Summit Park Leadership Community 2009-2010

The Summit Park Leadership Community engages Drury University students in an experiential learning environment that focuses on the principles of leadership while incorporating the value of community service. Teams of students focus an entire year of residency to design, organize and implement a project based on the idea that leadership is a purposive process that is ultimately concerned with fostering change. The students each spent 30 hours during the year with the listed agency providing a total of 1,200 hours given back to the Springfield region.

Boys and Girls Club

Colleen Pickett, Morgan Mathewson, Virginia Rogers, Jessica Marie Johnson

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Scott Petrich
Community Advisor: Connie Crawford, Education Director of Stalnaker Boys & Girls Club

Goal: The Boys and Girls Club of Springfield is the local affiliate of the National Boys and Girls Club. Their mission is to serve youth primarily that are at-risk. These youth typically have a disrupted home life, live in poverty, and sometimes are foster children. The Boys and Girls Club is a place where these students can go after school to study, play, and be encouraged in an atmosphere that is safe and conductive to active learning and growing.

Convoy of Hope

Heather Carrel, Jeong Min Park, Katrina Westhoff, Samantha Gripka

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Barbara Wing
Community Advisor: David Silver

Goal: Through our project, Convoy of Hope, we will be helping people around the world who cannot meet their basic needs. Convoy of Hope is an organization that originated in Springfield, Missouri. It is dedicated to providing disaster outreach, building supply lines, and helping the poor and hurting in communities all around the world.

Isabel’s House

Sarah Verdone, Julie Lewey, Bailey Greene, Kati Thompson

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr.Barbara Wing

Goal: For our project, we will be working with Isabel’s House, the Crisis Nursery of the Ozarks. We will become the “staff support team”, performing such administrative duties as answering phones and organizing various data. We will also work with fundraising events, advertising said events in various ways such as posting flyers, and communicating with local news and radio stations. We would also participate in these events, carrying out set-up and clean-up and other duties that need to be filled. We will benefit Isabel’s house with our donated time and fundraising skills. Volunteers are always needed and we will give them our very best we have to offer.

Lighthouse Child and Family Development Center

Kristen Pflumm, Hilary Staab, Megan Garcia-Hynds, Kristen Keith

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. John Taylor
Community Advisor: Erica Harris, Executive Director of Lighthouse

Goal: We will be working at the Lighthouse Child and Family Development Center to aid the families and children who are affected by economic hardships. The Lighthouse provides childcare as well as support for the guardian(s). The Lighthouse is designed to help families get out of poverty and become self-sufficient in the community.

Maranatha Village Retirement Home

Ashton Williams, Monica Harmon, Makaela Eaton, Ally Loveland

Goal: The project is for our group to provide themed events, crafts and planned activities, and holiday parties. In addition to this, there will be opportunity to spend one-on-one time with individual residents, visiting with and/or reading to them.

Project Camp Barnabas

Jaime Farquhar, Corinne McEwan, Tessa Riley, Aubree Vaughan

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Sean Terry
Community Advisor: Paul and Cyndy Teas, the owners of Camp Barnabas

Goal: Nestled in a quiet Ozarks landscape, Camp Barnabas, named after Saint Barnabas (“son of encouragement”), is a non-denominational Christian summer camp geared toward disabled children primarily between the ages of 7 and 15. The goal of Camp Barnabas is to empower children with special needs and teach them to celebrate their unique potential through life-changing, inspiring opportunities, acceptance, and love. The staff and volunteers challenge the campers to overcome their physical limitations and translate their confidence into mental strength.

Ronald McDonald House Comfort Crew

Kelsey Kennell, Ashley Holst, Jennifer Glass, Molly Bly

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Michael Hill
Community Advisor: Celeste Justice

Goal: The Ronald McDonald House is a place for families to stay when they have children that need care at area hospitals. Our goal as a group is to create a more comfortable living environment for the families staying there in their time of need.

Shots for Hope

Lindsay Johnson, Slone DeLong, Sarah Krtek, Angela Ostendorf, Alexandra Duello, Aleshia Fenimore, Lisa Hellmich, Taryn Phillips

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Erin Kenny
Community Advisor: Jessica Hickok

Goal: Our group’s main purpose is to bring Juvenile Diabetes awareness and support to Springfield. Currently, children and families in Springfield are suffering without badly needed local support. There is not one endocrinologist in Springfield, forcing families to travel to Columbia and Kansas City to speak with educated professionals.

Springfield Public Schools Wonder Years Program

Kaitlin Horner, Sarah Milholen, Bonnie Lyons, Brittany Sieg

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Charles Taylor, Dean of College
Community Advisor: Mellissa Riley, Director of the Wonder Years Program

Goal: The project focuses on students attending Springfield Public Schools Wonder Years program. This program provides schooling for students who have scored at the lowest range on their pre-kindergarten screenings. It ensures that students leave with the social and academic skills necessary to make the transition from home to kindergarten classroom smooth.