Pictured from left, Tracey Rector, center director and Nikkie Hamm from The Ohio Heartland Community Action Commission’s United Community Prescription Program with English 2367.01 students Erin Bland and Jessica Kersten holding their $1000 Pay It Foward donation check.
English students at Ohio State Marion recently celebrated a semester of planning and giving as a part of the Pay It Forward project with the United Way of Marion County.
Students in Amy Tibbals’ English 2367.01 course presented awards to three local non-profit organizations with the goal of impacting positive, long-term change in the areas of income and health in Marion.
These students experienced philanthropy first hand for nearly the entire semester. They participated in a competitive grant process in which they took organizations’ grant applications, made a first cut which narrowed down the finalists to three organizations, researched each organization and what it did to help the community, wrote papers arguing how the funding should be awarded, and participated in an hour-long debate to determine the final grant awards.
Summing up the Pay It Forward project, Tibbals said, “these English courses teach students far more than I can ever put on a lesson plan.
“Yes, they become better researchers and writers,” said Tibblals, “but they also become more caring and informed citizens.”
“It’s an experience that lasts far beyond the four walls of my classroom,” she added.
Click here to read the entire write up from Ohio State Marion, learn more about the projects and grants, and view more photos.