2011 Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps Summer Associate VISTA Impact Reports

Table of Contents

FOOD INSECURITY

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY – CLARE FAGERHOLM & SHANNON CORLETT 1 JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY – CATHERINE DISTELRATH & MELISSA BRESNAHAN 3 LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE – DOMINIQUE HUGHES 5 LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE – GRANT THOMPSON 7 LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE – NAHTEESHA CHARLES 9 MARIETTA COLLEGE – HEATHER STEWART 11 MARIETTA COLLEGE – SYDNEY MALTESE 13 OBERLIN COLLEGE – RAFE SCOBEY-THAL & ERICA TURETT 15 SHAWNEE STATE UNIVERSITY – DANIELLE BOYLES & DOT FLANAGAN 17 UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI – KELLEY O’BRIEN & RICK SAMU 19 WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY – KATIE MINTER 21

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BACKGROUND & HISTORY FOOD PROGRAM Through the University Farm Food Program, the OCC VISTA Corps members assisted with garden implementation, greenhouse and crop maintenance to maximize plant output. They developed an interactive presentation concerning volunteerism in the United States, and presented to a group of 11 Mexican students visiting the farm through the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. Following the presentation, the VISTAs assisted the students as they volunteered in the fields. The Farm Food Program recently introduced honey bee hives to maximize plant pollination and counteract Colony Collapse Disorder, and the students assisted with this project as well. They also assisted with measuring and recording compost temperatures for a research project, as well as developed presentations regarding high tunnels and bee-keeping for visitor education. !

The VISTAs harvested strawberries, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuces, herbs, and

much more at Cleveland Crops. !

Engaging campuses in service to the community. Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Impact Report 2011:

Case Western Reserve University !

FAGERHOLM AT GREEN CORPS: VISTA Corps member Clare was involved with the Green Corps program through the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, which operates six Learning Farms. Cleveland youth ages 14-18 learn about sustainable agriculture as they seed, harvest, and sell produce to their neighborhoods. She researched methods to increase accessibility to the produce by searching for community partners, identified other grocery and (continued on reverse)

The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA program strategically connects college resources with communities in need. Corps members gain valuable experience and educational awards. Campuses expand their civic outreach. And community partners receive critical support. !

Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity and hunger VISTA Corps members: Clare Fagerholm & Shannon Corlett Supervisor: Elizabeth Banks • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]

www.ohiocampuscompact.org !

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corner stores offering produce, and created a produce price comparison chart. Furthermore, Clare developed a binder explaining progress and useful contacts for future VISTAs to continue to reach out to the community and spread awareness of the onsite markets in Fairfax, Buckeye, and Slavic Village. Groups identified and educated about Green Corps programs include:

• Buckeye Area Development Organizations • Cleveland Public Library- Rice Branch • MetroHealth Buckeye Health Center • Slavic Village Developmental • Cleveland Public Library- Slavic Village • Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation • Senior Outreach Services • Emmanuel Baptist Church • Karamu House • Woodland Learning Center

CORLETT AT CLEVELAND CROPS: Through the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, VISTA Corps member Shannon has been involved with the planting, harvesting, and marketing of local, chemical free produce. At the Stanard location where she spent most of her time this operation employs three job coaches (including the farm manager), fourteen individuals with disabilities (the “consumers”) and the VISTAs. Because this was only the second season the program had been in existence there were many unique individual and group challenges to face. Shannon’s challenge centered around the development of a marketing department which could effectively harvest, store, and sell all of the produce which was coming out of the farm without any waste of time or product. This also involved finding a balance between sales to prominent Cleveland restaurants while still being able to maintain availability to the community. During the marketing process Shannon developed an easy to understand system of organization which allows both the leaders and the consumers to understand the harvesting and sorting process, and will next be working on creating a list of all of the names of products on the property to help the workers be able to accurately spell each of the vegetables names. In addition to exploring this process, she has also formed relationships with several leading chefs in the area who now recognize that she is a legitimate and reliable contact for produce on a daily basis. Even the more interested neighbors now attend the newly introduced farmer’s market that she manages each week, and are starting to accept the program into the area instead of rebelling against the farm’s establishment. Shannon’s time as a VISTA has been spent gaining extensive knowledge about horticulture and the daily chores of a chemical free farm, as well as getting to know the entire community which currently benefits from the programs existence. Her hope is to be able to continue colunteering time to this cause and its people in the future as they look towards continued expansion and growth.

About Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA

Ohio Campus Compact is a statewide nonprofit coalition of colleges and university presidents and their campuses working to promote the civic purposes of higher education. Ohio Campus Compact provides resources, services & partnerships to help Ohio campuses deepen their ability to educate students for civic and social responsibility and to improve community life. AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps* VISTA Program places and supports VISTAs who create and expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. VISTAs serve in the poorest areas of their communities to tackle poverty-related problems such as hunger and homelessness, financial literacy, veteran student services, public health and college access. More information at: www.ohiocampuscompact.org

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Fagerholm and Corlett displaying freshly harvested strawberries at Cleveland Crops

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HISTORY & BACKGROUND Northeast Ohio (specifically the Cleveland area) has a reputation of being one of the poorer, more dangerous cities in Ohio. At the same time, however, Cleveland boasts a larger number of community gardens than any other city in Ohio. The city of Cleveland and its surrounding areas are making progress. Clevelanders are working tirelessly to ensure that fewer people are living in a food insecure situation every day and that more people have access to healthy, fresh food on a regular basis. This summer, the OCC Summer Associate VISTA Corps members, Catherine and Melissa, have joined the community garden initiative in Cleveland in some important ways. First, by maintaining the Carroll Community Garden on campus at John Carroll University and donating all of its produce to the Heights Emergency Food Center; second, by partnering with Asian Services In Action (ASIA) on its community garden and outreach efforts; third, by researching various ways to make it easier for people to develop and maintain community gardens, and researching ways to get healthier foods into the lunch programs at Cleveland schools. COMMUNITY IMPACT There are 150 schools in the Cleveland Metropolitan School district, most of which are responsible for providing Cleveland’s youth with 1-2 meals a day. That means many Cleveland schools are responsible for about 75% of lunches that a child eats per year. However, much of the food that is served in area schools is processed, preserved, imported food that is not healthy for students.

