Students awarded $12,000 for nonprofits

    “Reaching out to the region, the nation, the world.” These words, printed on banners lining the Wrather Auditorium stage, conveyed the central message of the new Giving Back Scholars Programs.
    The American Humanics/Youth and Nonprofit Leadership program officially launched three programs at a March 4 event: the Giving Back Scholarship Program, the Giving Back Visiting Scholar Program and the Giving Back Engagement Recognition Program.
    Bob Long, visiting professor of nonprofit leadership, and his wife Patricia Long created and helped fund the new programs.
    Long said he drew on his 16-year experience as an officer for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in Michigan to develop the new programs.
    “One of the big chunks of work was called student philanthropy,” Long said. “So I had all that in my head – seeing the projects, making the grants, reading reports, doing evaluations and capturing all that learning and then trying to promote that.”
    Emcees Ashley Johnston, senior from Paducah, Ky., and Melvin Ingram, junior from Louisville, Ky., introduced the event and invited University President Randy Dunn to the stage. Dunn said he was excited about the philanthropic efforts of Murray State students.
    He presented Johnston and Ingram with $3,000 Giving Back Scholarships, awarding their dedication to service work at  home  and in the Murray community.
    Roger Weis, director of the AH/YNL program, also presented the second Exemplar Award in the program’s 27-year history to Gary Brockway, provost and vice president for academic affairs, for his dedication and support to service learning.
    The Giving Back Visiting Scholar Program commenced with the introduction of Jessica Coloma by Pearl Payne, chair of the department of wellness and therapeutic sciences.
    Coloma, program manager in civic engagement with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, delivered a lecture on “Giving Back in American Society,” emphasizing the importance of philanthropy and describing her own efforts, especially with women and immigrants.
    As the culmination of the Giving Back Engagement Recognition Program, teams of students from two AH/YNL classes presented $1,000 checks, along with a plaque and statue, to 12 local nonprofit organizations.
    Long said as a W.K. Kellogg Foundation retiree, he has access to a life-long grant-matching program. He said after the success of the first semester grant-making efforts, he decided to commit more money to future classes.
    “We split our money and made an additional donation,” Long said. “So for one calendar year, we’re giving away $24,000 in the local community through four classes.”
    Long said students in his classes completed the grant-making program in only six weeks.
    “They worked with the agencies to develop proposals – 24 of them – and then they did presentations like you would at a foundation and peer reviewed them,” Long said. “So the students did a formal peer review, and they selected who received the grants.”
    Johnston said after beginning the YNL program last year, she fell in love with it. She said she plans to participate in the grant-making program next year.
    “I think this program shows we are a giving community,” Johnston said. “We’re really involved. That says a lot about Murray State because we are wanting to give back.”
    Ingram said he was able to participate in the grant-making program last fall.
    “It was a great learning experience,” Ingram said. “It’s something I’ll always keep with me. It was slightly difficult, but a real eye-opener as far as everything that goes into it.”
    He said he believes even in tough economic times, the success of the Giving Back programs demonstrates the integrity of the students and community.
    “Even in the economy today, the fact that we were able to give $12,000 to the community is a great thing,” Ingram said. “People are still coming together. People still really do care about each other. I think that’s basically the essence of Murray State University as a whole.”
    Long said Murray State has the only program involving students in the total philanthropic experience, as opposed to only grant-making.         He also said he believes the success of the program speaks volumes about the students’ characters.
    “Our students at the University, not just YNL, are exceptional,” Long said. “It’s pretty amazing the quality of our students. The amount of service work, of mission work, they do. They are very committed to the world and so then we, as professors, have the luxury of having that quality of persons in our classrooms.”
    The 12 organizations receiving the $1,000 grants included the American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Calloway County Adult and Family Education, Calloway County 4-H, Gentry House, Calloway County Humane Society, Main Street Youth Center, Merryman Domestic Crisis Center, Need Line, Purchase Area Sexual Assault Center, Senior Citizens Center and United Way of Murray-Calloway County.
    Long said there are no restrictions and organization can use funds for anything they choose.
    Contact Akers at crystal.akers@murraystate.edu.