Student uses skills to benefit Lions Clubs

From greenbaypressgazette.com: “Giving back through flowers” — In a time of uncertainty, the Lions Clubs local to Kewaunee County helped Cathei Mincheski and her fiance, Russ Naze, with Naze’s medical bills when he was diagnosed with cancer. More than a year has gone by and Mincheski finds herself working to give back to the community that helped her.

Now facing graduation from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s Leadership Development Program on May 9, Mincheski is finishing part of her coursework, which involves a “capstone project” that must encompass service learning.

She decided to use the skills she has acquired from the program to give back to the Lions Clubs. Mincheski decided to host a community plant sale at the Algoma Youth Club May 30. Funds raised will be donated in the name of the Luxemburg, Casco and Algoma Lions Clubs to fund children attending Lions Club Camp in Rosholt.

“If I can help them like they helped us, that is all I really want to do,” Mincheski said.

Looking at the project objectively and deciding that she wanted to incorporate more into the plan, Mincheski contacted Algoma Elementary School to see if the students would be able to help plant the seeds.

“They are our future leaders, and this gets them involved with community service, which hopefully, when they become adults, they will continue to practice what they learned as a child,” Mincheski said.

Algoma Elementary was more than willing to contribute the students’ talents and time. Coincidentally, the school had just received a grant for a fourth-grade science class to learn about planting and growing. Mrs. Tamara Smith’s fourth-grade class started planting two weeks ago with guidance from Mincheski and Smith.

The grant specifies the children are to do all of the work, including determining how much soil and water to use. Fourth graders will learn what plants look like when growing and how to instill proper care. The approximately 40 children Smith teaches will be involved in the growing of vegetables such as green peppers and tomatoes along with herbs, fruits, blooming flowers and organic seeds.

Planting and growing materials came from the school’s grant money. The majority of the plants will be going towards the sale, and a select few will remain with the school to be planted in a garden in front of the school.

So far, about 200 plants have been sown, with more to come from Mincheski herself and by way of the children who attend Tina Alsteen’s Country Heartland child care center in Luxemburg. Mincheski plans to visit the school as needed to plant more seeds or help the children transplant them to larger pots.

One obstacle poses mild worry at this time: the weather. Hopefully it will be favorable for the seeds to germinate and grow enough to be presented at the sale. The project plans are to involve the students in setting up fliers around the community advertising the sale and including them in the sale day productions.

Mincheski has been working on this capstone project since the end of January. She was required to do her project to assist an nonprofit group.

Luxemburg Lions member Johanna Peterson stated that Mincheski is not paying the Lions back, but rather, paying it forward.

“She is involving the community; it’s a simple and attractive project raising money for a good thing,” Peterson said. “Fundraisers are not easy things to put together, and she did it creatively while involving children into the mix.”

The Lions are also honored Mincheski decided to incorporate three clubs, because when it comes down to it, the Lions clubs work together to make the community a better place, Peterson said.

Mincheski has been employed as a teller at Harbor Credit Union for 20 years, and for the last five she has also been working at von Stiehl Winery. She enrolled in the leadership development program to expand her management, human resources and supervisory skills.

Nicolet College students design food pantry

From wjfw.com: “Northwoods college students design food pantry” — RHINELANDER – Some local college students helped design the new Rhinelander Area Food Pantry building. Nicolet Technical College Business Management and Marketing students created the plans for the building.

It took them the entire semester to come up with the design.

“It’s been super exciting,” says Bailey Wheeler, Nicolet Technical College Student. “We started out being a little bit overwhelmed with it but it’s definitely as the time went on we got used to the whole project, and I think we were able to narrow it down a little bit and really see how we were able to help.”

Students were divided into three groups to come up with the new design. Each group handled a different section of the building. After the plans were submitted an architectural student rendered the design. Doing this project gave students real world experience.

“This is a powerful way of learning,” Dianne Lazear, Business management program instructor. “It allows students to concretely see what they’ve learned and use it in a way that matters.”

“These students are engaged and they are committed to the project. For an instructor having commitment and enthusiasm from your students about what they’re learning and doing is just the sweet spot of teaching,” says Lazear.

