12/29/2008		Faculty, Students Knit Improved Premature Infant Mortality
12/7/2008		K9 Club Raises Funds, Awareness of Animal Issues
12/7/2008		Elizabethtown’s International Guest Reconnects Two Countries
12/7/2008		Habitat for Humanity: Always Building

Armed with knitting needles and crochet hooks, Elizabethtown College faculty and students are taking up the fight against premature infant mortality in third-world countries.

This fall, Elizabethtown College students and their faculty mentors created 132 caps to contribute to the “Knit One, Save One” campaign, which is sponsored by the global humanitarian organization Save the Children and the Warm Up America! Foundation. Lecturer in Occupational Therapy Linda Leimbach (shown third row, far right) and the students of her “Basic Concepts in Occupation” classes participated in the effort, along with Fieldwork Coordinator Christine Achenbach ’86 (shown third row, far left), Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Charla Lorenzen (shown fourth row, far left), and Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Judy Beck Ericksen ’80 (shown fourth row, far right). Assistant Professor of Engineering Heather Watson who also supported the project is not shown.

The caps, tiny creations crafted of soft yarn, barely cover the palm of a human hand. Unfortunately, the infants who will wear them are also tiny, born too early and too small, and are likely not to survive beyond their first few months of life without medical intervention. Every year, 4 million babies die within the first month of life in the poorest of countries in the world, such as Ethiopia, Mozambique and Afghanistan. Research shows that 50 percent of these deaths could be prevented if mothers and children had access to a simple health measures, including antibiotics to fight infections, immunizations, training for skilled birth attendants, education on breastfeeding and hygiene, and instruction on basic care, such as keeping a baby warm by covering his/her head and carrying the baby skin-to-skin.

In addition to creating the caps, the students also learned a lesson in advocacy as they penned letters to U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama, requesting consideration of increased funding for international assistance for premature infant care.

Some of the activities in which the K9 Club has volunteered – Woofstock, the PAWs Spayghetti Dinner and Santa Paws – sound like the punchline of a bad pet joke. These events, though, have at their heart the very serious goal of raising awareness of and funding for some of the most significant issues currently affecting all species of animals.

K9 Club President Jasmine Gollup points to the breadth of activities in which the student organization has participated this fall. “The K9 Club of Elizabethtown works with local and regional nonprofit animal rescue organizations, volunteering our time to raise awareness of current issues impacting all animals,” says Gollup. “In addition, we provide volunteer service to rescue groups during the school year and run several of our own charity events to raise money for animal rescue organizations.”

The fierce commitment of the student organization’s membership has grown from year to year, according to K9 Club graduate advisor, Stephanie Nelson. “The K9 Club works very hard to do as much as we can for our local rescues,” she says. “As I recall, Jasmine and I volunteered nearly every weekend in the fall 2007. This year, Jasmine has been just as busy, if not more!” Gollup and Jessalyn Donnelly are co-presidents of the organization. In addition, the K9 Club’s other officers include Patricia Cangelosi, vice president; Kalie Desimone, secretary; Ashley Frank, treasurer; and Lindsay Goldsmith, advertising head.

Assistant to the President Sheryl Cyphert, who is the organization’s advisor, appreciates all of the efforts of the K9 Club's members and volunteers. “The students do an amazing amount of work to help local animal causes,” says Cyphert. “Faculty and staff, notably the Gottfrieds, have been particularly supportive of their efforts.”

This fall, club members have volunteered at several animal rescue events, including Puppy Mill Awareness Day, Woofstock, the PAWS Masquerade Ball, Phoenix Rescue Pit Bull Awareness Day, and the PAWS Spayghetti Dinner. Additionally, the student organization has hosted its own awareness raising and fundraising events.

Gollup was pleased with the success their most recent event, Santa Paws, which was held Saturday, Nov. 22. “This year was the third year that we have held Santa Paws, and it’s been growing steadily each year. We had more than 60 animals attend and will donate $500 to Castaway Critters Animal Rescue,” Gollup reflects, explaining that Castaway Critters is a locally-based, animal rescue that operates solely on donations. “Medical bills for the animals are enormous. And Castaway, along with many other animal rescues, desperately needs help.”

Looking forward, Gollup highlights one of the organization’s biggest fundraisers, Pup-E-Palooza, which is slated for April 26, 2009, from noon until 4 p.m. at Brinser Field. “We will have live music, games, food, raffles and dozens of [tables staffed by local] animal rescues,” explains Gollup. “We generally divide the $1,500 that we raise during this event between three different rescue organizations.”

To learn more about the K9 Club, please visit the organization’s website. If you’d like to get involved, to donate to the club's efforts, or to request more information, please contact the organization at k9club@etown.edu.

About the photograph: Through its Santa Paws event, the K9 Club raised $500 for the Castaway Critters Animal Rescue. Supporting the organization as Santa Paws was Assistant Professor of Marketing Bryan Greenberg.

