Section 1: Strategic Initiatives

Below are the Corporation for National and Community Service’s  Strategic Initiatives.  Please give at least one example of activity that addresses at least one strategic initiative that your program has addressed.  Describe the activity, including the need that was addressed; local collaborations or partners; service activity; and results.

Ensuring a Brighter Future for America’s Youth

Dr. Suess Day..

Brittany Aydelot organized a huge Community Engaged Learning day focused on Literacy. We partnered with the Hedge Peth Williams School for this day. Brit recruited over 50 volunteers from TCNJ to lead literacy workshops and activities with the students in prek-5 th grade at the Hedgepeth Williams School in Trenton. The day consisted of the TCNJ volunteers and Bonners working with the Hedgepeth Williams kids to highlight the importance of literacy. We used the national Dr. Suess day initatives to create hands on workshops that engaged the kids in reading and life long literacy. This day also set a platform for our TCNJ volunteers to talk to the Trenton kids about college and higher educational opportunities. The day was a great success and impacted the lives of 250 plus local Trenton Youth.

Engaging Students in Communities

Mobilizing More Volunteers

Harnessing Baby Boomers’ Experience

Section 2: Great Stories

Highlight member activities which are especially reflective of the impact the program has in the community, or which illustrate an innovative or highly successful aspect of program operation.  Please provide at least one story.

Brittany Aydelot

Britt worked on our annual Hoops Skills Academy. This day is a great example of using basketball as a hook , to teach and enhance  life skills with local Trenton Youth.  We were able to bring 50 Trenton youth from Young Scholars Institute, Academic Sports Academy, and Team MVP AAU basketball  to campus for a day of programming and hoops. The basketball clinic taught kids life lessons through different basketball drills. We partnered with the TCNJ Men's Basketball team. They sent the player's from the squad to assist with the basketball clinic. We also had approx 50 TCNJ volunteers( freshman ) to help run the drills and make connections with the local youth.. The TCNJ freshman ran workshops after the clinic that taught the kids life lessons and reflected on the drills that were ran during the clinic. All participants attending the Men's Basketball game on campus after the workshops. This day highlights the aspect of mentoring and building community partnerships. With programs like this we are able to provide higher educational opportunities to kids that are less fortunate than others..

R.Wilson