Holleran Center for Community Engagement

Holleran Center News

“All Aboard: Technology on Track” - Junior Creativity Camp 2010
Alvernia camp explores changing technology in trains

Watch a highlight video from Junior Creativity Camp 2010

Alvernia's Holleran Center for Community Engagement conducted its third annual, weeklong Junior Creativity Camp beginning Aug. 2, 2010. This year’s theme was “All Aboard: Technology on Track.”

2010 Camp participants had the opportunity to explore digital media using various technological mediums, such as podcasts and blogs. All of this was incorporated with an understanding of locomotive technology, as trains were a central part of the city of Reading and still dot the landscape. The camp aimed to teach participants about the history of the Reading Railroad, while incorporating the understanding current and future technology.

Throughout the two weeks, the group toured local sites, such as the Pagoda, where the participants got a bird’s eye view of not only the city, but also of Reading’s railroad tracks. The group also stopped by Berks Community Television (BCTV) to learn about video production and recorded their own television broadcast. In addition, they traveled to Strasburg, Pa., to tour the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and rode on an authentically restored, coal burning, steam locomotive.

A closing ceremony was held on August 6 at St. Peter’s Church on South Fifth Street, providing an opportunity for camp participants to be recognized for their participation and achievements during camp by local community leaders. The ceremony, held at 2:00 p.m., was open to family and friends, and featured Executive Director of the Hispanic Center, Michael Toledo, as the guest speaker.

This year’s Junior Creativity Camp served 20 participants, ages 7-10. Most of whom are active participants in the South Reading Youth Initiative, a signature program of the Holleran Center for Community Engagement.  Mike Nerino, Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems, was the faculty instructor for camp, and was assisted by Holleran Center’s Jessica Umbenhauer (Project Coordinator), Christopher Fake (South Reading Youth Initiative Program Manager), and Meghann Burton (AmeriCorps*PACC-VISTA volunteer). Alvernia students Brett Ames, and Heather Shainline also joined the team.

The South Reading Youth Initiative (SRYI), a free program designed for youth aged 7-14 who live or go to school in the South Reading area, provides after-school and summer programming supported by faculty, staff and students of Alvernia University. These programs have been generously supported by federal and state grants as well as local funders. Founded in 2006, the SRYI aims to promote continued education, mentoring and support for healthy choices through exposure to arts, culture and educational opportunities within Greater Reading.

Exploring Digital Media with Creativity Camp 2010

Watch a highlight video from Creativity Camp 2010

The Holleran Center for Community Engagement conducted its fifth annual, two-week long Creativity Camp beginning June 21, 2010. This year’s digital media theme was called “Pod Squad: Going for the Goal.”

2010 Camp participants had the opportunity to explore digital media using various technological mediums, such as podcasts and blogs. The participants experimented with mixing boards, recording tools and video production equipment. All of this was incorporated with the 2010 FIFA World Cup 2010. Participants also had the opportunity to report on game statistics and blog their predictions for the Cup win. 

Throughout the two weeks, the group toured local media outlets such as WEEU, WFMZ, the 911 Berks Call Center, and got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Reading Movies Eleven IMAX Theater, including a viewing of Toy Story 3 in Imax 3-D. 

In addition, the group traveled to Washington D.C., to visit the interactive Newseum, and toured the Capitol building—visiting with U.S. Representative Jim Gerlach.

A closing ceremony was held on July 2 at St. Peter’s Church on South Fifth Street, which provided an opportunity for camp participants to be recognized for their participation and achievements during camp by local community leaders. The ceremony, held at 2:00 pm, was open to family and friends, and showcased the new skills and experiences that were acquired over the course of the two weeks.

This year’s Creativity Camp served 30 participants, ages 10-14, most of whom are active participants in the South Reading Youth Initiative after-school program—a signature program of the Holleran Center for Community Engagement. Mike Nerino, Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems, was the faculty instructor for camp, and was assisted by Holleran Center staff Jessica Umbenhauer (Project Coordinator), Meghann Burton (AmeriCorps*PACC-VISTA), and Christopher Fake (South Reading Youth Initiative Program Manager). Alvernia students Brett Ames, Kate Roesch, and Heather Shainline also joined the staff team.