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Engaging campuses in service to the community. Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Impact Report 2011: John Carroll

University

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Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity and hunger

VISTA Corps members: Catherine Distelrath & Melissa Bresnahan Site Supervisor: Margaret Finucane (216) 397-4698 • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]


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About Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Ohio Campus Compact is a statewide nonprofit coalition of colleges and university presidents and their campuses working to promote the civic purposes of higher education. Ohio Campus Compact provides resources, services & partnerships to help Ohio campuses deepen their ability to educate students for civic and social responsibility and to improve community life. AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Program places and supports VISTAs who create and expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. VISTAs serve in the poorest areas of their communities to tackle poverty-related problems such as hunger and homelessness, financial literacy, veteran student services, public health and college access. More information at: www.ohiocampuscompact.org

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Dietary and grocery habits in the community also model after a system where imported foods dominate over local products and preservatives are common. As a result, efforts to better the system as well as the health of the individuals who live inside it are being made all over Cleveland. Examples of some of these groups and individuals include Rich Hoban with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Asian Services In Action (ASIA), the Heights emergency food center, and certain government workers who coordinate with such groups. This summer we worked with and learned from these various groups. Primarily, however, we worked to create a resource manual for community partners that can help such organizations in their efforts to continue working toward a greener and healthier Cleveland by incorporating important information we learned from various groups and research. The goal of this manual is to make it easier for people to create a healthier food system in Cleveland schools and to help individuals understand the various reasons gardening is useful and important. CAMPUS IMPACT The Center for Service and Social Action at John Carroll University has partnered with the Heights Emergency Food Center (HEFC) for several years. However, in the past few years, the partnership has suffered a bit due to various circumstances, such as scheduling difficulties. Because of the VISTA efforts with the community garden in the past two years, the relationship between HEFC and John Carroll has improved to the point of creating a more viable option for sending student volunteers to HEFC. The VISTA members have also worked to include more John Carroll students in the gardening process. Recruiting student volunteers during the summer is more difficult as many students vacate campus during the summer months. However, by making a fun event out of our planting day, as opposed to simply planting the garden themselves, the VISTA members were able to recruit student volunteers who would be available and willing to help throughout the summer. Including more students throughout the summer should encourage more students to get involved and learn more about the garden when they return to campus in the fall.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE: The VISTA-created manual includes information about why gardening is healthier for the environment. It also includes information on how to integrate a more sustainable and local food system into schools. In addition to the community manual, Catherine has also comprised a garden manual for John Carroll’s Community garden. The resources can be utilized by any of the 60 community partners that work with the Center for Service and Social Action and can also be utilized within John Carroll to further efforts toward a more local and sustainable city. !

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Engaging campuses in service to the community. Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Impact Report:

Lorain County Community College

The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA program strategically connects college resources with communities in need. Corps members gain valuable experience and educational awards; campuses expand their civic outreach;

and community partners receive critical support.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND In Elyria OH, 23 percent of families with children less than 18 years of age live in poverty. The poverty rate more than doubles to 47.8 percent in families with a female head of household and children under the age of 18. This summer in close partnership with Lorain County Community College’s (LCCC) Campus Gardens, Elyria City Schools (Northwood Middle School), and Giant Eagle the Lorain County Urban League (LCUL) was able to combat food insecurities associated with poverty. Summer Associate VISTA Corps member Dominique Hughes, with the help of Project Ready Director, Tina Allen, and Project Ready volunteer, Cassandra Allen, coordinated 58 hours of direct and indirect service learning for 6-9th grade students whom are in the LCUL’s Project Ready Summer Camp. July 25th through August 12th was dedicated to informing 16 local youth about job creation for the next generation, food access, hunger, healthy eating and living.

COMMUNITY IMPACT Project Ready youth were introduced to issues of food insecurity through a poverty simulation. Those who were unable to afford a plentiful amount of food during the simulation identified food banks/pantries, food stamps, and schools lunch programs as their options. It was essential to review the importance of food assistance for its relevance to our community service. Project Ready youth were one hundred times more connected to their service than they would have been if they had not participated in a poverty simulation. It reminded everyone how important their commitment to civic engagement would be for the next three weeks. Service learning programs involve students in organized community service that addresses the local needs of community partners, while developing academic skills and instilling the importance of civic responsibility.

Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity VISTA Corps member: Dominique Hughes Site Supervisor: Marcia Jones (440) 366-4729 • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]

www.ohiocampuscompact.org

Project Ready student Nancy Tanner and Dominique Hughes helped pull weeds in

the Green-Land Youth Experience Garden. Project Ready youth devoted 20 hours of direct service learning to

campus gardens renovations.

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On average twelve students in Project Ready participated in service learning at LCCC Campus Gardens and Northwood Middle School Courtyard Garden. The benefits of service learning include:

• Experience real-life application of classroom knowledge. • Develop enhanced problem solving skills, ability to work in teams, and

planning abilities. • Early college access and career exploration • Improved self-esteem and self- satisfaction • Enhance civic engagement attitudes, skill and behaviors.

Project Ready’s service learning component has offered opportunities to youth, which keep them actively engaged in agency and leadership. By providing them with resources that support the development of self-advocacy skills, Project Ready staff and community partners are ensuring that the next generation will be equipped to turn their ideas into action. Furthermore, service learning empowers and shows them that they have a voice in their community.

Youth were also able to visit Giant Eagle to better familiarize themselves with healthy lifestyles. Project Ready discussed the specifics of the food pyramid, organic and inorganic foods. A tour of Giant Eagle, food samples and worksheets encouraged youth to make healthy food choices in the future.

CAMPUS IMPACT

The Lorain County Urban League Project Ready’s partnership with Lorain County Community College was a huge success. Through the assistance of Summer Associate VISTA Corps member Grant Thompson and Professor Ruby Beil Project Ready youth were able to participate in approximately 20 hours renovating LCCC’s Campus Field House Garden. Renovations consisted of youth researching plants, transplanting plants from the Hummingbird Butterfly Habitat Garden, redesigning the layout of Field House Garden, renaming Field House Garden to The Urban League Project Ready Green-land Youth Experience Garden, and designing a sign in the Fab Lab (offers tools needed to conceptualize, design, develop, fabricate and test a wide variety of things).

The Urban League Project Ready Green-land Youth Experience Garden’s tranquility provides the perfect study break and has the possibility to be sustainable with future assistance from volunteers. Not only were youth able to learn about the importance of civic engagement, they were able to learn about food access, medicinal herbs, and the basics of gardening. LCCC and LCUL’s summer partnership has been a win-win situation achieving desired results for both the campus and community.

