Service Commentary and Notable Indicators
Service is, I believe, an often overlooked facet of our responsibilities at the university level. There is a lot of work to be done, especially if we hope to enact change, and it requires the commitment of all. I see service not as a "responsibility" but rather an opportunity and a privilege. The chance to work on improving education for our students, their future students, and our communities is a big part of what I enjoy doing. Service has the potential to influence effective teaching and scholarship because you are able to develop relationships within and outside the department and college and learn from those with whom you serve. At its heart, teaching is a service profession. Educators work tirelessly for the benefit of their students, colleagues, administrators, and communities. As a teacher, I engaged in service with my students and other colleagues. That led me to realize that service is the most powerful when it is done in collaboration. The goal of service is to improve or benefit the communities in which you live, work, learn, etc. But the true beauty of service, for me, is that I have been changed for the better because of the people I have met, the connections I have made, the learning I have gained, and the work I have done. In May of 2014, my efforts were recognized with the Reich College of Education Outstanding Service Award. While I do not do service for personal gain, it was an honor to be acknowledged in this way.
Because my passion for service is so strong, in my time at Appalachian I have engaged in a large number and wide range of service opportunities. I have highlighted the most significant here. These have been significant in terms of the impact they have had on my teaching and scholarship, but, and perhaps more importantly, the deep influence they have had in my life overall.
Because my passion for service is so strong, in my time at Appalachian I have engaged in a large number and wide range of service opportunities. I have highlighted the most significant here. These have been significant in terms of the impact they have had on my teaching and scholarship, but, and perhaps more importantly, the deep influence they have had in my life overall.
Notable Indicator One: Service to the Campus/Global Community
I have chosen this as my first notable indicator because it changed the way I see service. In late 2010, I was approached by Kate Johnson in the Appalachian and the Community Together Office (ACT) who thought I would be a good candidate to lead an International Alternative Service Experience (IASE) trip. I was hesitant because I was unsure what it would entail in terms of time and workload. I am so grateful for the gifts that trip gave me--it truly changed my life and made me really understand the value of service. IASEs are a chance for students to opt out of the traditional party atmosphere of breaks (fall, spring, winter) and make a lasting contribution to a community in the US or internationally. The ACT office works with selected students who have a history of service experience to research, plan, and propose the course and its service component. As the faculty leader/mentor, I met with those two students regularly during fall semester and helped plan, budget, communicate with the organization (The Sister Island Project) with whom we were partnering, etc. Then, during spring semester, other students from all majors across campus joined a lottery system to determine their trips. Once those decisions were made, we met as a class weekly. Working closely with the two student leaders, I helped plan the syllabus and class lessons. Once we were all together, however, the class became more a community of learners rather than a teacher and 15 students. We did collaborative research on the site country, found guest speakers to attend and share their experiences and expertise, and planned the logistics of the trip prior to departure. Then, in country, we worked together on every facet of the trip with each student's own lived experiences and knowledge a part of what we were all learning.
In 2011, my first IASE, I was blessed to go to Cruz Verde, Dominican Republic. This small, rural village needed our help in many ways. While there, we worked on home construction sites for most of the time, from early in the morning until dinner. The community was building a house for the family of their President, the father of our on-site facilitator, Jennifer. At the site, we mixed concrete, dug trenches, laid "mezcla" on walls, carried buckets of water or buckets of rock, bent rebar with handmade tools, and actually began to build a house! There were days when we could not work at that site because of the lack of resources so we moved to other sites. In our "free" time from building, we painted the insides of eight houses, painted the water tower, taught children in the schools, and planted over 200 trees in an abandoned sugar cane field to assist their reforestation efforts. The work was difficult but the group was dedicated and committed to seeing progress at the end of the week. In the evenings, we spent time doing nightly reflections in the town center as well as helping with dishes from dinner, talking with the families with whom we lived for the week, or playing with the children in the dirt streets. At the end of the week, we had a true sense of accomplishment, even though the house was only half done. More importantly, we left changed by our experience there. The people were so generous and kind and helpful. They made us feel not like we were there for a week and gone. They made us feel like family. They made it clear that we were all invited back to visit anytime, which is what made my decision a year later.