The Holleran Center for Community Engagement will also facilitate a Junior Creativity Camp 2010, held during the first week of August, for participants’ ages 7-10 years.

The South Reading Youth Initiative (SRYI), a free program designed for youth aged 7-14 who live or go to school in the South Reading area, provides after-school and summer programming supported by faculty, staff and students of Alvernia University. These programs have been generously supported by federal and state grants as well as local funders. Founded in 2006, the SRYI aims to promote continued education, mentoring and support for healthy choices through exposure to arts, culture and educational opportunities within Greater Reading.

The South Reading Youth Initiative featured on Senator O'Pake's "Report to the People" show

April 21, 2010

The South Reading Youth Initiative, a program of the Holleran Center for Community Engagement at Alvernia University, was featured on the show, "Report to the People", Senator Mike O'Pake's monthly show. The segment aired on PCN (Pennsylvania Cable Network) on Sunday, April 18 at 2:30 pm. This month's show was dedicated to reporting on Census 2010, an important initiative taking place across the country to make sure that everyone is counted.

The South Reading Youth Initiative created a day of programming centered on the history and importance of the Census. Ginny Hand, Director of the Holleran Center for Community Engagement, was featured in the segment teaching the children about the importance of counting everyone in their family. Isabel Monterrosa, a member of the Berks County Complete Count Committee, was also present to talk to the participants about the impact of the Census results on the City of Reading. Students were able to fill out a sample Census form so that they could take the message home to their own family.

Please visit Senator O'Pake's website to full the full episode of the April 2010 "Report to the People". The South Reading Youth Initiative is featured approximately one third of the way through the program.

Israeli and Palestinian women lead peace talk at Alvernia

March 10, 2010

Since its inception in 2003, Creativity for Peace (a New Mexico nonprofit organization with operations in Israel and the Palestinian Territories) has brought 146 girls, ages 15-17, of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths from Israel and Palestine to the United States for a summer camp program about peacemaking, using facilitated dialogue, art-making, field trips, and social time.

On Wednesday, March 10, Alvernia’s Holleran Center for Community Engagement, the Jewish Federation of Reading, the Islamic Center of Reading, and the Reading Berks Conference of Churches came together to bring three young Creativity for Peace speakers to campus as part of Alvernia’s popular Lecture Series.

During the event, Israeli May Freed (21) sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Palestinians Amira Said (22) and Fairooz Abadi (21) to discuss what it has been like to live in war-torn Israel and Palestine. 

They bowed their heads as Dottie Indyke, Executive Director of Creativity for Peace (CP), told the audience that girls participating in the CP camp do not start out as peacemakers. “Like today’s panelists, these girls come to camp because they have been affected by violence. They’re mad, and are looking for an opportunity to tell ‘the other side’ how much they hate each other,” she explained. Camp participants (all girls) are half Palestinian and half Israeli. They live together for three weeks, learning to talk and listen to their “enemies” about their fear, suffering, and loss. By the end of the three-week program, the girls begin to see that people are suffering on both sides of the conflict.

Amira Said, a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Jenin, explained that she felt like she “lived in a jail.” The Israeli army would make her family leave her home in the middle of the night, or impose curfews that forced them to stay indoors for months at a time. In 2001, her father died trying to get to a hospital after being held up at an Israeli checkpoint. “I hated the word ‘Israeli,’” she said. “I hated each person in this country.” After taking a moment to collect herself, she began to speak of her experience with the Creativity for Peace camp. “I came to camp just to tell [the Israelis] how much I hate them and how much they changed my life.”

“It was really hard for me to meet them in the beginning,” she said. “But when we started to dialogue, I told them about all my pain, all my suffering—and I really felt different.”

Sitting next to her as she talked was May Freed, a Jewish girl from Kahal, Israel. “When May refused to go into the Israeli army, it really changed me,” said Amira. “When I hear that the [campers from Israel] don’t agree with what their army is doing, it really makes me feel very good.” One of the most powerful statements came from Fairooz Abadi who said, "I thought it was so easy to hate [the Israelis] but I found out that it was so much easier to love them".

