Brian Goad
Reporter

This semester 20 juniors in the Institute for Servant Leadership (ISL) Scholarship program are helping the community with service projects they created.

“As a junior this year we’re required to go somewhere and create 15 hours worth of service projects,” said junior Christian Thompson, who volunteers at a Unaka Elementary School.

This is a different approach to fulfilling the 15 required hours of community service required for all 73 Institute for Servant Leadership Scholarship recipients.

“The first two years, we’re really focusing with the students on who they are, where they are in God’s world and how they are servant-leaders,” said Beth Anderson, director of the Institute for Student Leadership. “The junior year, we took a different turn and said, ‘How can we outwardly show our servant-leadership in the community?’ to take your faith and to put it into action.”

Replacing participation in service projects already planned and ready for volunteers, students are required to take initiative and come up with the project on their own, working on it throughout the rest of their junior year.

“Instead of me saying, ‘There is this specific community agency that needs your help, go over here and do this project,’ I really wanted them to look within themselves and see what gifts that God has given them,” said Anderson. “I wanted them to look at needs in the community and how their gifts can match to those needs and how they can help solve a problem. That’s a tough jump.”

“I have a lot of excitement, and I can’t wait to work with the program,” said Jan Mitchell, a junior who is working with the Happy Valley Elementary School yearbook program. “They seem like they are really ready, and they’re really excited to get plugged in.”

Mitchell was the yearbook editor for the “Milligan Buffalo” the last two years and was extensively involved in yearbook during high school.

“I hope that maybe other schools will take action in this too,” said Mitchell. “I’m just excited to get in there with the kids.”

Thompson, who is volunteering at an elementary school, found a niche in an unexpected place.
“At first I was going to work with acting, but then I changed my mind to do Christmas decorations,” said Thompson. “When I got there, they asked if I knew how to play soccer and I did. So I’m teaching them how to play soccer, and we’re doing Christmas decorations as well.”

“They went in, they talked to the coordinator…they’ve gone out and created these on their own,” said Anderson. “I think that gives them a sense of fulfillment and also a sense of ownership. I think that it is very important in creating a life of service - that you take ownership.”

Currently, only ISL Scholarship recipients are required to create these projects. However, ISL desires the for students involved to incorporate other people with the motivation to get other Milligan students involved using their talents in the community.

“One person taking an interest and finding out what needs to be done and how they can do that will get them working in that,” said Anderson. “That leadership naturally evolves, and they start bringing more people into that particular area. The whole project gets bigger and bigger, and that need is met.”

Other juniors working on service projects include David Lichte, who is creating a chess club at Central Elementary School; Traci Thackrey, working with the national Adopt-a-Soldier program; and Josh Ramos, who is teaching kids in the classroom to juggle.