The Rhinelander Area Food Pantry will move into the new building in July.

Tech college students provide tax preparation assistance

From weau.com: “Filing your taxes soon? You’ve got options” — It’s your ticket to a big check from Uncle Sam, or for some it’s payback time to the IRS. Your W-2 should be in the mail soon and in 2014, there are plenty of different ways for taxpayers to file their taxes.

“I just got my W-2 in the mail. I may have to do it in the next week or two, I might need to get started on that,” said student at Chippewa Valley Technical College, Nathan Hakes.

Hakes and millions of Americans will be able to file their taxes now, but due to last year’s government shutdown, the IRS delayed the tax filing season by ten days.

“You can still prepare you return and send it, it’ll just be held until January 31st timeframe,” said Casper Haas, a tax manager at InCity Tax Service in downtown Eau Claire.

That means the IRS won’t begin processing tax preparations sent in until the end of the month. The April 15th deadline is still in place

Haas knows all about filing taxes because he thinks about it 365 days a year as a tax manager.

“Tax preparation can be stressful and we’re in the business of preparing tax returns. This is what we do, this is what we live for, this is what we study for,” said Haas who said people have begun bringing in their taxes for him to help prepare.

He said a professional preparer is something to consider, especially if you’re dealing with more than just a W-2.

“(If they have) two income households, they own a home, they have dependents, so they more than likely would itemize deductions, so Schedule A.,” said Haas. “We work with small businesses as well as LLCs, sole proprietors; we can do those returns as well.”

If you feel comfortable doing your own taxes, technology can help you do just that. New this year are tax preparation apps that can be downloaded on a mobile device. H&R Block came out with a Tax Preparation 2013 app and so did TurboTax with its new app called SnapTax.

SnapTax is as simple as snapping a picture of your W-2 on your smartphone and it will put all the information into the app program, calculating your federal and state returns.

Some people turn to software, like TaxACT and Intuit TurboTax.

“I now use TurboTax online,” said Hakes. “It’s so much faster and I can answer everything myself.”

Hakes said his mother taught him how to file his own taxes.

“I tried going through H&R Block but I think through TurboTax, I was able to find the deductions I knew. Now online works for me, it’s simple,” he said.

The IRS lets you file your taxes for free if your income is below $58,000. A free tax prep software is offered online at the IRS.gov website. For income above $58,000, it offers free file fillable forms which will be available on January 31, 2014.

And if you’re low income and want something free, CVTC is offering VITA, the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance program.

“We have students who are very, very eager to help out and it’s great experience for them as well because gives them that real life feel and real interaction,” said accounting instructor Jason Szymanski.

He said it’s a chance for people who can’t afford professional help to get their taxes prepared by a trained and certified volunteer. Volunteers can help with services that are not too complicated, like income tax credit, child care tax credits, unemployment compensation and Wisconsin homestead tax credit.

CVTC said the VITA service is offered Thursdays Feb. 6 through April 10 in room 240 of the Business Education Center, 620 W. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire. The service is provided on a first-come-first-served basis, with sign-up beginning at noon and tax preparation from 1-4:30 p.m. each day.

Students help drivers prepare for winter

From wkow.com: “Care Care Clinic preps vehicles for winter” — As winter weather fast approaches, experts are encouraging people to start thinking about getting cars ready for chilly temperatures.

Madison College held their 11th annual Free Car Care Clinic on Saturday. Students and instructors offered their expertise to check belts, hoses and other winter problem areas for those who stopped by.

“The things that come in– oil leaks, coolant leaks, ya know bad coolant, just applying what I’ve learned in the classroom to real life experiences, it’s really an eye opener,” says student Isaac Nowak.

Those who attended the event were asked to donate non-perishable food items. Last year, more than 200 pounds of food were sent to local pantries after the clinic.

 

NTC International students make a difference

From wausaudailyherald.com: “Making a Difference one yard at a time” — A group of Northcentral Technical College, NTC, international students cleared the leaves off a large lot at the intersection of North 32nd Avenue and Madonna Drive Saturday morning.