Three weeks in camp and one brave decision by an “enemy Israeli” made a difference for Amira. “So now I choose not to hate them,” she said. “I choose to meet them. Living together at camp, I discovered that both sides are hurting and that both sides are victims. Through the camp, we are changing ourselves, and we are changing the community. People will hear our voice and see that the solution is in peace, not with violence and killing. I’ve had enough of the killing and pain and suffering. We need to live side-by-side—one country for two nations.”

About Creativity for Peace:

Creativity for Peace’s mission is to nurture understanding and leadership in Palestinian and Israeli adolescent women so they can aspire to and take on significant roles in their families, communities and countries, advancing peaceful coexistence. Programs include a three-week summer camp, ongoing gatherings for former campers in the Middle East, advanced communication and leadership training for young leaders, and academic scholarships.

The Young Leadership Initiative program teaches students self-empowerment and self-awareness skills for healing from the trauma of war. The program offers tools for reducing prejudice and coping with conflict. Young leaders also learn practical skills, such as group facilitation and public speaking and have hands-on opportunities to broaden the circle of understanding in the Middle East and beyond.

After the summer camp, the women return home, but continue to meet year-round to take part in leadership and communication training offered by Creativity for Peace in the Middle East.

Alvernia Named to President's Higher Education Honor Roll

February 25, 2010

Alvernia has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, with Distinction, by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Announced today, the Honor Roll recognition comes from the highest levels of the federal government, for the university’s commitment to service and civic engagement on campus and in our nation.

“The Holleran Center is pleased that once again, the President’s Higher Education Honor Roll has recognized Alvernia University’s commitment to community service and civic engagement,” said Director Ginny Hand. “As one of only 17 higher education institutions in Pennsylvania to earn this recognition with distinction, we are grateful for the acknowledgment that our curricular and extracurricular student programs continue to make a positive difference in our community.”

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, annually recognizes institutions of higher education for their commitment to and achievement in community service. The President’s Honor Roll increases the public’s awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole. President Obama has pledged to make service a central cause of his administration and wishes to commemorate the significant role that higher institutions, their students, staff, and faculty play in helping to solve pressing social problems in the nation’s communities.

Alvernia’s Holleran Center for Community Engagement (HCCE) is a model for other institutions, connecting college students with community needs.

“Our students see results from a number of broad ranging programs that help community members of all ages,” explained Hand. “These include efforts like the South Reading Youth Initiative after school program for middle school students, to an innovative initiative that connects our nursing students with area seniors living in elderly high rise apartments to help with health issues, to community service days in various non-profit agencies. These activities and their results encourage our students to make a life-long commitment to serve in their communities.”

Alvernia pays tribute to life, work of Martin Luther King, Jr.

More than 180 students, faculty, and staff took part in community service activities on a school holiday

January 19, 2010

Alvernia University celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with two days of events on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19 that coincided with the national commemoration of the civil rights leader.

To honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Alvernia students, faculty and staff took part in a Day of Service on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 18. Over 180 student, faculty and staff volunteers returned from the MLK holiday weekend to take part in a range of community service activities intended to honor the legacy of the late Dr. King. Volunteers helped at 17 different sites throughout Reading and Berks County, including Olivet Boys and Girls Club, Mary’s Shelter, and the Central Pennsylvania African American Museum to complete diverse activities from painting hallways to helping young children celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“This is the second of three University-wide Days of Service, which Alvernia has undertaken in the academic year,” Dr. Thomas F. Flynn, President of Alvernia University, remarked, “and I am proud of the strong support of the entire University community. Such service and civic activism reaffirms Alvernia’s commitment to our Franciscan mission.”

Alvernia University received a grant from Pennsylvania Campus Compact, in partnership with the Corporation for National & Community Service and North Carolina Campus Compact to support Martin Luther King Day events and service activities. Alvernia was one of ten state campuses to receive such a grant.

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m., an event was also held for students and faculty in Alvernia’s Student Center to commemorate the work and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr. As part of the planned activities, Robert Jefferson, president of the Reading Branch of the NAACP, narrated “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Dr. John C. Morgan, a Philosophy and Ethics professor at RACC and Penn State Berks, spoke about his memories of MLK during the Selma campaign and how those experiences changed his life.

