Golden Gate Community Center-Summer Intersession: Multiple volunteers are needed to help during Summer Intersession.  Tentative dates M-F, June 1-July 23, 10am-6pm. Volunteers must be able to commit to at least four (4) days during this time period and at least 4 hours each day.  Kids range in age from 7-18.  Volunteers will help with supervision and interact with kids by getting involved with the planned activities.  Volunteers have the opportunity to lead and plan activities for the kids with the approval of staff.   To volunteer for this activity, please email me with your interest and a list of dates/times you are available to help.  Takes place at Golden Gate Community Center at 39^th Ave and McDowell.  Contact Leah Stegman at lstegman@arizonaschildren.org for more information.

This post was submitted by Leah Stegman.

Behavior Coach Library: Volunteers are needed to help organize the Behavior Coach Library.  Organize information, documents, books, making sections for life skills, parenting skills, child development and social skills.  Volunteers will create a process to check in and out materials.   Any 3 days M-F between February 1, 2010 and March 1, 2010. To volunteer for this activity, please email Leah Stegman at lstegman@arizonaschildren.org with your interest and a list of dates/times you are available to help.  Takes place at Arizona’s Children Association Tolleson Office at 9401 W Garfield Rd, Tolleson, AZ 85353

This post was submitted by Leah Stegman.

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is accepting nominations for the annual A. Wade Smith Community Award for Advancement of Race Relations. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 15.

Individuals considered for this award are Arizona residents who have demonstrated leadership in the advancement of race relations within their community. The nomination form is online at http://clas.asu.edu/smithlecture.

The A. Wade Smith Memorial Lecture committee selects as the recipient of this annual award, a courageous and caring person in the community who best represents what it means to be a leader in the struggle for advancement of race relations. Past recipients include David Hemphill, Doris Marshall, Raner Collins, Betty Fairfax, Jean Fairfax and Elsie Moore.

The award will be given at the 15th annual A. Wade Smith Memorial Lecture on Race Relations on April 8 in the Memorial Union on ASU’s Tempe campus.

The lecture is held to celebrate and honor the work Smith accomplished during his lifetime. A former professor and chair of sociology at ASU, Smith spent much of his life in pursuit of the advancement of race relations on campus and within his community. The lecture was established after his death in 1994 through funding from his family and friends in their hopes to continue Smith’s work of improving race relations in Arizona.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Additional information is available online at http://clas.asu.edu/smithlecture, or at 480-965-0051.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Carol Hughes, carol.hughes@asu.edu

480-965-6375 direct line | 480-254-3753 cell

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY (www.asu.edu)

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences  (http://clas.asu.edu)

Tempe, Arizona  USA

Please join us for our Open House on Friday, February 19, 2010 from 10am to 2pm as we celebrate the opening of our new location and our new name. NP Healthcare Scottsdale (formerly Community Health Services Clinic) is one of the oldest nurse managed health centers in the country and has been serving the Scottsdale community for over 30 years. We offer routine healthcare like physicals, immunizations, minor illness care, management of high blood pressure and diabetes, ADOT physicals and checkups for kids and adults. The community can obtain mental and physical health care services. We accept  most major insurances and we offer a discount fee program for people who are uninsured or who have high deductible health insurance plans.

There will be food, tours of the clinic and a drawing for a door prize.

Our new location is at 3225 N. Civic Center Plaza Suite 10 in Scottsdale, AZ 85251. Our phone number is 480-884-1717

This post was submitted by Denise Link.

The ASU College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation nurse managed health centers provide family planning and preconception care to underserved women. Our team is walking in March for Babies on April 17 because we want to support the March of Dimes efforts to improve the health of women and babies. I know you care, too. That’s why I’m asking you to join us. It’s easy: just visit our ASU_Nursing team page at http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1373586.

If you can’t walk with us, please help by donating to our team on our team page. Thank you for helping us give all babies a healthy start!

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

This post was submitted by Denise Link.

Community Changemaker Competition

The Community Changemaker Competition rewards students who present the most innovative proposals to partner as entprenreurial thinkers within existing organizations that serve Arizona’s needs. If you have an innovative idea that could help a local organization tackle their social mission but lack funding to implement your plan, apply for this award and be a changemaker in your community.

Purpose

To promote collaboration between students and the community that will result in innovative and “intrapreneurial” solutions to meet local organizations’ needs.

