/news-archive/tag/community-connection-center/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:38:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2017/09/21/altruistic-students/ Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:38:40 +0000 /news/?p=67976 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students ranked 鈥楳ost Altruistic鈥� in state]]> When it comes to community service, University of Arkansas at Little Rock students are among the state鈥檚 most engaged.聽 Pillars of Academia recently released a state-by-state ranking of colleges and universities with the . 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock ranked first in the state and 154th of all universities considered nationwide. Sarah Beth Estes, executive director of the Community Connection Center, said it is easy to see how community minded the students at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock are through their volunteer work and community service. 鈥淲e wouldn’t be able to staff the Trojan Food Pantry or Clothes Closet without students,鈥� Estes said. 鈥淪ince the founding of the food pantry in spring of 2016, over 40 student volunteers have worked to provide food to the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community.鈥� Faith Thomas, vice president of the Student Government Association, said the students often focus on community service that helps people in the community get the 鈥渞esources they need to improve their current situation.鈥� 鈥�I think that service is the heart of our communities, and it takes passionate individuals to lead the conversation and action,鈥� Thomas said. For the list, Pillars of Academic used Washington Monthly university rankings, which ranks schools on social mobility, research, and service. The was based on each school鈥檚 performance in four areas: military service, national service, percentage of federal work-study grant money spent on community service, and the percent of students doing community service as well as the number of hours of community service per student. See the rankings . 聽]]> /news-archive/2017/08/17/tavin-leggate-food-pantry/ Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:13:52 +0000 /news/?p=67647 ... 8-year-old who wants to end hunger hosts food drive for Trojan Food Pantry]]> For the past four years, Tavin, an 8-year-old Springhill Elementary School student and Alexander native, has been making the world a better place by hosting food drives in the summer and coat and blanket drives during the winter. This summer, Tavin held a July 29-30 food drive on behalf of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojan Food Pantry. Tavin brought in a vehicle full of donations Aug. 8 with help from his mother, Shana Leggate, who is pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in school counseling at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, and Stephanie Futch-James, a family friend and sociology major at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. After they dropped off the donation, Tavin was so elated he wanted to clap his hands and sing Pharrell Williams鈥� song 鈥淗appy.鈥� 鈥淚 want to end homelessness and hunger, because I don鈥檛 like it. It鈥檚 rude,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople need to donate to help the hungry, so they won鈥檛 be hungry anymore.鈥� Tavin received donations from his swim team, neighbors, and even strangers who showed up at his house after seeing the food drive on social media. The donated items included canned vegetables, peanut butter, grape and strawberry jelly, canned meat, rice mixes, spaghetti, tomato sauce, chicken noodle and tomato soups, mixed fruits, and cereal. 鈥淲e greatly appreciate Tavin for donating to the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Trojan Food Pantry for the second year in a row,鈥� said Betsy Hart, assistant director of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Community Connection Center. 鈥淚t’s so great to see someone so young give back to the community. His donation will serve many students and staff who utilize the services of the pantry every week. He is a great kid and already has the heart of a Trojan.鈥� Shana Leggate said Tavin has held food drives ever since seeing families who needed help after the 2014 tornado in Mayflower, Arkansas. 鈥淗e鈥檚 always had a big heart, and he wants to help people,鈥� Shana Leggate said. 鈥淗e saw that the food pantry needed donations and asked how he could help.鈥� Tavin was previously a finalist in and appeared on the Today Show. In the upper right photo,聽Tavin Leggate unloads donations he collected for the Trojan Food Pantry. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Communications.]]> /news-archive/2017/05/25/estes-community-connection-center/ Thu, 25 May 2017 13:10:45 +0000 /news/?p=67247 ... Estes named director of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Community Connection Center]]> A respected scholar in gender and family issues has been appointed the executive director of the Community Connection Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.聽 Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, professor of sociology, has been leading the center as the interim director since October and was recently named the director. Established in 2014, the Community Connection Center promotes and supports student-engaged learning with community, government, businesses, and nonprofit organizations through internships, service learning, community-based research, and career development services. 聽 鈥淚 am excited about being the executive director of the CCC,鈥� Estes said. 鈥淭his position provides the opportunity to link career development to experiential learning, which will benefit not just our students but through them, our state.鈥� The center gives students an edge in the workforce, Estes said. 鈥淲e know that career profiles are changing, that, increasingly to succeed, graduates need to be flexible and agile in the labor market,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he opportunity to engage with employers through unique professional experiences offers students the opportunity to practice knowledge transfer from the classroom to the community, from one learning environment to another, in an organic and meaningful way.