In 2012, I again had the opportunity to serve on an IASE to the same village in the Dominican Republic. I jumped at the chance to revisit Cruz Verde with a new group of students. One of my major goals from that trip was to see if the work we had done had truly impacted the community. Often, with service trips like this, I worry that our work is just a week of the community making us feel good about what we are doing. I wanted to see the progress, the people, and see if there was a long-lasting change because of the work we completed. I again worked with two student leaders to plan the trip, the syllabus, and the class meetings. Again, 15 students and I arrived in Cruz Verde and took a long, bumpy bus ride to the edges of Santo Domingo. And again, we worked on construction sites and in the schools. However, a year later, the school in the community was no longer viable because neighboring towns did not have enough teachers and the schools consolidated. That required students to walk about an hour each way to get to a school site, which they did not mind because the students were so happy to see them and work with them. Those of us who stayed to work construction did similarly difficult work, but I was so happy to see the completed home of the President and three other newly completed homes in the town. As I walked down the streets in the early morning hours, it was amazing to see the town's progress. I got the opportunity to go back out to the reforestation land and my trees were nearly six feet tall. Additionally, they had built a home on that land for a small group of rotating soldiers who protected the trees from bugs, predators, and potential human damage. The community had built a garden and had making real efforts to be self-sustainable rather than rely on the outsiders who came to sell fruit, meat, and other necessities. There were two of our former friends who were attending college in Santo Domingo. It was a changed place and that made us all feel better about the work we had done and the contribution we had made to the community. Needless to say, leaving was very difficult for me. I felt and still feel intimately connected to the people of Cruz Verde. I do consider them family and look forward to seeing them again soon.
In 2011, my first IASE, I was blessed to go to Cruz Verde, Dominican Republic. This small, rural village needed our help in many ways. While there, we worked on home construction sites for most of the time, from early in the morning until dinner. The community was building a house for the family of their President, the father of our on-site facilitator, Jennifer. At the site, we mixed concrete, dug trenches, laid "mezcla" on walls, carried buckets of water or buckets of rock, bent rebar with handmade tools, and actually began to build a house! There were days when we could not work at that site because of the lack of resources so we moved to other sites. In our "free" time from building, we painted the insides of eight houses, painted the water tower, taught children in the schools, and planted over 200 trees in an abandoned sugar cane field to assist their reforestation efforts. The work was difficult but the group was dedicated and committed to seeing progress at the end of the week. In the evenings, we spent time doing nightly reflections in the town center as well as helping with dishes from dinner, talking with the families with whom we lived for the week, or playing with the children in the dirt streets. At the end of the week, we had a true sense of accomplishment, even though the house was only half done. More importantly, we left changed by our experience there. The people were so generous and kind and helpful. They made us feel not like we were there for a week and gone. They made us feel like family. They made it clear that we were all invited back to visit anytime, which is what made my decision a year later.
In 2012, I again had the opportunity to serve on an IASE to the same village in the Dominican Republic. I jumped at the chance to revisit Cruz Verde with a new group of students. One of my major goals from that trip was to see if the work we had done had truly impacted the community. Often, with service trips like this, I worry that our work is just a week of the community making us feel good about what we are doing. I wanted to see the progress, the people, and see if there was a long-lasting change because of the work we completed. I again worked with two student leaders to plan the trip, the syllabus, and the class meetings. Again, 15 students and I arrived in Cruz Verde and took a long, bumpy bus ride to the edges of Santo Domingo. And again, we worked on construction sites and in the schools. However, a year later, the school in the community was no longer viable because neighboring towns did not have enough teachers and the schools consolidated. That required students to walk about an hour each way to get to a school site, which they did not mind because the students were so happy to see them and work with them. Those of us who stayed to work construction did similarly difficult work, but I was so happy to see the completed home of the President and three other newly completed homes in the town. As I walked down the streets in the early morning hours, it was amazing to see the town's progress. I got the opportunity to go back out to the reforestation land and my trees were nearly six feet tall. Additionally, they had built a home on that land for a small group of rotating soldiers who protected the trees from bugs, predators, and potential human damage. The community had built a garden and had making real efforts to be self-sustainable rather than rely on the outsiders who came to sell fruit, meat, and other necessities. There were two of our former friends who were attending college in Santo Domingo. It was a changed place and that made us all feel better about the work we had done and the contribution we had made to the community. Needless to say, leaving was very difficult for me. I felt and still feel intimately connected to the people of Cruz Verde. I do consider them family and look forward to seeing them again soon.