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE The Lorain County Urban League’s Project Ready’s first summer was able to be successful through the help of community partners, staff, parents and youth. Challenges included transportation, and organizing service learning hours. The Project Ready Summer Program has the potential to double in numbers by next summer with the support of Elyria City Schools, Lorain County Community College, Oberlin College Bonner Center for Service and Learning, REACHigher, Gear Up, Ninde Scholars and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). These formalized partnerships coupled with agency collaborations, and programming experience will only enhance Lorain County’s students’ civic engagement in the future.

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About Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Ohio Campus compact is a statewide nonprofit coalition of colleges and university presidents and their campuses working to promote the civic purposes of higher education. Ohio Campus Compact provides resources, services & partnerships to help Ohio campuses deepen their ability to educate students for civic and social responsibility and to improve community life. AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Program places and supports VISTAs who create and expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. VISTAs serve in the poorest areas of their communities to tackle poverty-related problems such as hunger and homelessness, financial literacy, veteran student services, public health and college access. More information at www.ohiocampuscompact.org.

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#?+)9;$/"#&1$.&>&.$',/1#)."@$)9;$.'**,9&/8$+)1/9#1-$1#.#&>#$.1&/&.)7$-,++'1/<&&&HISTORY & BACKGROUND Lorain County Community College (LCCC) is located in Elyria, Ohio, a community located on the western edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Within a seven mile radius of LCCC, there are seven areas classified as food deserts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. This service defines food deserts as low income communities in which 500 people, or 33% of the population, live more than 1 mile from a grocery store. 25,124 total people live in these food deserts, 20,413 of which (81.2%) are considered to have low- access to food. (http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/)

&Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food Insecurity VISTA Corps member: Grant Thompson Site Supervisor: Michele Henes (440) 366-7034 • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compace VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected] www.ohiocampuscompact.org

&Being the most affordable option for education in Lorain County, Lorain County Community College serves many students and families from low socio-economic backgrounds. The Children’s Learning Center is a non-profit child-care and pre-school service provided to staff, faculty, and students of LCCC. Given economic and food access issues in the community, many of the children served by the center possess little knowledge about where food comes from. Because of this, the center’s director, Michele Henes, has been working in conjunction with Filtrexx GardenSoxx to implement a pilot gardening curriculum called, “A Garden for Every Child.” One of the main goals of this curriculum states that: “Gardens with edible crops can foster the development of positive nutritional attitudes and behaviors. Kids learn the sources of their food and are motivated to try new fruits and vegetables.”

&In 2010, Henes secured a Youth Garden Grant from the National Gardening Association in order to expand and care for a student garden at the Learning center.

&“It became incredibly concerning to me that, when asked where their vegetables come from, a large percentage of our students would respond: ‘McDonald’s’”

- Michele Henes

Director, Children’s Learning Center &&&&

LCCC Children’s Learning Center Students were given hands-on gardening experience. Not only did they get to witness the growth process of their plants, they had the opportunity to actively participate in this process, from planting the seeds, to providing the plants with water, and keeping track of the garden’s progress. (Above: OCC VISTA Grant Thompson and Learning Center Students plant pumpkins that the students started from seed.)

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CAMPUS IMPACT Sowing the seeds of knowledge In the second summer of the curriculum’s implementation, OCC VISTA Grant Thompson worked to expand the existing vegetable garden, worked in conjunction with center teachers to provide experiential reinforcement of learning material, and promoted garden growth so that students could witness food production. The overall goal was to establish the idea of gardens as a nutritional food source at a young age.

The vegetable garden itself was expanded by more than 150 square feet and four raised bed gardens (each 3’x3’) were added. In order to foster meaningful connections to learning material, the garden was divided into seven distinct sections, each devoted to a type of food children would be familiar with. These included: Salsa, Pizza, Salad, Dinner and Herb sections. Additionally a “three sisters garden” and three pumpkin patches were established in the raised beds. The students started majority of the plants from seed and transplanted them to the garden in the summer. Throughout the summer, the students were given an increasing amount of responsibility over age-appropriate tasks in the garden (i.e. watering, weeding, growth tracking, etc.). They were also given the opportunity to learn through exploration in the garden on a daily basis. Students were also tasked with caring for a worm composting bin to supplement what they learned about composting. The students had the opportunity to harvest both basil and dill from their garden before the end of summer and the fall students will be able to harvest a large amount of various vegetables. The basil was utilized by the grade-school students, who made pesto from the basil that they picked for lunch.

Growing Partnerships: Through the center’s partnership with the local company, Filtrexx, the garden was primarily comprised of GardenSoxx. These are self-contained growing systems that can be moved from year-to-year and utilize locally-sourced, USDA organic compost as a growing media. Filtrexx has also been instrumental in the creation of the gardening curriculum utilized by the Children’s learning Center.

For the second consecutive year Eric Petrus, LCCC’s Executive Chef, has donated his time to create food for the students from the center’s garden. This is an incredibly important part of the process because it shows the students a direct connection between the garden and their plate. This summer the dill from the garden was utilized by Petrus and his team to teach the students how to make a dill vegetable dip as a snack. This partnership will be utilized going forward into the fall in order to reinforce the idea of gardens as a food source.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE: As the LCCC Children’s Learning Center Garden continues to grow, there are almost limitless opportunities to educate children and their parents alike about both gardening and food sourcing. Future projects could include an expansion of the children’s garden to a full-fledged community garden, giving parents who may not otherwise have the opportunity, the chance to share the gardening experience with their children

The center can also begin to utilize its student teachers to enhance the current curriculum and to write more specific unit and lesson plans for future use. As one of the first programs of this type, the center is in prime position to receive grants and funding to further the work that has already been done.

!!!!!!Learning Through Doing: In addition to learning about gardening and food sourcing, students received an informal education in sustainable agricultural practices through the use of collected rain water, worm-composting food scraps, and a 100% organically raised garden. (Below: Students collect rain water from the rain-barrel to use in the garden) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!About Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Ohio Campus compact is a statewide nonprofit coalition of colleges and university presidents and their campuses working to promote the civic purposes of higher education. Ohio Campus Compact provides resources, services & partnerships to help Ohio campuses deepen their ability to educate students for civic and social responsibility and to improve community life. AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Program places and supports VISTAs who create and expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. VISTAs serve in the poorest areas of their communities to tackle poverty-related problems such as hunger and homelessness, financial literacy, veteran student services, public health and college access. More information at www.ohiocampuscompact.org.