Prizes

5 students will receive up to $2,000 in funding.

Eligibility

All full- or part-time students pursuing any undergraduate or graduate degree program at Arizona State University can participate.  All entrants must identify an organization within the community with which they would like to partner, as well as a professional working within that organization who will serve as a mentor for the project.

Timeline

• January 26, 27, 28: ASU Innovation Challenge Kick-Off Events at the Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West campuses (participation not required to enter the Community Changemaker Competition)
• February: Variety of skill-building and proposal writing workshops (participation not required but strongly recommended to enter the Community Changemaker Competition)
• March 26: Proposals due
• April 16:  Elevator Pitches
• April 30: Winners announced

Judging

Proposals will be judged by the Community Changemaker Steering Committee, a group of individuals with experience in community impact and relationship-building as well as innovation. Criteria include:

• Community Impact
  • Clearly articulates a problem faced by a community organization, cause for the  problem, possible alternatives, and why the applicant’s proposed project is the most optimal, innovative, and/or unique solution
  • Clearly defined vision and goals, crafted in response to market demand, community need, or both
  • Community impact assessment plan defining how you will know whether or not your efforts are successful

• Concept:
  • Originality of the idea
  • Feasibility of implementation
• Financial Viability and Sustainability
  • Reasonable budget, outlining needs (absolute necessities) and wants (what could help the project, but may not be necessary for project success)
  • Plan to sustain the innovation once funds are exhausted
• Management of project
  • Applicant and mentor have a plan for managing the project

Submission Requirements

All submissions must be typed, double-spaced, and use Times New Roman 12-point font. Suggested length of submission is 5-8 pages (excluding application sheet, cover page, and appendixes, if applicable). Cover pages must include:

• team member’s name
• community organization’s name
• mentor’s name and position title within the community organization
• project title

In addition, all submissions must include a completed Community Changemaker application sheet as well as a signed letter from the proposed mentor outlining his/her relationship to you, the applicant; how he/she will guide and manage your efforts; and how he/she believes your project will move the community organization forward.

Use of Funds

Funds may be used for expenses that successfully advance the project’s development. Examples of eligible expenses include conferences/seminars, materials/supplies, building of prototypes, legal expenses, etc. Funds may NOT be used for tuition, textbooks, business meals/entertainment, personal computers, travel, or salaries. Judges reserve the right to decide whether or not expenses are acceptable for the use of Innovator Challenge Competition funds.

As part of a grassroots effort leading up to the Communities Connect Dialogues, students, faculty, staff and community members around each of ASU’s campuses have been invited to participate in interviews and focus groups that aim to identify best practices and opportunities for future partnership. These conversations began as a survey of current engagement between ASU and the community and are now moving towards an actionable understanding of how partnerships can develop in the future. Conclusions from this process will inform the content of the Communities Connect Dialogues that will happen this April on each campus (See details on these events below). The goals of this initiative are to:

• Engage in dialogue about what it means to be a socially embedded university on four campuses.
• Identify current community-university partnerships and share best practices.
• Create clear pathways for new partnerships to develop.
• Develop and share tools for initiating, maintaining, and marketing partnerships.

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Follow up Discussions:

Building on our initial focus groups across ASU’s four campuses, we invite students, faculty, staff and community members to participate in a discussion about 1) specific features of the ASU Community Connect website and 2) the structure of the the Communities Connect Dialogues that will take place on each campus in April. We welcome your enthusiasm and ideas!

ASU at the Downtown Phoenix campus

Tuesday, February 16

12:00-1:30pm

Nursing and Health Innovation 2 (NHI2), Room 110

ASU at the West campus

Tuesday, February 16

3:30-5:00pm

Sands, Room 101

ASU at the Polytechnic campus

Tuesday, February 23

12:00-1:30pm

Student Union, Cooley Ballroom B

ASU at the Tempe campus

Tuesday, February 23

3:30-5:00pm

Memorial Union, Union Stage (lower level)

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Communities Connect Dialogues:

The Dialogues will reflect the regional context of each campus, while also embracing the capacities of ASU as a single institution. While the agenda will vary from campus to campus, these dialogues might include workshops, presentations, networking events and/or tours. Information will also be available online after the events. More information about the specific topics covered at each dialogue, event times and RSVPs will be posted soon.