The power of that experience pushed me to again sign up to lead and IASE in the spring of 2014. This time, I was sent to Guatemala. This experience was so vastly different than the others that I thought it would be less rewarding. However, it was such a culturally rich and educational journey that I came to appreciate it greatly. Working with the two student leaders was again an impressive experience. They were so organized, experienced, and thoughtful about the organization they chose. This time, we worked with an organization called Servicio para la Paz (Service for Peace) in a small, indigenous mountain community called El Quimal. Two-thousand people live in the community and most are self-sustaining through small-scale agriculture, but that requires the help of the children, which make up about 10% of the community. The elementary school in the community has only grades 1-6 and there is no middle or high school nearby. Under 5% of children pursue education beyond the eighth grade and 0% graduate from high school. Our task was to help with school renovation and building two new classrooms for the middle school. As a middle school teacher, this trip really spoke to me. I felt fortunate to be able to use the skills I had learned in Cruz Verde to teach my students how to dig trenches, make "mezcla," and lay cement blocks to build classroom walls. It was a moving and rewarding experience and one I would like to do again. Nightly reflections and follow up with current students, some of whom were education majors, demonstrated the power of the experience to change the way you view yourself and how you appreciate the luxuries you are afforded. And education is that for many--a luxury.
Together, these IASE service experiences demonstrate my commitment to service to the campus and community. Service experiences like these are not something everyone gets to do and I feel extremely fortunate that I had these opportunities. They demonstrate some aspects of curriculum development as well as leadership to the profession. Seeing education in other countries and the ways they struggle to provide it for their children is eye-opening for me and the students and provides increased knowledge of education worldwide that I can share in my teaching.
Together, these IASE service experiences demonstrate my commitment to service to the campus and community. Service experiences like these are not something everyone gets to do and I feel extremely fortunate that I had these opportunities. They demonstrate some aspects of curriculum development as well as leadership to the profession. Seeing education in other countries and the ways they struggle to provide it for their children is eye-opening for me and the students and provides increased knowledge of education worldwide that I can share in my teaching.
Notable Indicator Two: Service to Department
I began advising the Collegiate Middle Level Association (CMLA) chapter on campus in 2011. It is an affiliate member of the Association of Middle Level Education, the premier professional organization for middle level education and research. The CMLA is the student side of the organization and its goals are to support members as they finish their education and begin their careers at the middle level. Currently, there are 45 chapters across the US, including hundreds of students who will become middle grades teachers. Since I became advisor, Appalachian’s CMLA has grown and developed greatly. In late 2012, my student officers and I drafted a proposal to become the National Host Chapter and we won! That means that for the academic years of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, we are officially the National CMLA Chapter (as well as our campus chapter). With this opportunity comes great responsibility to present at conferences, review grant proposals from other chapters across the country, and generally advocate for and try to grow the organization while still continuing fundraising and service efforts around our own campus and community.
As the National Chapter and Appalachian chapter, we have engaged in a number of fundraising activities that allow our students to travel to conferences—state, regional, and national. In addition, our officers attend campus-wide meetings to secure funds to offset costs. We also created a series of professional development sessions for all education majors. Those centered on issues students might face in their classrooms, such as bullying, students coming out, or teachers encountering legal difficulties with parents or within the community. These were not as well attended as we hoped, but we continue to push forward, market more strongly, and encourage everyone to bring a friend. Those who have attended have provided feedback that they greatly appreciated free professional development that was relevant, engaging, and interactive.
Our organization also does a variety of service projects, some affiliated with other campus organizations and some on our own. One that we do twice yearly is hold a Scholastic Book Fair. While this is a lot of work and long hours, we believe that it is a critical time for future educators to start building their classroom libraries with quality books that appeal to a range of diverse learners. We make no money on this event in the spring and very little in the fall, if any. The main reason we do this major event, requiring 12-14 hour days for a week each semester, is to benefit the literacy and learning of the community. Teachers from the community often come by to buy books for their students and parents on campus and in the community are our best customers. We try to align these book fairs with the spring and fall Open Houses in the College of Education and have successfully done that the last two years. Thus, some of the CMLA students are at the Open Houses and I am there representing the Middle Grades Program. While not highly beneficial to our book fairs, it is extremely crucial that our students are there to talk to prospective students who might be thinking about middle grades education as their major. The prospective students find it helpful, and less uncomfortable perhaps, to speak with current students; the parents express relief and reassurance when they have the opportunity to speak to program faculty members. To date, I have only missed one open house for the College of Education and planning them around our book fair has helped make my attendance a possibility every time.