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Engaging in campuses services for the community. Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Impact Report 2011:

Lorain County Community College The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA program strategically connects college resources with communities in need. Corps members gain valuable experience and educational awards; campuses expand their civic outreach;

and community partners receive critical support.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND In Elyria, Ohio, many organizations and programs that were focused on educating and youth leadership development have been severely impacted by federal, state and local budget cuts. Some successful local youth programs like Jogs, Gear Up, and CORE were forced to close down. This has left a huge gap in services for at-risk populations and for untold numbers of children who rely on free or reduced-price lunches during the school year and face hunger during the summer months. Ohio Campus Compact and Lorain County Community College worked together to place a Summer Associate VISTA Corps member with Save Our Children, a faith-based nonprofit organization in Elyria which provides enriching summer programs for youth from first grade through high school. VISTA Summer Associate Nahteesha Charles helped the Save Our Children staff to develop curriculum and provide education to all the teens in the Teen Youth Council and in the 1st and 2nd class. Focusing primarily on nutrition education, Nahteesha and her students explored the cultural , religious and historic importance of certain foods. The small garden plot and partnerships with the locally-grown produce cooperative, City Fresh, provided interesting—and delicious—tools to teach the youth about healthy eating and food production.

COMMUNITY IMPACT Thanks in part to the work of the VISTA Summer Associate program, Save Our Children was able to provide exciting, engaging and life-changing programs to Elyria children. The summer program offered important life lessons about respect for themselves and others, empowerment, culture and domestic violence. Teen Youth Council provided a service-learning experience for the participants who learned about respect, empowerment, team work, leadership, equality, and people skills. Field trips to Cleveland-area colleges enabled teens to better understand and explore possible options for college and various career paths. The dynamic summer programming led by Nahteesha Charles also engaged the youth in direct service to the community. For example, the teens volunteered at the Salvation Army to bag free grocery for low income families. The experience sparked deeper conversations among the group as to the various economic and social challenges their neighborhoods face, and an (continued on reverse)

Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity VISTA Corps Member: Nahteesha Charles Site Supervisor: Marcia Jones (440) 366-4729 • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected] www.ohiocampuscompact.org

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Teen Youth Council reading books to the 1st and 2nd graders at Save Our Children

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AmeriCorps VISTA member Nahteesha Charles teaches 1st and 2nd graders about food and

nutrition in the Save Our Children vegetable garden

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The VISTA IMPACT

By the numbers:

Engaged youth: 10

Service Learning Partners: 5

Field Trips: 5

Total number of service hours per student: 10-12

About Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Ohio Campus compact is a statewide nonprofit coalition of colleges and university presidents and their campuses working to promote the civic purposes of higher education. Ohio Campus Compact provides resources, services & partnerships to help Ohio campuses deepen their ability to educate students for civic and social responsibility and to improve community life. AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Program places and supports VISTAs who create and expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. VISTAs serve in the poorest areas of their communities to tackle poverty-related problems such as hunger and homelessness, financial literacy, veteran student services, public health and college access. More information at www.ohiocampuscompact.org.

exploration as to how they believe the community can be made a better place to live.

The students completed a total of 10-12 hours of community service over the course of the eight week program. The group also worked with the Boys and Girls Club and was able to use their recording studio to record a teen talk show to discuss what they learned that week. The teens discussed healthy versus unhealthy relationships, what it means to empower, how to work together, why it is important to have a goal and how to start it, what to do to follow through with it and the importance of education.

At the conclusion of the eight-week summer program, led by Ohio Campus Compact Summer Associate VISTA Nahteesha Charles at Save Our Children, the Teen Youth Council outlined the following achievements:

• Learned how to create goals and how to follow through • Learned how to work in harmony with their team • Explored Cleveland State University and the opportunities

higher education offers • Developed philanthropic skills and learned about importance

of giving, volunteering and helping the less unfortunate. • Improved behavior and respect for self and others • Improved problem-solving skills • Experience teaching and reading to 1st and 2nd (reading

buddies) • Increased awareness of community needs and challenges

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE Save Our Children received positive feedback about the project over the eight weeks. The greatest challenges to the program were coordinating transportation and communicating with many different organizations. They are many opportunities to continue partnerships with organizations like Boys and Girls Scout, Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army, and City Fresh, however. Opportunities for future growth will depend continued VISTA involvement or additional outside funding to enable increased outreach to the community in order to enroll larger numbers of participants and to coordinate additional fieldtrips, an important component to the program.

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Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity VISTA Corps member: Heather Stewart Site Supervisor: Arielle Jennings 740-376-4561 • [email protected]!Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias • (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]


Engaging campuses in service to the community. Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Impact Report 2011: Marietta College

The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA program strategically connects college resources with communities in need. Corps members gain valuable experience and educational awards. Campuses

expand their civic outreach. And community partners receive critical support.

Cindy Styer teaches the kids the importance of milk and dairy products in their diet. After their second nutrition lesson they learned how to follow a recipe to make vanilla ice cream, the perfect ending to one of the hottest days of the summer. Cindy plans on returning to the site next year to host more classes. Pictured: Brian, Kaile, Arabella and Anthony

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Marietta College is located in Ohio’s southeast Appalachian region in Washington County. The area has continued to fight the battle against poverty since the downfall of the manufacturing industry that was once booming on the river. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 14.7% of Washington County residents lived at or below the poverty level in 2009, and the rate of unemployment was up to 8.5% in April of 2010. In addition to the high poverty and unemployment rates, 14.7% of people in Washington County are considered to be food insecure, meaning they struggle to put food on the table for all three meals every day. Children are often the ones most affected by these debilitating statistics, and Morgan County, Washington’s neighbor has seen even worse conditions.

Washington-Morgan Community Action (WMCAP) is a non-profit community based organization that serves both Washington and Morgan Counties. For over 40 years WMCAP has been carrying out its commitment to help low-income individuals and families achieve growth and success through over 60 programs and a dedicated staff. What began as the first family planning program in the state of Ohio has grown to include programs ranging from healthcare to delivery of meals and is a major employer and service provider to the local communities.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

In 2009 Marietta College and Ohio Campus Compact created an AmeriCorps VISTA position thru Washington Morgan Community Action. This year the OCC VISTA was responsible for creating a marketing plan to generate more activity at the Senior Nutrition Program congregational site in Marietta as well as hosting the Summer Feeding Site in New Matamoras, Washington County. The New Matamoras unemployment rate was at 8.1% in March 2011 (continued on reverse)

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267!

