Tuesday, November 25, 2003
University students to introduce international holiday traditions to after-school program
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Students in a strategic writing class at the University of Southern Indiana are planning Winter WonderLands, a culminating special event for a service-learning component of the class, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3 at the St. Anthony’s Center for Family Life. The university students are volunteers for Kids Café, a free after-school program for low-income children held at the center. Winter WonderLands will offer Kids Café students international information stations, prepared by the USI students that tell a country’s cultural facts, holiday traditions, and crafts. Five stations will feature the countries of England, Japan, USA, Mexico, and Germany. Area businesses are donating ethnic food representing the countries so the school children can sample the food. The program will end with lighting a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments that the school children have made at the various Winter WonderLands’ stations. Big Brothers/Big Sisters maintain Kids Café, and the USI students have volunteered one hour a week at Kids Café as part of the class assignment. Kids Café partners include St. Anthony’s Center for Family Life, Tri-State Food Bank, Weed & Seed, Need to Feed, Purdue Extension, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. The Salvation Army donates vehicles to pick up the school-age students from their schools and transport them to the St. Anthony’s Center for Family Life. The objectives for Kids Café are to provide nutritious meals to children in need, supplement meals with nutrition education activities, offer sites with easy access to children in need, and conduct activities within safe sites, under the supervision of trustworthy staff. The strategic writing class is taught by Dr. Tamara Wandel. The students in her class formed a fictional public relations agency named Wandel’s Dozen. They named the December 3 event, researched and prepared handouts about the featured countries, wrote and assembled a media kit to inform reporters, and wrote a feature article about Kids Café. The class also wrote and submitted a grant to a national funding source for future cultural enrichment activities for Kids Café, and they have written a four-part strategic plan for the group. Reporters are welcome at Winter WonderLands. The St. Anthony’s Center for Family Life is located at 713 N. Second Avenue by St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, across the street from Hacienda on First Avenue. Dr. Wandel expects 3:30 to 5 p.m. would offer the best time for coverage of the international stations and the holiday activities. |
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