Summit Park Leadership Community 2011-2012

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. Each year students propose to live within this community. It is a competitive process which in this past year, 68 students applied with only 40 students selected. The students will each spend 30 hours per year with the listed agency providing a total of 1,200 hours given back to the Springfield region.

Project AWARE Foundation BLOG

Delaney Sweeney, Heather Wharton, Shelby Zook, Stephanie Dulany

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Emily Givens

Goal: The Purpose is to introduce and publicize the efforts of the Project AWARE Foundation by educating elementary aged students. The Foundation conserves underwater environments through education, advocacy, and action. Project AWARE Foundation is a registered nonprofit organization. The desired changes toward which the leadership effort is directed are bringing awareness and an educational opportunity to young people about the global importance of protecting and conserving underwater environments, and the importance of proper stewardship of the precious commodity of clean water. We will partner with the Project AWARE Foundation to combat challenges facing underwater environments.

Boys and Girls Town BLOG

Jordan Mason, Will Stone, Pedro Rivera, Ryan Coleman

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Patrick Moser

Goal: The purpose of our project is to work with the Boys and Girls Town to create strong friendships with the kids and help prepare them for their future in ways that extend beyond simple academics. We will work with the 8-12 year old cottage because we believe that this is an important age for young kids who are beginning to mature and discover their interests in life. We hope to share the knowledge and experiences that have helped us gain academic and personal success so that they can realize their true potential.

Rare Breed Youth Outreach BLOG

Kelsey Emerson, Carly Jelinek, Chelsey Coyne, Erin Tuttle, Clayton Perkins, Eric Baldwin, Jon Nuessle, Dustin Howard

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Jennie Long

Goal: Our goal is to offer support to individuals who lack direction and a stable foundation in their current situation, helping any individual who desires the assistance to obtain their GED by working with them and helping them study for the exam as well as provide encouragement and support. In doing this, we will be able to provide opportunities for growth and change in the future to the individuals at Rare Breed. As well as providing support to individuals, we would be able to provide support to the organization, thus allowing the organization to run more efficiently, and the full time volunteers would be able to direct their attention to places that it was absolutely needed. In providing support to the organization, we can extend our reach and begin to help more individuals in the community.

Salvation Army BLOG

Erica Ramsey, Mariah Fulbright, Katie Battalia, Haleigh Brown

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. John Taylor

Goal: We have decided to volunteer in the many services that the Salvation Army offers. There are many projects that we are excited to get involved in next year. The Salvation Army is in need of the most volunteers during the holiday season. During this time, we plan on ringing bells at various locations, contributing a portion of our budget to donating toys to children, and helping serve over 1,000 families with a Christmas dinner. The Salvation Army also provides after school programs, snow day activities, summer camps, and summer day care for kids. We will assist in these areas when needed. Once a month, families are allowed to go to the Salvation Army's office to pick up a shopping cart full of food. We will help to sort and bag the food for the families.

Special Olympics Missouri BLOG

Suzy Bartek, Shelby Hoover, Emily Stebbins, Pema Wangzome

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Lawrence Anderson

Goal: The project we have chosen is with Special Olympics Missouri. This is a fantastic organization providing opportunities for children and adults with intellectual or physical disabilities who, when given the chance, can participate and excel in sports. The major part of this project is a program through the Special Olympics called Young Athletes Program where we work with 3-7 year old children. This is the first of this program seen in Missouri. The Special Olympics in Springfield has supplied us with the lesson plans for an eight-week program. Our goal for this project is to help the Special Olympics financially also. Through our help and commitment with the Special Olympics we wish to help foster growth within the children that will be involved in the Young Athletes Program, create a successful and educational sporting event, and help reach out to more potential Special Olympic Athletes.

C.A.R.E (Castaway Animal Rescue Effort) BLOG

Carolyn Adams, Lindsay Lehmen, Sheila Haskins, Brooke Hickman

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr.Patricia McEachern

Goal: We are working with C.A.R.E. They are a no kill animal center located in Springfield, MO. Throughout or time working with C.A.R.E. we would like to help raise money for our organization. Our main goal is fundraising. We will be selling wristbands and calendars. Also, during midterms and finals, we will have dogs from C.A.R.E. come to Sunderland Field for people to pay to play with the dogs to relieve stress. We will also be placing a change jar at local pet oriented stores for people to donate their extra change when checking out. All the money we make goes directly to the needs of C.A.R.E.

Harmony House Family Violence Center BLOG

Phoebe Hicks, Kyndahl Bertram, Megan Hasenmueller, Jessica Bliss

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Randall Fuller

Goal: Our project is the Harmony House Family Violence Center. Our goal is to help create a more welcoming environment for children and women that are victims of domestic violence and help uphold the Harmony House's principle that all individuals have the right to a life free from abuse.

Ravenwood Assisted Living BLOG

Brittany Stockwell, Candace Ladd, Jessi Herndon, Katie Paul

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Dr. Charles Taylor

Goal: In our summit project, we are planning to improve the quality of life for the residents of Ravenwood Assisted Living by offering and organizing more activities, including, but not limited to, game nights and holiday parties. We would like to involve more Drury students in our activities. Through our project, we are hoping to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations.

Pipkin Middle School BLOG

David D'Alia, Juan Franco, Juan Fernando Calderon, Danny Loza

Faculty/Staff Advisor: Charlyn Ingwerson

Goal: We will be working with two groups of students from Pipkin Middle School; six sixth-graders and six eighth-graders. Our main goal with this project is to give these students, who do not have good moral support at home, a new vision for life. We will be meeting with the kids twice a month. We not only will be helping with homework, but also taking them on fieldtrips to the movies or baseball games. We want to encourage them to continue their studies and go further than just a high school education. Our focus is to get them thinking about their future and what possibilities they have.