7!31!

308!

3!20!

Hot Meals! Cold Meals! Leftover Meals!

Meals Ordered 2010!

Meals Ordered 2011!

Summer Feeding New Matamoras Meal Totals 2010-2011

The VISTA Impact by the numbers:

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and 23.1% of the community was living at or below the poverty level in 2009 so providing a hot and nutritious meal to the children in the area can do a lot to alleviate the troubles some parents face over summer while their children are not in school. The two unique views of food insecurity provide insight to the core struggles many community members face every day.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

The Summer Feeding site in New Matamoras provided over 300 hot and nutritious meals to local children this summer, fewer meals were leftover and less food was left untouched. The children learned the importance of recycling the first two weeks of the program with the start of a recycling program to reduce waste. Cindy Styer from Ohio State extension program visited the site twice to teach the kids about the importance of fruits and vegetables where the kids received bracelets to keep track of their daily servings and then about milk and dairy products where the children made ice cream from scratch.

After a survey of the attendees at the Senior Nutrition congregate site in Marietta it was clear to see what were the driving factors that kept up the attendance. While the food received high ratings from those surveyed most in attendance said they come in every day to spend time with their friends. As a result, the marketing plan, with the goal of increasing meals served, focuses on the relationships attendees have with the community. The CABEL bus line, ran through Washington Morgan Community Action, will support advertisements for the Senior Nutrition Program and information about the program will be available at other locations and programs current site attendees visit.

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE

The Summer Feeding Site faces many challenges every year. The biggest concern is that funding may not be available to support the program in the future. However, the community knows the importance of the program to those it serves so there is hope that those at Washington Morgan Community Action will find the funds. Towards the end of the program many children began to invite their friends to lunch, significantly increasing the number of meals served so there is an opportunity to grow with this concept when marketing the program next year. Continuing the recycling program and possibly starting a composting program with the community garden for next year will increase awareness of the program in the local community. The Senior Nutrition Program is facing low attendance at the Marietta congregate site but with the new marketing plan many of their concerns will be lessened, giving them more time to focus on improving the quality of the meals served.

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Engaging campuses in service to the community Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Impact Report 2011: Marietta College!

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Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity VISTA Corps member: Sydney Maltese Site Supervisor: Arielle Jennings 740-376-4561 • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]


HISTORY AND BACKGROUND The city of Marietta, located in Ohio’s southeast Appalachian region, struggles with poverty related issues despite its historic appeal. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 16.9% of Washington County residents lived at or below the poverty level in 2008. Food insecurity affects14.7% of people in Washington County, meaning 14.7% of the population struggles to put food on the table for all three meals. As reported by the Marietta Community Food Pantry, 7,665 Marietta-based clients were served in 2010 and 3,421 clients have already been served this year (as of June 30th, 2011). In addition, 73% of Washington County’s low-income eligible students participated in a free or reduced-price school lunch program, but only 14.3% of eligible students participated in summer meal programs, according to the Children’s Hunger Alliance Washington County report. In order to increase the number of eligible students benefitting from summer meal programs, Ohio Campus Compact and Marietta College created an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate position in 2010 to collaborate with the Summer Food Service Program at the Ely Chapman Education Foundation in Marietta. Summer Food Service Programs provide children with free meals during the summer months, when they do not have access to the free or reduced-price meal programs that they normally receive during the school year. The Ely Chapman Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that serves to enrich the lives of Marietta youth through education, acts as a host site for the Summer Food Service Program. Ely Chapman provides the venue for children from area summer camps and the community to come in and receive a free meal. One of the primary goals of this program is to relieve some of the burden on Marietta area food pantries and free meal kitchens. “This year we’ve had more [children] than previous years simply because of L&P Services and Eve, Inc. taking advantage of the free lunch,” (continued on reverse)

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Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Summer

Associate Sydney Maltese (far left) instructs the junior high class at Ely Chapman in how to make nutritious snacks.

Below, the class poses for a smile and a taste-test.

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424 Free breakfasts served in June 335 Free breakfasts served in July 2,369 Free lunches served in June 2,049 Free lunches served in July

29% Decrease in the amount of milk wasted from beginning of program to end 29% Decrease in number of meals wasted from beginning of program to end



reports Alice Chapman, chair and founder of Ely Chapman. “This is important because the Washington County Children’s Services Prevention Unit was terminated two years ago due to funding cuts, and they often brought financially ‘at-risk’ clients to lunch.”

COMMUNITY IMPACT During the summer of 2011, Ely Chapman collaborated with AmeriCorps Summer Associate Sydney Maltese to bring their Summer Food Service Program to its fullest potential. Sydney worked with the staff of Ely Chapman to track the number of children receiving meals, chart the amounts of milk waste and food waste during mealtimes, and to prepare breakfast, lunch, and snack for the children. Additionally, Sydney also helped plan and coordinate a Nutrition Week at Ely Chapman, as well as weekly, hands-on healthy snack lessons with the junior high class. During the course of her service, Sydney also worked to advertise the Summer Food Service Program at area food pantries, and obtained donations of fresh produce to serve to all of the children attending the free meals. In collaboration with the staff of Ely Chapman, Sydney also made small revisions to the breakfast and lunch menus in order to cater more toward the children’s needs.

Nutrition Week The pinnacle of Sydney Maltese’s collaboration with Ely Chapman was Nutrition Week, which was organized for all of the students in Ely Chapman’s Sensational Summer Camp, and all of the students in the Marietta Family YMCA’s Camp WILD. Highlights of the week include taste-testing a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, learning about My Plate as a food group visual, and making homemade applesauce and strawberry-banana soymilk smoothies. One of the primary goals of Nutrition Week was to allow the students to form a relationship with healthy food, beginning with an introduction to fresh produce “from seed to table.” Presenters from the OSU Extension Agency and the Food 4 Less Community Gardens contributed to the activities.

CAMPUS IMPACT By stationing an AmeriCorps Summer Associate at Ely Chapman Education Foundation, Marietta College continues to foster and build upon an undeniably strong relationship with nonprofit organizations in the surrounding community. Already, the College provides Ely Chapman with a number of work study positions and student volunteers who provide both assistance and resources to the many programs at the foundation. Furthermore, Marietta College students who are involved at Ely Chapman gain an invaluable inside understanding of the way in which a nonprofit organization functions, and are able to contribute substantially to their community as a result. Because of the positive impact of the work of Marietta College students at Ely Chapman, including the work of AmeriCorps*VISTAs, the College intends to continue building upon its relationship with the nonprofit in the future.