ASU at the Downtown Phoenix campus

Thursday, April 1

Civic Space, A.E. England Auditorium

ASU at the Tempe campus

Friday, April 9

SkySong

ASU at the Polytechnic campus

Friday, April 16

Student Union, Cooley Ballroom

ASU at the West campus

Thursday, April 22

University Center Building (UCB), La Sala Ballroom C

Thank you and we look forward to your feedback and participation at the upcoming follow up discussions and Communities Connect Dialogues. We ask that you please RSVP for the follow up discussions by sending an email to asucommunity@asu.edu and also let us know who else you recommend should attend the discussion so we can invite them.

We have synthesized key points from each focus group. This information intends to be a foundation that will guide our conversations with students, faculty, staff and community members in the follow up focus groups and Communities Connect Dialogues. While many productive points were brought, the points that correspond to each group represent the unique needs and expectations from stakeholders we have interacted with on each campus.

Downtown Community

Communication: A diversity of communication pathways and increased connectivity would help communications moving from the community to ASU and from ASU to the community. This kind of exchange would help ASU and the community mutually share opportunities that benefit the institution, students, faculty, residents and businesses in the surrounding areas.

Touch points: Clear points of contact within ASU for community members would facilitate new partnership opportunities, productive relationships and higher accessibility of the institution.

Private sector relationships: Increased involvement and collaboration with the private sector and local business entities would contribute to the vitality of our urban core – one that is particularly unique to ASU’s Downtown campus.

Student presence: Student involvement (such as interning and providing mentorship to children) has been an asset to the community. Increased presence in the business and cultural functions of Phoenix would create an even stronger tie with the community.

Downtown Faculty/Staff

Internal and external foci: Partnering within ASU is just as important as partnering with community organizations in order to utilize expertise and organizational capacities most effectively. This leads to better student learning outcomes and more successful partnerships with the community.

Empathy and reciprocity: Recognition of the contributions and expectations of stakeholders on both sides of a partnership is important to form strong, sustainable relationships. “Meeting people on their turf” develops mutual trust and understanding.

Information hubs: Creating spaces where the many community-university stakeholders are able to share and identify common interests and complimentary expertise would help identify ’starting points’ to partnership and facilitate collaboration. Some ideas that were suggested include a web-based database, regular council meetings and networking events.

Current and past relationships: Making visible current and past partnerships, including the ASU units that are/were engaged, would help identify new areas of opportunity, establish the more effective partnerships and identify existing ASU resources and connections.

West Community

Building relationships: On a campus that thrives on personal relationships, community members are looking for additional entry points and opportunities to form meaningful relationships for life-long partnerships with ASU.

Community Presence: Building the campus’ presence in the community would strengthen stakeholders’ investment and participation in ASU. Some suggestions included business roundtable discussions, service club involvement, career fairs, and other events that would invite participation from the community.

Communicating ASU’s assets: The availability of facilities has been a continued resource for the community. Further communicating this resource outside of ASU, in addition to campus events and student and faculty resources, would create an even stronger tie with the community.

West Faculty/Staff

Campus visibility: Communicate to local community organizations and businesses that ASU West is thriving, with abundant resources and human capital, would strengthen stakeholders’ investment in the campus.

A history of partnership: Highlighting the campus’ integral role in the development of the surrounding community, and the campus’ rich history of business partnership, would foster greater ownership and pride both in and out of ASU.

Communication: Communication pathways and networks that are both locally- and regionally-relevant would help communications moving from the community to ASU and from ASU to the community. This kind of exchange would help ASU and the community mutually share opportunities that benefit the institution, students, faculty, residents and businesses in the surrounding areas.

Leadership: Having the support of leadership among all stakeholder groups, including further engagement with local government leaders, would ensure further development of successful partnerships.

Poly Faculty/Staff

ASU Community Connect site: Further developing the ACC site will enable it to be a more effective resource. As per your suggestions, we will make the ‘About’ section more apparent, consider how to include a student section and clarify the order of the impact areas on the Community Connect map.

Campus visibility: Communicating to local community organizations, businesses and local chambers of commerce that ASU Polytechnic is thriving, with abundant resources and human capital, would strengthen stakeholders’ investment in the campus and ASU’s tie with the community.