The event included discussion around the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The two day event commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was sponsored by Campus Ministry, the Holleran Center for Community Engagement, and the Office of Multi-Cultural Initiatives. Aladdin Food Services donated food for all the 175 volunteers providing community service for the MLK Day of Service.

Click here to read a thank you letter from the Central Pennsylvania African American Museum

Click here to read a thank you letter from the Literacy Council of Reading-Berks, Inc.

Click here to read a thank you letter from Olivet Boys & Girls Club and here to see a picture collage of Alvernia's students working with club members.

Alvernia receives $600,000 federal grant to support growing inner-city program

Alvernia University held a news conference on Monday, Dec. 7, 2009, at 10 a.m., as U.S. Congressman Jim Gerlach announced a special $600,000 grant from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to support expansion of the South Reading Youth Initiative (SRYI).

The SRYI is an innovative youth program for Reading’s inner-city students ages 7 -14, and is funded completely by grants and the support of Alvernia’s Holleran Center for Community Engagement.

The initiative began in 2006 when a group of community leaders expressed mutual concern regarding the attrition rates in the Reading School District and the correspondingly disappointing rates of college attendance (specifically among the Hispanic and Latino populations). Reading Mayor Thomas McMahon, Senator Michael O’Pake, and Jonathan Encarnacion of the Reading’s Hispanic Center joined together with Alvernia President Thomas F. Flynn, and representatives from the Jesuit Center in Wernersville to discuss a solution.

“The group also recognized that no after-school programs existed in the South Reading area that provided a ‘safe haven’ for children in the after-school hours, allowing them to stay committed to their education and make healthy choices during their critical decision-making years,” said Dr. Flynn. “The linkage between these two points led us to make some obvious conclusions, and to form the South Reading Youth Initiative.”

Initial funding for the SRYI program came in the form of a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, secured with the support of Sen. O’Pake. Within a month, the Holleran Center for Community Engagement held its first Creativity Camp with a week’s worth of activities for 27 inner-city students in grades 2 - 8. Now in its fourth year, the SRYI has touched the lives of hundreds of children and their parents, with programming designed to guide area students to personal achievement, social responsibility, and moral integrity through mentoring, the arts, and educational activities.

“The program currently has more than 25 community partners, and has received funds from still many others, including Jerry and Carolyn Holleran, for whom the Holleran Center is now named,” said Ginny Hand, Director of the Holleran Center.

Alvernia University earns Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Alvernia University has earned the 2008 Community Engagement Classification designation by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The elective classification in Curricular Engagement and Outreach and Partnerships places Alvernia University among an elite group of institutions across the nation recognized this year including Duke, Georgetown, Purdue, and Emory Universities.

The designation brings national recognition to Alvernia and marks an alignment among mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement the Carnegie Foundation categorized as "excellent."

"This coveted classification validates that we are living and teaching our mission - preparing our students to be engaged citizens in the local and global communities," said Alvernia University President Thomas F. Flynn. "It is also a testament to Alvernia's lifelong commitment to service, informed by our foundresses, the Bernardine Sisters, whose values and vision instilled in our institutional culture this tradition of community engagement."

The designation also recognizes the establishment of the Holleran Center for Community Engagement in 2006, whose work includes the following: increasing the University's effectiveness in creating community-based learning experiences for students; making the community an essential part of the University curriculum; and effecting and improving the quality of live in local and regional communities.

The Holleran Center works in partnership with numerous organizations to provide services such as programming for inner-city youth at the Wyomissing Institute of the Arts, resources for Angelica Park Program working in concert with the City of Reading, and a Non-Profit Roundtable with the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Other Holleran Center initiatives include offering a slate of campus events for the Greater Reading Literary Festival and a free community lecture series.

This year 119 colleges or universities were successfully classified as engaged institutions; 68 are public institutions and 51 are private, representing 34 states and Puerto Rico.

Universities and colleges with an institutional focus on community engagement were invited to apply for the classification since institutional mission and distinctiveness are not represented in national data on colleges and universities. The application process included submission of mandatory documentation describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community, be it local or beyond.