Appalachian's CMLA, in 2013, had 14 students travel to Minneapolis, MN to attend or present at the national conference. This is an opportunity few novice teachers get, not to mention teacher candidates! With my guidance, students planned and presented five sessions at the conference as well as facilitated an advisors’ meeting:
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Session # 1334 Middle School Student Panel
Session # 1434 What to Expect: Early Years Teacher Panel
CMLA Business Meeting
Friday, November 8, 2013
Session # 2143 Understanding High Risk Decision Making by Middle Level Students
Session # 2339 CMLA Networking
Saturday, November 9, 2013
CMLA Advisors' Meeting
This year, 2014, I am taking 19 students to Nashville, TN. This time, they were more ambitious about their presentations, with some taking on the sole responsibility for planning one, which is no small feat and very exciting:
Thursday, November 6, 2014
CMLA Discussion of Race int he Middle Level Classroom
CMLA Business Meeting & Poster Session
Friday, November 7, 2014
CMLA LGBTQ Seminar
What to Expect: Early Years Teacher Panel
Saturday, November 8, 2014
CMLA Advisors' Meeting
Since 2010, I have taken CMLA students to this conference as well as the North Carolina Middle School Association conference in Greensboro, NC each March. The AMLE conference has specific CMLA strands addressing the specific needs of pre-service teachers and I believe it is one of the best professional development opportunities students can receive, especially if they present. Students overwhelmingly talk about how attending these conferences have changed their lives. They learn, they network, and they begin to see themselves as professionals who have expertise and something to contribute to the conversations surrounding education in our state, nation, and beyond. I plan to continue this, even after my students are no longer the national host chapter of CMLA. But having had the opportunity to not only attend these conferences but to host sessions and prepare professional presentations is something I believe will impact them greatly as they join the profession. Being the advisor of this student group has been so rewarding. I see the students with whom I work growing into responsible, compassionate, and dedicated middle level professionals. They see the importance of speaking out and advocating for the importance of middle level education. They also come to learn the power of service in their lives. This service opportunity also allows me to be more than an advisor; I get to be a true mentor to my students. They come to me for advice about nearly everything! We build collegial relationships that I hope will last for many years to come. I feel that this role allows me to MODEL student advocacy for my students, a tenet of middle grades education and is not only an example of outstanding service but also effective teaching. These students and the work we do for our communities are some of the most rewarding aspects of my job. And I know that we will just continue to grow and do more good work in the future.
As the National Chapter and Appalachian chapter, we have engaged in a number of fundraising activities that allow our students to travel to conferences—state, regional, and national. In addition, our officers attend campus-wide meetings to secure funds to offset costs. We also created a series of professional development sessions for all education majors. Those centered on issues students might face in their classrooms, such as bullying, students coming out, or teachers encountering legal difficulties with parents or within the community. These were not as well attended as we hoped, but we continue to push forward, market more strongly, and encourage everyone to bring a friend. Those who have attended have provided feedback that they greatly appreciated free professional development that was relevant, engaging, and interactive.
Our organization also does a variety of service projects, some affiliated with other campus organizations and some on our own. One that we do twice yearly is hold a Scholastic Book Fair. While this is a lot of work and long hours, we believe that it is a critical time for future educators to start building their classroom libraries with quality books that appeal to a range of diverse learners. We make no money on this event in the spring and very little in the fall, if any. The main reason we do this major event, requiring 12-14 hour days for a week each semester, is to benefit the literacy and learning of the community. Teachers from the community often come by to buy books for their students and parents on campus and in the community are our best customers. We try to align these book fairs with the spring and fall Open Houses in the College of Education and have successfully done that the last two years. Thus, some of the CMLA students are at the Open Houses and I am there representing the Middle Grades Program. While not highly beneficial to our book fairs, it is extremely crucial that our students are there to talk to prospective students who might be thinking about middle grades education as their major. The prospective students find it helpful, and less uncomfortable perhaps, to speak with current students; the parents express relief and reassurance when they have the opportunity to speak to program faculty members. To date, I have only missed one open house for the College of Education and planning them around our book fair has helped make my attendance a possibility every time.