Internal communication: Clearer communication between different channels within the university is needed so information can be distributed to students, faculty, staff and community members in a timely, effective manner. Two examples that were brought up include helping get student researchers paired up with faculty researchers and communicating events and opportunities to students.

Poly Community

Keeping tabs on campus: Increased communication between ASU and the local private sector would facilitate marketing and communication efforts for business services to students, faculty and staff.

Involvement with local chambers of commerce: Higher involvement with local chambers and community groups would increase ASU’s presence in the community and help outwardly communicate the resources and events at ASU.

Entry points: Clear points of contact and entry points into the campus for community members would facilitate new partnership opportunities and would promote awareness of opportunities presented by the community.

Tempe Faculty/Staff

Finding a good match: Defined connecting points between community and university would be useful in building stronger, more sustainable partnerships. For example, the role of trans-academic manager and/or community liaison piqued people’s interest as a point of contact that supports faculty in partnership efforts and cultivates relationships with public and private sectors.

Inclusive participation: Partnering with all parties both internally and externally will help develop new resources for timely and inclusive partnerships.

Information hubs: creating spaces where the many community-university stakeholders are able to share and identify common interests and complimentary expertise would help identify ’starting points’ to partnership and facilitate collaboration. Some ideas that were suggested include a web-based database, regular council meetings, and networking events.

Empathy and reciprocity: Recognition of the contributions and expectations of stakeholders on both sides of a partnership is important to form strong, sustainable relationships. ‘Meeting people where they are’ develops mutual trust and understanding.

Tempe Community

Touch points: Clear points of contact within ASU for community members would facilitate new partnership opportunities, productive relationships and higher accessibility of the institution.

Connections and networks: Further facilitating connections among key individual and existing networks with events, mixers, conversations and other tools would provide the opportunity to build new networks that connect community to community and community to ASU.

Utilize ASU Community Connect: We have taken your suggestion to change the “Community Exchange Blog” to “Community Connect Bulletin.” Further promotion and development of this tool would facilitate bridging missed connections.

Students Across ASU

Visibility on social media: We took your feedback and have set up an ASU Community Connect Facebook Fan Page ASU Community Connect Facebook Fan Page with updated information about events and opportunities in the community. We are also on Twitter as @ASUCommunity.

Transportation: Transportation is a necessity for participating in community events and being involved with community service off campus. This must be considered and communicated when organizing events.

Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds have been incorporated into the University’s emergency messaging system provider, E2 campus, to increase the program’s effectiveness and broaden its capacity to communicate with the ASU community in the case of an emergency.

The updated system is now also capable of e-mailing alert information and brief safety instructions to any student, faculty or staff member in the ASU e-mail directory, said Morgan R. Olsen, executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer of ASU.

“We would like to emphasize that students, faculty and staff should still sign up for the ASU Alert text messaging service,” Olsen said. “It’s important to utilize multiple communication options during emergencies, especially when so many of today’s students communicate primarily through text messaging.”

All of the new communication options added to the system were tested Tuesday and the tests went well, said ASU spokeswoman Julie Newberg.

“Feedback that we’ve received thus far from the test has been good. Messages were received quickly, often within a couple of minutes of sending,” Newberg said. “During an emergency, when safety is an issue, it’s possible to send instructions to the community … to avoid buildings or areas that are affected.”

In October, the E2 campus system was employed to inform users when a shot was fired in a suicide in the College of Design South building on the Tempe campus. An alert was sent within 30 minutes of the incident, though it was limited to students and staff who had previously subscribed to the program via text message and e-mail.

There are currently around 23,500 subscribers to the system, Newberg said.

ASU Police Cmdr. Jim Hardina stressed the importance of subscribing to the program.

“This is one method the University will use to communicate important information to the public, and if they are not a subscriber, they will not get that important information,” he said.

Psychology freshman Rita McGlynn said she signed up for the service shortly after the October incident.

“I didn’t know anything about the suicide-thing until my friends told me and I figured it’d be a good idea to be kept in the loop,” she said. “It’s good that they’re adding Facebook and Twitter … because when there’s an emergency situation like that, the more ways to reach students the better.”

The only text she has received so far was Tuesday’s test, but McGlynn said it’s reassuring to know that if there was an emergency situation, she would find out quickly.

An ASUrite ID and password are needed to sign up for the service.

Reach the reporter at npmendo@asu.edu