鈥� Estes is a 1988 graduate of Hendrix College with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in sociology. She also holds a master鈥檚 degree and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She was a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati and affiliate of the Kunz Center for Work and Family before arriving at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Estes began her 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock career in 2006 as the coordinator of the gender studies program and as a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She has held many leadership roles at the university, including associate dean for research, engagement, and interdisciplinary programs in the College of Social Sciences and Communication; associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and associate chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Her scholarship has been cited in numerous books and articles. Much of Estes鈥� research has focused on how work-family policies are related to aspects of family life, including parenting behavior, children鈥檚 well-being, and the gendered division of household labor. She was among the panelists invited in 2014 to address an audience at the Clinton School of Public Service about a report she co-authored for the Women鈥檚 Foundation of Arkansas on educational barriers that exist for girls and women in Arkansas. Estes serves on the board of the Women鈥檚 Foundation of Arkansas, which promotes philanthropy among women and helps women and girls achieve their full potential. She was also the founding chair of the Green Dot Violence Prevention Program established at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2013 and was voted the Faculty Member of the Year by the Student Government Association in 2014.]]> /news-archive/2017/03/14/ua-little-rock-service-learning-academy/ Tue, 14 Mar 2017 16:24:29 +0000 /news/?p=66587 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock accepting applications for Service-Learning Academy]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Community Connection Center will hold a Service-Learning Academy for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock faculty members and instructors interested in integrating service learning into their courses.聽 Service learning is a teaching strategy that combines community service with classroom instruction. Service learning teaches students civic responsibility and provides a practical application of the skills learned in the classroom. The workshop will run from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday June 5-8, in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock University District Building. Full-time faculty members and instructors will have the chance to earn a $1,000 stipend for successful completion of the workshop and a service-learning course. Led by Dr. Kristen McIntyre, director of the Communication Skill Center, the academy will cover all aspects of adapting a class into a service-learning course, including learning outcomes and assessment, relationships with community partners, reflection activities, and liability and access issues. Dr. Laura Barrio-Vilar, assistant professor of English and graduate of the academy, said the academy is a must for those interested in service learning. 鈥淣ot only will you learn the theoretical and practical approaches to service learning, but you will enjoy being part of a community of individuals with a passion for teaching and learning,鈥� Barrio-Vilar said. 鈥淭he most enriching aspects of the academy are interacting with members of other disciplines, and learning best practices from the experts.” Full-time faculty and instructors who participate in all academy sessions and complete a course syllabus and teaching plan will receive a $500 stipend. They will be given an additional $500 stipend after teaching a service-learning course and providing feedback. Applications are due Monday, March 27. Fill out the to apply for the Service-Learning Academy. For more information, contact Betsy Hart at edhart@ualr.edu or 501.569.3424. In the upper right photo is聽Dr. Kristen McIntyre. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Communications.聽]]> /news-archive/2016/09/06/ualr-community-invited-to-service-fair/ Tue, 06 Sep 2016 21:06:19 +0000 /news/?p=65109 ... 糖心Vlog传媒LR community invited to service fair]]> Each year, about 300 students, faculty, and staff flock to the event to learn how they can serve their local community organizations, obtain internships, and participate in service-learning opportunities. The service fair will be located in the Donaghey Student Center in Ledbetter鈥檚 A, B, and C. 糖心Vlog传媒LR will 聽partner with more than 30 community and in-house organizations including AR Kids Read, 糖心Vlog传媒LR Nonprofit Leadership Studies, Museum of Discovery and Girl Scouts. Organizers encourage everyone to attend to not only learn how they can lend a helping hand in the community, but also to support the university鈥檚 efforts and to have a good time among peers. For more information regarding the fair, contact Betsy Hart of the Community聽Connection Center at 501.569.3424 or edhart@ualr.edu.]]> /news-archive/2016/01/27/trojan-food-pantry-set-to-open-feb-4/ Wed, 27 Jan 2016 18:23:24 +0000 /news/?p=63382 ... Trojan Food Pantry set to open Feb. 4]]> With the help of the campus community and university organizations, the new University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojan Food Pantry will open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday beginning Feb. 4. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a group effort on campus,鈥� said Betsy Hart, assistant director of the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Community Connection Center. 鈥淔olks all over campus have been coming up to us, saying this has been a need for a long time.鈥� A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the pantry, located on the south side of the Donaghey Student Center in Room 110B. Additionally, the pantry will host a food drive at the Trojans basketball game on Feb. 4. Pantry staff members particularly encourage participants to donate peanut butter and jelly. The Trojan Food Pantry is open to all 糖心Vlog传媒LR students, faculty, and staff in need of assistance. Food pantry participants must fill out a first-time form online or in person at the pantry. A three-day supply of food is provided to participants once a week based on the items chosen on their food request form. At least 5,000 food items have been collected through the campus food drive led by the Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Corps. The Community Connection Center is leading the food pantry effort with the help of Student Government Association, Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, Staff Senate, and other campus partners, including the employee annual campaign. Currently, the pantry has only non-perishable items. Hart hopes to eventually obtain refrigerated foods, fresh vegetables, and fruits. Organizers expect hundreds of 糖心Vlog传媒LR students, staff, and faculty to access the pantry. The pantry is run on a day-to-day basis by 糖心Vlog传媒LR student volunteers. According to the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA), food insecurity has increasingly become an issue on college and university campuses and can pose a significant barrier to student success, affecting all demographic statuses, enrollment levels, and geographic locations. 鈥淚 really think that we can fulfill the need that we do have on campus through this, and hopefully we can expand with time,鈥� said Felisha Thomas, a food pantry volunteer and social work graduate student. Donated food items may be dropped off at the Community Connection Center. For more information on the Trojan Food Pantry, visit /foodpantry. A list of most needed items is on the website.]]>