It was only three weeks ago that Itana Lins (shown to the right), academic director of the Brazil-U.S. Cultural Association, arrived in Pennsylvania to exchange ideas with Elizabethtown faculty members about teaching the English language and American culture to those in her home of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, and to begin a professional exchange between her institution and Elizabethtown College. On the eve of her return to South America, she reflected on her time here.

“This is an enchanted place,” says Lins, whose trip was organized by Partners of the Americas and sponsored by the Center for Global Citizenship, the Modern Languages and Education departments, and the U.S. Department of State. “Everything fell into place [for my visit], like the pieces of a puzzle.” The puzzle pieces to which she referred include visits to local attractions, her first experience with autumn and Halloween, the classes and presentations she attended, the opportunity to stay with a College professor, and her interaction with students on campus and in local elementary and high schools.

The underlying goal of her visit, which was planned by Partners of Americas, was to deepen a connection between Elizabethtown and Salvador that began in the mid-1980s. The Pennsylvania-Bahia partnership, which began in the 1960s with connections to the dairy and chocolate industry, spread to academia—with Elizabethtown College creating a scholarship program for students in Bahia from 1997 to 2005. Having just re-initiated this scholarship program, Elizabethtown is once again looking to expand ties.

Lins’ month-long visit – which ran from Oct. 20 until Nov. 20, 2008 – served as a great beginning to this reconnection. Welcomed immediately by the faculty and students, she not only gained important information about Elizabethtown, but made new friends. “In a way, even though our culture is different, [there’s something here that is] very similar,” she says. “I felt at home.”

Although she was ready to head back to Brazil, Lins will miss it here. “It’s been a priceless experience,” she states. “All I did here went beyond my expectations. I’m sure I’ll come back.”

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Partners of the Americas is a nonprofit, non-partisan, volunteer organization dating back to the early 1960s. Partners links states or parts of states in the United States with sister states, countries or regions in Latin America and the Caribbean for volunteer service projects in development. Through its efforts, the organization has created and is coordinating about 60 such partnerships.

Elizabethtown College is offering five scholarships per year, each for an academic year, to university students from the Brazilian state of Bahia under an agreement renewed this summer. Lins is the Bahian Partners state committee coordinator for our College’s scholarship program with the Bahia state committee of the Partners of the Americas.

by Jacob Keeler '09

Active and energetic, the members of Elizabethtown College’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity International are always building homes, funds, teams, relationships and communities. And, as a result of their experiences, the students understand the difference a few hours of commitment can make.

Chapter President Crystal Illigasch has seen first-hand the life-changing results of their efforts to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. “At a work day last year, I had the chance to meet the family who would be living in the house we were working on,” recalls Illigasch, who is a senior elementary and special education major. “It really was the greatest feeling in the world to know that I was making a difference in a family’s life by helping them construct their soon-to-be house.”

The campus chapter, which is advised by Assistant Professor of Marketing Bryan Greenberg, is responsible each year to Habitat International in four ways: building, fundraising, educating and advocating.

The building part of that equation is completed in association with the Lancaster City Habitat Affiliate and collaboratively with campus chapters from Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) and Millersville. Students give one Saturday every month to work alongside present and future Habitat homeowners to build a house in the Lancaster area.

Fundraising for Habitat International is a top priority, and the student chapter supports that goal with innovative efforts in our community. “This year we went out on Halloween for our famous ‘Trick or Changing,’ ” Illigasch explains. “We asked families for donations instead of candy. Families were more than willing to donate to Habitat. They were interested in what we were doing on our campus and took time to talk … our club sent out 11 members, divided into four groups, and raised $498.19.”

During the past year, the student organization also has sought to raise awareness about homelessness and educate others about Habitat for Humanity’s mission through a variety of activities. For example, the three local campus chapters held a Shack-a-Thon in downtown Lancaster in spring 2008. During the event, participants built tiny houses of cardboard, channeling the attention they received into heightened awareness of homelessness right here in Lancaster County.

Illigasch explains that each year the group attempts to grow bigger and better. The goal-setting process occurs in collaboration with the F&M, Millersville and Lancaster City teams. Increased participation is always on their list. “We would love to have faculty and staff come to our work days in Lancaster City,” she adds.

“I really think about how good I have it, and this makes me want to give my time even more. It’s amazing what one Saturday a month can do to help a family in great need. It’s been a life-changing experience for me,” says Illigasch. She hopes more campus members will build to change homeowners’ lives and their own.

If you would like to get involved, e-mail the chapter at habitat@etown.edu.

by Audra Farren '09

About the photograph: Members of the Elizabethtown College chapter of Habitat for Humanity campus gather to “Trick or Changing” on Halloween night. Pictured above are (back row, l – r) Alex Catalano ’11, Brok Walker ’10, John Krajsa ’10, Stephen Powell ’11, Derek Faust ’10, (front row, l to r) President Crystal Illigasch ’09, Jamie Alcorn ’11, Secretary Stephanie Reynard ’11, Co-Vice President Katie Bornholdt ’11 and Cristen Minori ’11. Not pictured are Co-Vice President Cliff Quattlander ’09, Fundraising Chair Paul Devlin ’09 and faculty advisor, Dr. Bryan Greenberg.