Students don’t have to wait until after graduation to live up to the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs’ motto of “leading for the greater good.” Experiential classroom activities let them make an immediate impact.
New Hope, an agency serving families impacted by homelessness in Bloomington, broke ground in April for a $5.75 million expansion. The new facility will include an early education center that will serve 48 young students, instead of the current 16, when it is expected to open in February.
“O’Neill is unique in that we focus not just on the in-class learning, but also on reaching out into the community to give our students experience working in the field with public and nonprofit organizations,” Nicholson-Crotty said.
When Echard started searching for ways to help fund the expansion, she discovered Early Learning Indiana’s Come Back Stronger Fund, which was helping child care programs recover in the wake of the pandemic. She completed and submitted the needed grant application, then met with Early Learning Indiana officials hoping to secure $21,000 in funding. When all was said and done, Early Learning Indiana awarded New Hope $85,000 for equipment and furnishings for the early education center.
“I was overjoyed that I was able to impact my community in such a positive way,” said Echard, a first-generation college student who is now in her second and final year of grad school. “I went into grad school, and undergrad for that matter, with a passion for the underdog. I have always wanted to make a difference. So, to get four times (the funding asked for) really just shows me to shoot even further into the stars next time.”
She’s not the only one who is happy.
“We loved working with Kelly,” said Emily Pike, New Hope’s executive director. “This was our first formal pairing with O’Neill grad students. O’Neill is a top-notch program, so students come into the partnership with great skills and motivation.”
Nicholson-Crotty, while thrilled with Echard’s outcome, said it is not unusual.
“We typically secure three to five grants for our partner organizations each semester,” she said. “We give our students the tools to be successful and then provide them with the opportunities to practice using them in an environment where they are supported by faculty. Kelly brought together all of her training and skills from O’Neill at just the right time to really make a difference in her community.”
Article by Jana Nordeen, IU Studios, and reproduced with permission.
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