The students, hailing from several Central American and Caribbean nations, joked and laughed with each other as they raked and bagged the leaves from the yard of 56-year-old Margaret Duranceau. Health problems would have made the job near impossible for Duranceau, and she appreciated their efforts.

“They are one fantastic crew,” Duranceau said. “They should keep them here.”

The students were among the estimated 400-plus volunteers who turned up to rake the leaves of about 250 area residents for the Make a Difference Day efforts coordinated by the United Way of Marathon County.

“We had fabulous volunteer turnout,” said Shelly Kaiser, the director of the agency’s Volunteer Connection. “The weather cooperated. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. We had outstanding turnout.”

Kaiser said she didn’t know why so many people signed up to help their neighbors this year, but “our target is 300 volunteers,” she said.

One of the motivating factors for the NTC students is that they are required to volunteer in the community as part of the program that brought them to study in the United States, Scholarships for Education and Economic Development, or SEED. The program is designed to help low-income students from high-need countries to learn business, design projects and to go back to their countries to make a difference there.

Make a Difference Day offers a great opportunity for SEED students to work those required volunteer hours, but participation means more than that, said student Mariela Valdez, 19, of the Dominican Republic.

This was her second year of participating in the day, and she found last year that helping people, instead of working for programs, is gratifying.

“Doing it for people who need it, it’s like, wow, that’s awesome,” Valdez said. “We enjoy doing it. … We have fun.”

Student’s service learning project helps birds

From madisonaudubon.blogspot.com: “New homes for Madison’s downtown birds” — On a hot and humid weekend in July, Madison College student, Amanda Vang, ventured out from the air-conditioning, and led a group of volunteers in constructing 20 songbird houses.

Amanda is taking a summer course at Madison College which includes a service learning project with a local organization. She noticed the increasing construction of suburbs and cities, and wanted to help attract and create safe habitat for birds in the Madison downtown area. In her proposal she says,

“Madison Audubon is all about bringing people together to benefit nature, and this is what my project does… A simple bird house is going to encourage people to pay closer attention to the environment, and learn about the changes going on around it”.

One of Amanda’s volunteers found some shade!

So, the Madison Audubon office teamed up with Amanda to sponsor her project. She hoped to build 20 songbird houses, and donate them to downtown residents in Madison. Amanda worked hard raising funds for the materials, consulting with our bird expert, Karen Etter Hale, on appropriate birdhouse designs, picking out the wood, and finally assembling the 20 birdhouses!

This songbird house design (which can be found on the Cornell website) provides safe habitat for many species, including the House Wren, Black-Capped Chickadee, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Prothonotary Warbler, Deer Mouse, Whitefooted Mouse, and more.

Though building birdhouses isn’t hard, it does require the right materials, and a bit of patience. Way to go, Amanda!

Amanda has already found homes for 15 of the birdhouses (including 10 to the Madison Property Management, who are excited to put them up at their downtown locations!). There are five birdhouses available for downtown-area residents at the Madison Audubon office.

MATC to expand entrepreneurship center with grant from Helen Bader Foundation

From jsonline.com: “MATC to expand entrepreneurship center with grant from Helen Bader Foundation” — The Milwaukee Area Technical College Foundation has received a $50,000 grant from the Helen Bader Foundation to expand the college’s entrepreneurship center.

The entrepreneurship center opened in April 2012 when MATC launched an entrepreneurship technical diploma. More than 100 students, many of whom are already self-employed, have received mentoring and support from the center, said Armen Hadjinian, the MATC faculty member who is adviser to the center.

The grant will allow the school to expand the center and support scholarships for students who complete a service learning project.

NWTC students donate chemo ducks to hospital

From wbay.com: “Chemo Ducks teach young cancer patients about treatment” — Green Bay – Students from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College make a special delivery to St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay.

They’re called chemo ducks.

The stuffed animal is more than just a toy, though. These ducks may look like ordinary stuffed animals, but they’re dressed in hospital scrubs and have a tube connected to them.