KEEPING THE PARTNERSHIP STRONG: OPPORTUNITIES FOR

THE FUTURE Ely Chapman’s Summer Food Service Program, while successful, still has plenty of room to grow. Previous AmeriCorps Summer Associates have laid the groundwork for the Foundation to begin collaborating with the College to start a gardening and compost program, budgeting for healthier snack-making, and revising the camp menu to include more fresh, natural food. The goal of sustainability will provide an exciting and interesting challenge for the program in the future.

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HISTORY & BACKGROUND Northeast Ohio and Lorain County have been epicenters to food inequality and insecurity. With almost 30% of families qualifying as low-income, families’ abilities to eat is already in question let alone to eat healthily, locally and responsibly. OCC AmeriCorps Summer Associate VISTA members Erica Turett and Rafe Scobey-Thal, two Oberlin College students, under the guidance of Sandy Jordan and the New Agrarian Center planned and ran the third year of the George Jones Discovery Camp. A week long camp centered around educating and engaging disadvantaged youth in sustainable agriculture, healthy eating habits and experiencing nature. In it’s third year the camp was at a turning point in its identity and how the New Agrarian Center, the overseeing organization, wanted it to impact the community. Turett and Scobey-Thal were brought on to coordinate outreach to a larger group of children and to restructure it to be more of a foundational food and nature experience; the camp is meant to literally allow children to ‘discover’ the principles behind eating, cooking and farming.

Left-Right: Ja’mel Currie, Sky Barlow, Shane Henderson, Erica Turett, Heaven Harrington, Lydia Lee-Mosley; Top: Rafe Scobel-

Thal

Counselors Rafe-Scobey-Thal and Erica Turett on the George Jones Memorial Farm with campers and a counselor (far right) from Save Our Children in Elyria, Ohio. Several sessions of a week long camp bring city kids and local food together as the campers are given the chance for hands-on work in learning where food comes from. Partnership with the farm allows the campers their very own food garden that they learn to create and take care of.

COMMUNITY IMPACT The George Jones Discovery Camp, organized through the George Jones Farm and the New Agrarian Center involved a total of 30 campers in the course of three consecutive weeks. Coming from all areas of Lorain County, camp attendees included a mix of rural and urban campers that ranged from the ages of 7-12. Many of the campers were members of the Oberlin (continued on reverse)

“Wow! I never knew this is what a squash plant looked like. Why don’t the supermarket’s vegetables look and

taste like this?” HEAVEN HARRINGTON-AGE 10, ELYRIA, OHIO


Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity and education VISTA Corps members: Rafe Scobey-Thal & Erica Turett Site Supervisor: Dr. Beth Blissman • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]

www.ohiocampuscompact.org !!


Oberlin College

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!About Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Ohio Campus Compact is a statewide nonprofit coalition of colleges and university presidents and their campuses working to promote the civic purposes of higher education. Ohio Campus Compact provides resources, services & partnerships to help Ohio campuses deepen their ability to educate students for civic and social responsibility and to improve community life. AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps* VISTA Program places and supports VISTAs who create and expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. VISTAs serve in the poorest areas of their communities to tackle poverty-related problems such as hunger and homelessness, financial literacy, veteran student services, public health and college access. More information at: www.ohiocampuscompact.org

community who came to the camp individually and 17 campers came with either The Boys and Girls Club of Oberlin or a program called Save Our Children, located 20 minutes away in Elyria. Scholarship money was provided for any student whose family wanted or needed it in any quantity necessary. Rafe Scobey-Thal and Erica Turett were the counselors who ran the camp. They intended for the camp to cater to all ages and levels of knowledge about farming, nature, and arts and crafts. Among many things, the campers learned how to plant seedlings and beans, how to effectively water plants, how to weed and complete general maintenance on a garden, to identify trees and leaves and edible berries, to practice art using only sticks and yarn and make acorn mobiles. They learned about the way food in this country is grown (on large, non-organic, non-local farms) and why these methods are not healthy and not environmentally sustainable. They learned about the things that make a farm healthy and desirable and that all people deserve to eat in that way. Most importantly, the campers learned where in their communities these opportunities were available. As a result of Farm and Discovery Camp, the children were able to experience farm work, walks in the woods, farm animals, fresh, local, organic food, interactions with farmers, the growth of their own vegetable garden and tending to it each day. Many of the campers at Discovery Camp had not previously been on a farm or walked in the woods. The camp, as it is in its early years, was a huge success in creating fun, educational programming for kids of different backgrounds within Lorain County. CAMPUS IMPACT On the Oberlin College campus, Rafe Scobey-Thal and Erica Turett have worked to pave the road for future Discovery Camp counselors that are interested in the intersection between food, cooking, nature, and art. As a final project, they will be creating a manual for future counselors and programmers of the camp that list contacts with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oberlin, Elyria, and Lorain, Save Our Children, and House of Healing, both located in Elyria. The manual will also include a list of indoor and outdoor games that are appropriate for different ages, different lessons that pertain to things on the farm, and a suggested schedule for the camp. This manual will be a solid starting point for future years of camp. OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE: KEEPING THE PARTNERSHIP STRONG: Opportunities for future program growth include offering Oberlin college students the opportunity to continue and add to the work of this year’s summer associates. The partnerships with The George Jones Memorial Farm and The New Agrarian Center, as well as with The Boys and Girls Club and Save Our Children will continue to grow and will help to strengthen and expand the Discovery Camp for kids.

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Left-Right: Campers Ja’mel Currie and Shane Henderson make ‘Memory Keepers’ with yarn and sticks in the farm’s Straw-Bale Building!

