshops are free and open to any student involved in community not-for-profit work. Click here more information and for the schedule of workshops. E-mail Deborah Halperin, ARC Coordinator, at dhalperi@iwu.edu for more information or to register.
ARC Announces Weir Fellowships
In December 2007, Elizabeth Weir joined the Action Research Center to establish the Weir Fellowship Program. Weir, an alumna of Illinois Wesleyan University, will provide funding for two students to pursue action research projects in the community. Junior Laura Maxwell will partner with Heartland Head Start in Bloomington and junior Tyler Miller will assist Friends of Kickapoo Creek in Downs.
Action Research Center Open House
The Action Research Center will host an Open House on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Henning Room to provide information on the 2008 State Farm Summer Internship Program. Previous interns and the ARC Coordinator Deborah Halperin will be available to answer questions and talk about the SF Partnership experience.
Tracy Kidder Visits IWU
Tracy Kidder, author of Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World, visited IWU recently to speak at the President's Convocation. Kidder spoke about opportunities for making a difference in the world. For some of Kidder's suggestions on places to start, read the story here .
ARC Coordinator Named one of Pantagraph's '20 Under 40'
Deborah Halperin, the Coordinator of IWU's Action Research Center, was named to the Pantagraph's '20 Under 40' list, which recognizes accomplished members of the Bloomington-Normal community who are under 40 years old. Read the story here .
Action Research Center brings learning into community
Two Illinois Wesleyan professors are taking the classroom into the community in an unusual program that is designed to establish and sustain their students’ commitment to active citizenship. James Sikora, professor of sociology, and James Simeone, associate professor of political science, knew their students could pass tests on social policy, but wondered if they truly understood the community’s social problems or the not-for-profit organizations that battled them. Read the full article here .