Year of service begins on campus
Sept. 11 symbolized more than just tragedy this year. The National Year of Service - a reaction to the economy - began on a day traditionally recognized by moments of silence and somber attitudes.
President Barack Obama announced the effort as a way to help families affected by the recession. The idea behind it is to get more volunteers into food pantries as they become packed with the jobless and more people helping kids as their parents lose their jobs.
Franklin College and the city of Franklin have teamed up to celebrate the year by combining efforts.
The college kicked off the effort by holding a day of service that brought community members to Franklin College and then sent them and students back into the community.
Throughout the year, college AmeriCorps members will be organizing community-wide service opportunities.
About 75 students will join AmeriCorps this year. But more than that, Franklin College students will complete service-learning projects and volunteer on their own time."Part of the idea is to encourage people to create their own projects," said Jann Johnson, the AmeriCorps program director.
The college will also have plenty of opportunities for the student body to get involved.
Johnson and the non-profit Resource Center at the college are spearheading a Veteran’s Day Project. It will encourage sororities, fraternities and other campus organizations to adopt a unit of soldiers to send care packages filled with useful items and toys for the soldiers to give to the children they encounter.
Johnson, with help from AmeriCorps and volunteers, will also be putting together a food drive to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
In October, the college will have an opportunity to participate in Read for the Record, a national program that aims to have volunteers read a book to as many children as possible.
Senior Molly Carrier, an AmeriCorps member, is working with Early Literacy Connection to create a Read for the Record day in Johnson County.
On Oct. 8, Indiana First Lady Cheri Daniels will arrive at Franklin College for a press conference before the volunteers scatter to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle at various daycares and elementary schools in the area.
The agency is searching for sponsors to donate $1 for each child that is read to. Read for the Record will act both as a way to let the community know about the Early Literacy Connection and as a fundraiser for the group.
Carrier, an elementary education major, has worked with the group since the beginning of the summer.
"It’s really taught me a lot about the community that I didn’t know," she said.
The experience has given Carrier a different view of the education system. Carrier’s mother works in an elementary school, so she’s never had that outsider’s view.
Now, Carrier said she understands the obstacles parents might see in connecting with their children’s schools.
"Parents are not obstacles to education, They can be tools if given the right tools," Carrier said.