Appalachian's CMLA, in 2013, had 14 students travel to Minneapolis, MN to attend or present at the national conference. This is an opportunity few novice teachers get, not to mention teacher candidates! With my guidance, students planned and presented five sessions at the conference as well as facilitated an advisors’ meeting:
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Session # 1334 Middle School Student Panel
Session # 1434 What to Expect: Early Years Teacher Panel
CMLA Business Meeting
Friday, November 8, 2013
Session # 2143 Understanding High Risk Decision Making by Middle Level Students
Session # 2339 CMLA Networking
Saturday, November 9, 2013
CMLA Advisors' Meeting
This year, 2014, I am taking 19 students to Nashville, TN. This time, they were more ambitious about their presentations, with some taking on the sole responsibility for planning one, which is no small feat and very exciting:
Thursday, November 6, 2014
CMLA Discussion of Race int he Middle Level Classroom
CMLA Business Meeting & Poster Session
Friday, November 7, 2014
CMLA LGBTQ Seminar
What to Expect: Early Years Teacher Panel
Saturday, November 8, 2014
CMLA Advisors' Meeting
Since 2010, I have taken CMLA students to this conference as well as the North Carolina Middle School Association conference in Greensboro, NC each March. The AMLE conference has specific CMLA strands addressing the specific needs of pre-service teachers and I believe it is one of the best professional development opportunities students can receive, especially if they present. Students overwhelmingly talk about how attending these conferences have changed their lives. They learn, they network, and they begin to see themselves as professionals who have expertise and something to contribute to the conversations surrounding education in our state, nation, and beyond. I plan to continue this, even after my students are no longer the national host chapter of CMLA. But having had the opportunity to not only attend these conferences but to host sessions and prepare professional presentations is something I believe will impact them greatly as they join the profession. Being the advisor of this student group has been so rewarding. I see the students with whom I work growing into responsible, compassionate, and dedicated middle level professionals. They see the importance of speaking out and advocating for the importance of middle level education. They also come to learn the power of service in their lives. This service opportunity also allows me to be more than an advisor; I get to be a true mentor to my students. They come to me for advice about nearly everything! We build collegial relationships that I hope will last for many years to come. I feel that this role allows me to MODEL student advocacy for my students, a tenet of middle grades education and is not only an example of outstanding service but also effective teaching. These students and the work we do for our communities are some of the most rewarding aspects of my job. And I know that we will just continue to grow and do more good work in the future.
Notable Indicator Three: Service to the Boone Community
F.A.R.M. Café (Feed All Regardless of Means) is a local non-profit pay-what-you-can community kitchen that strives to alleviate food insecurity in the High Country. They recognize that 1 in 5 individuals in our area is food insecure—they do not know where they will get their next meal. I began volunteering at F.A.R.M. Café in February of 2013 because I heard about their mission and wanted to help. Having grown up in a home and neighborhood plagued by poverty, I understood the importance a space like this could have in our community. Most people think of Boone as just a college town, but many of those college students struggle financially and some are paying their own way through school. The F.A.R.M. Cafe knows this and provides a safe, welcoming space for any student to come and spend an hour working and then eat a healthy, home-cooked meal with no questions asked. Others might see Boone as a tourist destination where people have vacation homes and money to spend. While that might be true for some areas, 1 in 6 individuals in Watauga County is food insecure and that number goes up with younger children. Nearly 22% live at or below the poverty level and 35% of those do not qualify for government assistance (United States Census Bureau, 2010). For those with an idyllic view of Boone, those numbers might seem shocking, but for those who spend a few days at the F.A.R.M. Cafe, those numbers are a harsh reality for our community.
After a few times volunteering, it was clear to me that this place was about much more than food. Though their main goal is to provide local, homemade, healthy/nutritious food for everyone, they also have a parallel goal of creating a safe, welcoming, inclusive community. This is what has kept me coming back and spurred me, when invited, to become a board member and fundraising committee member. In the year 2013, I logged over 200 volunteer hours at the F.A.R.M. Café, washing dishes, serving food, prepping for the day, cleaning, doing laundry, or anything else they might have needed. Now, as a Board member, we work on educating the community about the broader issues as well as about the café. Many people do not understand that having a job does not make you food secure. Many of our patrons are working adults, but their circumstances prevent them from making ends meet. Likewise, we have a number of patrons who suffer from mental illness, homelessness, or health ailments. Educating the community about ALL its members is crucial to the process of improving the lives of all community members. And community is at the heart of what F.A.R.M. strives to accomplish. A welcoming, inviting space should not be a luxury for those with financial security. Boone should be a community in which all people feel valued and safe. I know this has not been the case for some of the "regulars" that now spend their entire days in the cafe because other businesses in the community have made it clear they are not welcome.
