2008- 2009 Academic Year

Bonner Bonding - Relay For Life

This past March members of the Bonner Program participated in the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life event, as they have for years, but with one difference - this year the Bonners united to form their own team instead of participating through other campus organizations. Ferrum Bonners voiced their desire to do more things together and thus Bonner Bonding events were created. Each Bonner is required to attend at least two events per semester. Some of the events are group service projects, some are strictly social, and some, like Relay for Life, mix service and social activities. This year Bonner kicked off the evening of Relay with an alumni tailgate, and set up a Bonner camp-site with all the goodies including our bright yellow Bonner camp chairs. Our team raised over five hundred dollars for the American Cancer Society and spent a long night in the cold walking the track. We were one of the few teams that had representatives out all night long. Bonners had fun and got to know eachother better by playing rousing games of Uno at the tent, participating in races on the inflatables, and huddling together under blankets and over the grill to stay warm.  

Committee Events - Sobriety Day

Held during the spring semester, Sobriety Day was the invention of several new Bonner Leaders and served as the Health Commitee's big event to engage the campus and the community in their issue area. The Health Committee also sponsors the blood drives for the Red Cross four times a year, so this was a  huge project to take on. The primarily advocacy-based event was filled with activities from morning to night that would not only help raise awareness on the dangers of alcohol use and abuse, but also highlight fun, social alternatives to drinking. The day was full of information ranging from local stories of drunk-driving and alcohol related deaths, to the affect of alcohol use/abuse on our community, to simple tips on how to help those who are suffering from alcohol related problems,  and how to identify and deal with the problems that can arise. Many partners that deal with substance abuse problems were participating as were local chapters of MADD and SADD.  The day wasn't all focused on education and advocacy though, the participants were able to enjoy a wide variety of games and activities designed to highlight the social alternatives to drinking, especially in our local rural setting. The day was a huge success with many of the campus clubs and organizations participating.

Bonner Retreats

The Ferrum College Bonner Program hosts two annual retreats off campus where our members get to let their hair down, bond with eachother, explore issues, and receive training. The retreats are designed by the director, congress representatives, and senior intern. This past January, we held our winter retreat over a weekend at the local 4-H center. The foci of the winter retreat were the serve 2.0 initiative and learning community activities based on this year's annual theme and our upcoming trip to Mexico. Training included sessions on using the Wiki, BWBRS 3.0 and other social networking tools. The Bonners worked in committee to identify their video topics, view examples, become familiar with the software and camera equipment, and plan out their videos using story-boards. We had a video-diary established in one of the rooms where Bonners were able to reflect on the different aspects of the weekend. IN addition to the 2.0 activities we had guests from the area that spoke about Summer of Service opportunities and then we were able to explore different options in a fair-like setting available to Bonner students. The weekend was filled with discussions that provoked deeper thinking and insights into immigration issues including a documentary film we viewed and an issue brief. One of our own Bonners also shared her experiences as an immigrant which lead to some great conversations on creating systemic change. The feedback from our retreat was very positive. The only thing missing was a lighter.

 Annual Report 2008-2009

2007- 2008 Academic Year