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HISTORY & BACKGROUND Kelly Hatas, former OCC AmeriCorps VISTA and graduate of Shawnee State University, founded the Portsmouth Pantry Garden (PPG) in 2007. It was originally located on a small plot in Shawnee State Forest by their Nature Center. The first growing season was a success. In 2008 Hatas, and fellow OCC AmeriCorps VISTA, Sarah Lowe, expanded their gardening efforts. During the second summer of PPG, 2008, they added a small plot at All Saints Episcopal Church. Hatas and Lowe began to bring in community partners to help sustain the garden. Scioto Christian Ministries and their volunteers were key players in bringing the garden in the city and making it accessible for all. In 2009 the City of Portsmouth allowed PPG and newly founded Portsmouth Community Garden nearly an acre of land to expand the garden and it’s capacity for outreach. The plot is located at Doyle’s Landing boarding the Ohio River. Portsmouth Community Garden was formed by a small group of Pantry Garden volunteers who where interested in tending their own garden space. The plot at Doyle’s landing was shared between the two gardening efforts. In 2010 Hatas and Lowe received funding from Ohio Campus Compact to hire three Summer VISTAs to carry on their mission. Mason Bradbury, Josh Aeh, and Sarah Bachman worked full time at Doyle’s Landing during the summer of 2010 and they were able to raise and donate approximately 2000 pounds of food to give to Salvation Army’s pantry and God’s Pantry at Second Presbyterian Church.


Shawnee State University

“The dedication of the our current Summer VISTAs, Dot and Danielle, is tremendous. The

community that is built around this garden is a wonderful thing for Portsmouth.”

Sarah Lowe, Former OCC AmeriCorps VISTA

The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA program strategically connects college resources with communities in need. Corps members gain valuable experience and educational awards. Campuses expand their civic outreach. And community partners receive critical support.

Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity VISTA Corps members: Danielle Boyles & Dot Flanagan Site Supervisor: Nikki Karabinis (740)351-3572 • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]


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About Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Ohio Campus Compact is a statewide nonprofit coalition of colleges and university presidents and their campuses working to promote the civic purposes of higher education. Ohio Campus Compact provides resources, services & partnerships to help Ohio campuses deepen their ability to educate students for civic and social responsibility and to improve community life. AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps* VISTA Program places and supports VISTAs who create and expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. VISTAs serve in the poorest areas of their communities to tackle poverty-related problems such as hunger and homelessness, financial literacy, veteran student services, public health and college access. More information at: www.ohiocampuscompact.org

The VISTA Impact

by the numbers:

COMMUNITY IMPACT Participating Service Providers: The Portsmouth Pantry Garden is a place of natural beauty and learning opportunities for community members to visit. This is a great opportunity for community members who are interested in having their own garden but might not have the resources to get started. The Portsmouth Pantry Garden enables people to learn more about gardening and different gardening techniques. PPG sponsored a Children’s Day at the Garden, where the VISTAs teamed up with the Counseling Center Summer Outreach Program and brought children to enjoy a fun filled learning experience. This event enabled children of the community to share laughter, learn about gardening, and to experience the unique feeling of helping others. Activities included a rock-painting contest for row markers in the garden and the biggest weed pulling challenge. Projects like these help these children understand that they are a part of a community and they should invest their time into their community to make it better.

CAMPUS IMPACT This year’s VISTAs wanted to keep up the partnership between Shawnee State University and the garden strong as ever. By working with Nikki Karabinis, who coordinates most of the school’s volunteering and community service efforts, they were able to do just that. More than 75 students of various ages and majors have been able to volunteer time with the pantry garden. Community service is considered as an important factor in every student’s career at Shawnee and is often highly recommended by the faculty and administration. To continue the purpose of the garden, the VISTAs have been able to work out a plan with Karabinis so that the students will be able to continue volunteering and working in the garden this fall, well after the VISTAs’ eight week term of service is over.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE; KEEPING THE

PARTNERSHIP STRONG Opportunities for future program growth include moving the garden and expanding the garden into an actual farm so that it includes even more fruits and vegetables, and even animals such as chickens, cows, and goats. Although this is more like a long term goal of this year’s VISTAs, this would create more opportunities for the program to reach out to more of those in need. And with Scioto county being in one of ten counties in Ohio recorded as being under the poverty level, this would prove to be vital toward sustaining efforts that would help the community to build a more self-reliant society once again. However, we would like to continue partnering with the Portsmouth Community Garden and work on building a stronger relationship with more pantries in the near future.

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Total Pantries Approximately Served:

15

Total Estimated Volunteers:

120

Total Estimated Pounds of Donated Fresh Fruits & Vegetables:

2,000

Estimated Number of Families Helped:

1,250

Money Raised:

$1,100

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HISTORY & BACKGROUND Even before the current economic downturn, child hunger in the Cincinnati community has been a serious problem. Ohio, “the heart of it all,” has the 14th highest population of food insecure children in the nation, ranking 3rd in the Midwest. In Hamilton County, there are many families that are unable to provide enough healthy food for everyone, as there is an estimate 20.5% of children under the age of 18 live in poverty. In an effort to build awareness of hunger issues in the UC community OCC VISTA Corps members, Kelley O’Brien and Rick Samu, initiated the development of an urban community garden on the university’s campus. Together with Kathy Dick and Fran Larkin, Director and Program Coordinator of the Center for Community Engagement at UC, inspiration for a youth garden mentorship program was sprouted in order to create direct linkages between urban food production, low-income children, and the University of Cincinnati community. Enthusiasm for this youth mentorship spread and a partnership took root between the Civic Garden Center of Greater

COMMUNITY IMPACT Participating Service Providers: As a result of collaboration between the Civic Garden Center’s Youth Education Coordinator, Madeline Dorger, and VISTA Corps members, the youth garden mentorship program was defined. Playfully dubbed GardenPals, the yearlong program will take place afterschool once-a-week, wherein students from UC would be paired with a child experiencing hardship and from the Cincinnati community. During the fall and spring growing seasons, the Pal Pairs will meet weekly at the Civic Garden Center’s Race Street Children’s Garden and will be taught skills such as planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and other valuable techniques. In the winter, students will meet indoors, and an emphasis will be placed on how to cook, choose the right foods, and live healthily through exercise.


Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity and hunger

VISTA Corps members: Kelley O’Brien and Rick Samu Site Supervisor: Kathy Dick (513) 556-6109 • [email protected] Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]



University of Cincinnati

Rick Samu, Ohio Campus Compact VISTA, watering raised beds at the Race St. Children’s Garden sponsored by the

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati VISTA corps members from the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Community Engagement supported the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati’s Race St. Children’s Garden in an effort to attract more local children to the garden which serves as a safe drop-in site. Children are invited to engage in education activities and offered a healthy snack.

