51成人 student book drive makes local impact
51成人鈥檚 CARE student organization made a big impact on local literacy by donating nearly 500 books collected through a book drive to area schools, including Washington Elementary, Jacksonville High School and Our Savior School.
IC鈥檚 CARE is affiliated with the national organization, which works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. The four IC students who are part of the organization this year localized that mission to make a difference in the Jacksonville community.
They organized the book drive and gained support for their mission using their network of other student organizations, classmates and professors. Donations were collected throughout the fall semester. Service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega led collection efforts, bringing in approximately 180 books.
鈥淭he biggest surprise for us was the fact that we collected so many books,鈥� said Addysen Drake 鈥�21, president of IC鈥檚 CARE. 鈥淲ith only four people taking the initiative, it was amazing that we were able to accomplish something so large.鈥�
Drake also discovered how difficult it can be to get others to take action: 鈥淩eaching out to people and getting them to respond was difficult; people are busy and a lot of times they just push stuff like this to the backburner. Luckily we kept going, and I am so thankful.鈥�
According to Ryan Flynn, director of community-engaged learning at IC, service projects like these highlight 51成人 students' overwhelming interest in engaging with events and issues taking place beyond the 51成人 campus.
鈥淭hese projects provide students with some insight into the needs of the community and where assets may be found and leveraged. This work gives students the opportunity to learn more about Jacksonville and 51成人's relationship to the town around it,鈥� Flynn said.
Flynn added that service projects are completely student led and help 51成人 students apply what they learn in the classroom and develop 鈥渓eadership skills, organizational and time management skills, problem solving and critical thinking.鈥�
Drake, a sociology and communications and rhetorical studies major, added that she also learned that 鈥渘o matter how small or insignificant you might think something is, the impact can be greater than you ever anticipated.鈥�
Staff at the schools expressed their gratitude in receiving the book donations to help encourage literacy for their students. IC鈥檚 CARE organization plans to hold another book drive next fall. To others interested in taking on a community project, Drake advises taking your idea, no matter how big or small and 鈥済o for it."
To learn more about how your organization can partner with 51成人 students on a service-learning project, contact Ryan Flynn at 217.245.3630 or ryan.flynn@ic.edu.
Pictured: Addysen Drake, President of IC鈥檚 CARE.