In my brief time as a volunteer and Board member, I have come to know some fascinating people at the café. I have also been able to help plan and organize major fundraising events. In 2013, we planned a Real.Good.Party. event that eventually brought in $18,000 to help feed our community. I organized the silent auction, traveling around to local business owners and getting donations for the event. I also helped with the food and entertainment for the evening, which was no small task! Later in the year, I helped with a social media campaign to raise more money, which helped us feed people in the cold winter months and over the holidays. Currently, we are organizing a series of community talks called “Food for Thought” that will bring the divergent voices of our community together to address real issues that exist in our community but that are rarely talked about in our efforts to maintain the quaint, small-town, safe image that we have had for so long. These important conversations will bring to the forefront issues such as generational poverty, mental illness, and community social responsibility. As an educator, I’m excited about this opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of a community that recognizes all, cares about all, and sees it as everyone’s responsibility to improve our shared lived experience.
As mentioned in my research commentary, I am also beginning to gain some experience at the F.A.R.M. Cafe with grant writing. As part of the Fundraising Committee, we recently wrote a grant proposal for a local organization, the Watauga County Community Foundation, and were awarded $2000 for a commercial-grade refrigerator to replace the one that had been in the cafe for decades. Next, we are embarking on a collaborative effort to write a grant for Blood, Sweat, and Gears, a local 100-mile bike race that is growing exponentially and is offering grants to local non-profits. All of these efforts will only help my research agenda, as it is weak in the grant writing area. The president of the cafe board is a professional grant writer, so her expertise and mentoring will be greatly appreciated.
After a few times volunteering, it was clear to me that this place was about much more than food. Though their main goal is to provide local, homemade, healthy/nutritious food for everyone, they also have a parallel goal of creating a safe, welcoming, inclusive community. This is what has kept me coming back and spurred me, when invited, to become a board member and fundraising committee member. In the year 2013, I logged over 200 volunteer hours at the F.A.R.M. Café, washing dishes, serving food, prepping for the day, cleaning, doing laundry, or anything else they might have needed. Now, as a Board member, we work on educating the community about the broader issues as well as about the café. Many people do not understand that having a job does not make you food secure. Many of our patrons are working adults, but their circumstances prevent them from making ends meet. Likewise, we have a number of patrons who suffer from mental illness, homelessness, or health ailments. Educating the community about ALL its members is crucial to the process of improving the lives of all community members. And community is at the heart of what F.A.R.M. strives to accomplish. A welcoming, inviting space should not be a luxury for those with financial security. Boone should be a community in which all people feel valued and safe. I know this has not been the case for some of the "regulars" that now spend their entire days in the cafe because other businesses in the community have made it clear they are not welcome.
In my brief time as a volunteer and Board member, I have come to know some fascinating people at the café. I have also been able to help plan and organize major fundraising events. In 2013, we planned a Real.Good.Party. event that eventually brought in $18,000 to help feed our community. I organized the silent auction, traveling around to local business owners and getting donations for the event. I also helped with the food and entertainment for the evening, which was no small task! Later in the year, I helped with a social media campaign to raise more money, which helped us feed people in the cold winter months and over the holidays. Currently, we are organizing a series of community talks called “Food for Thought” that will bring the divergent voices of our community together to address real issues that exist in our community but that are rarely talked about in our efforts to maintain the quaint, small-town, safe image that we have had for so long. These important conversations will bring to the forefront issues such as generational poverty, mental illness, and community social responsibility. As an educator, I’m excited about this opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of a community that recognizes all, cares about all, and sees it as everyone’s responsibility to improve our shared lived experience.
As mentioned in my research commentary, I am also beginning to gain some experience at the F.A.R.M. Cafe with grant writing. As part of the Fundraising Committee, we recently wrote a grant proposal for a local organization, the Watauga County Community Foundation, and were awarded $2000 for a commercial-grade refrigerator to replace the one that had been in the cafe for decades. Next, we are embarking on a collaborative effort to write a grant for Blood, Sweat, and Gears, a local 100-mile bike race that is growing exponentially and is offering grants to local non-profits. All of these efforts will only help my research agenda, as it is weak in the grant writing area. The president of the cafe board is a professional grant writer, so her expertise and mentoring will be greatly appreciated.