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Community Gardens Visited: 15 Produce Harvested: ~200 lb Community Partners: 6 Future Number of GardenPals: 40 Weeds Pulled: ~1,000,000,000,000*



Upon conclusion of the program, any food harvested that is not directly given back to the children participating will be donated to the community through food distribution centers. This will allow for a greater range of indirect influence of our program. GardenPals as a whole will be created with an emphasis placed on education and exploration, as most of the children involved may never get a chance to leave an urban environment. The goal of GardenPals is to lay the foundations upon which the children can build for the rest of their lives, in such a way that benefits both themselves and the rest of the world. Applications will soon be available for students interested in becoming a GardenPals mentor. GardenPals will be advertised at an upcoming Community Service Fair hosted by the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Community Engagement. CAMPUS IMPACT Urban agriculture has been shown to drastically improve the quality of life for all involved. Whether through decentralization of produce or through increased access to community gardens, the overall security of the food supply is strengthened. As such, VISTA Corps members envisioned a University of Cincinnati Urban Community Garden to create a place where UC students gather to grow food and plants together; promote organic and sustainable gardening practices, good health, and nutrition; and to create a growing movement to incorporate healthy nutritious food into the needs of the surrounding communities. On a land-locked urban campus, however, locating a site for an urban community garden was not an easy task. An abundance of time went into exploring community gardens throughout the Greater Cincinnati Area through volunteer work and proposal writing. Thankfully hard work was paid off when a parcel of land was granted to the VISTA members for the sole purpose of developing a community garden. UC community participation will be invited through an “Adopt-a-Garden” program, in which UC organizations will commit to the maintenance of a raised garden bed. Leadership of the garden will be appointed to a student committee who has demonstrated interest in organic and sustainable gardening practices. The creation of a vibrant social space as a vehicle to bring a community together is in the making. OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE: KEEPING THE PARTNERSHIP STRONG: Opportunities for future program growth include the implementation and construction of the University of Cincinnati Urban Community Garden. Student garden leaders will complete a Community Garden Development Training Program put on this fall by the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati.

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HISTORY & BACKGROUND Springfield is in the middle of a revitalization effort in which many community members are working to renew the downtown area that was once a bustling industrial city. There are many non-profit organizations collaborating with the city to make Springfield a place where people want to live, work and play. The Springfield Promise Neighborhood is an organization that has emerged in within the past year with the purpose of creating engagement within the community through the children and schools. The neighborhood lies in the south side of the city where the majority of residents are transient with over 50% of the residents renting. The neighborhood is also located in a food dessert, where local produce is non-existent; instead there is an abundant of fast food restaurants and corner stores that offer unhealthy food that lacks nutritional value. This results in a multitude of health concerns for the community, especially the children. This Springfield Promise Parent Association has turned their concern into a community garden community at Lincoln Elementary School. The hopes of the neighborhood are that the garden will not only provide fresh produce for the community but become an educational tool for the students and teachers.


Wittenberg University

“Positive change occurs when all people (including youth) are viewed as resources and assets. Everyone has gifts that they can contribute to the success of children. Promise work encourages communities to discover the gifts its residents and youth have to offer, and then to create opportunities for these gifts to be unleashed.” -The Springfield Promise Neighborhood

Poverty Alleviation Focus Area: Food insecurity VISTA Corps member: Katie Minter Site Supervisor: Kristen Collier [email protected] 937-327-7523 Ohio Campus Compact VISTA Sr. Program Director: Lesha Farias (740) 587-8571 • [email protected]


The mural was created during The Springfield Promise Neighborhood Summer Arts Camp. The week-long art camp was run by Project Jericho in conjunction with The Springfield Promise Neighborhood where over 60 children were able to attend and learn about art and music, and showcase their talents at the end of the week to their parents and community. The mural was created to represent the growth of the community and was placed next to the community garden on the school’s property.

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Estimated students who participated in seed program: 100 Total Estimated Attendance in the Garden: 50 Total Children: 20 Wittenberg Volunteers: 30 Future Reading Program Impact: 20-50

About Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Ohio Campus Compact is a statewide nonprofit coalition of colleges and university presidents and their campuses working to promote the civic purposes of higher education. Ohio Campus Compact provides resources, services & partnerships to help Ohio campuses deepen their ability to educate students for civic and social responsibility and to improve community life. AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. The Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps* VISTA Program places and supports VISTAs who create and expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. VISTAs serve in the poorest areas of their communities to tackle poverty-related problems such as hunger and homelessness, financial literacy, veteran student services, public health and college access. More information at: www.ohiocampuscompact.org

COMMUNITY IMPACT There are several aspects in which the garden has impacted the community and will continue to impact the children at Lincoln Elementary School. The garden will provide produce for the annual Promisefest hosted by Springfield Promise Neighborhood to engage the community with one another and the school and is held on the school property. The garden was installed this growing season and there is communication currently underway about the school purchasing the produce from the garden. The children will have fresh locally grown food prepared for their lunch when this partnership is finalized. The children at Lincoln were responsible for growing a seed in a Styrofoam cup and returning the plant at the end of the school year and an estimated 100 students returned their seedlings to be planted in the garden. This summer, the children of the community have been impacted by biweekly Saturday sessions held at the garden with the AmeriCorps Summer Associate VISTA and community members. The children spent the afternoon/day helping weed, water, learning about planting, had lunch and then participated a planned activity. For example, one week the children helped build a scarecrow for the garden. The garden is a benefit to the community because it provides an opportunity for residents to be active with their neighbors and grow their own food in a food dessert region where fresh produce is not readily available. CAMPUS IMPACT Wittenberg students will be active in the garden this fall. The incoming freshman class will have the opportunity to participate in a Super Service Saturday where they will spend the day putting up and painting a fence that surrounds the garden. The program will engage the new students in the community and service before classes start. Katie, who will continue to work with Promise Neighborhood even after her summer VISTA service is complete, will be organizing the event and helping to obtain a grant to fund and sustain the project. Katie wrote a second grant during her service for 4,000 dollars with the goal of building a greenhouse this fall. The greenhouse will not only benefit the community but provide another service opportunity for Wittenberg students. OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE: KEEPING THE PARTNERSHIP STRONG: With the school year approaching, a new afterschool reading club is in the process of forming with the garden being the focal point. The plan is to have children interested in the garden, read about gardening, go out and be involved in the garden and then write about their experience and what they learned. The elementary school where this will be established has the lowest test scores in the district, and the goal of the club is to improve reading and writing skills while keeping the children engaged and active in what they learn.

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