They help children newly diagnosed with cancer understand their treatment.

“They have such a rough start to life anyway and then to have this put on them and they’re scared and frightened,” said Jennifer Ross, a supply chain management student.

It was part of the supply chain management students’ service learning project.

They sold the ducks for a month on campus for $25, then donated more than one hundred ducks to the hospital.

“We were really overjoyed because we don’t always have the funds to do it. So, when other people help out, it means we can continue to give it to other kids,” explained Colleen Ducke, the child life coordinator at St. Vincent Hospital.

The ducks are designed to make children feel more comfortable.

St. Vincent Hospital also hands out booklets which walk them through the steps of their treatment, like chemotherapy, and show them how the ports (which the ducks also have) will be put in their bodies to get that treatment.

“All the materials that the nurses will use on them, we have in their kit. So, they can do it beforehand and can practice it, so they’re actually very empowered,” added Ducke.

The students say they wanted to donate these ducks, because they all know someone who has fought cancer.

“When I was growing up, my best friend’s sister actually had leukemia and back then, they didn’t have anything like this,” explained Ross.

Young patients can even use the ducks to show siblings and friends how chemo works, so it’s less scary for everyone.

To learn more about the Chemo Ducks, you can call the Child Life Department at St. Vincent Hospital. The phone number is (920) 433-8915.

Madison College students clean up National Park on Spring Break

From floridasportsman.com: “South Florida National Parks Trust Delivers $80,000 in Support to Biscayne National Park” — The South Florida National Parks Trust has delivered grant checks worth $80,000 to Biscayne National Park in recent weeks to support critical park programs and projects, thanks in part to the generous support of Pescanova USA.

The grant payments will fund environmental education programs for South Florida school children, volunteer projects for college students on spring break, boater education classes for South Florida boaters and additional resource protection for the park itself.

“We are deeply grateful to Pescanova USA for its continued support, which has allowed us to provide this support to Biscayne National Park at a critical time,” said Don Finefrock, executive director of the South Florida National Parks Trust.

“Pescanova USA is proud to be able to make a meaningful contribution to this vital organization. The South Florida National Parks Trust and its directors have done an outstanding job supporting our prized National Parks in South Florida. We look forward to continuing to support them,” said Rafael Bru, president of Pescanova USA in Coral Gables, Florida.

Across-the-board spending cuts that took effect this month at the National Park Service and other federal agencies will result in a 5% budget cut at Biscayne National Park – a reduction of $200,000 in the park’s annual budget. Other national parks face similar cuts.

The SFNPT’s grant payments to Biscayne National Park were approved by the SFNPT board in September, before the spending cuts, but the timing of the grant payments highlights the important role that private philanthropy plays in our national parks.

“Private support for national parks is needed now more than ever to support park programs and projects like environmental education that make a critical difference for all of us in South Florida, especially children,” Mr. Finefrock said.

The grant payments from SFNPT to Biscayne National Park include:

• $25,000 for environmental education programs at Biscayne National Park that bring 3,000 school children to the park each year, many for the first time, for day programs and overnight camping, and reach another 6,500 students in classrooms.

• $10,000 to fund a volunteer program at Biscayne National Park that recruits college students to spend spring break in the park, working as volunteers to remove marine debris from park beaches in advance of turtle nesting season. More than 240 students from 22 colleges participated in the program last year.

• $35,000 to install 50 floating markers at the Featherbed Banks in Biscayne National Park to guide boaters and protect shallow habitat in Biscayne Bay.

• $10,000 to fund a boater education program at Biscayne National Park to reduce boat groundings in the park that damage sea grass beds and coral reefs.

In addition to these projects, the SFNPT approved an additional grant of $2,600 to help pay for two citizenship ceremonies this fiscal year at Biscayne National Park for new citizens of the United States – one for adults and one for children and their families. The citizenship ceremonies were held in December.

 

MSTC students give back to community

From marshfieldnewsherald.com: “Column: MSTC students give back to community” — Winter is ending — I am sure of it! Well, almost sure. Despite the weather, Mid-State Technical College students have been actively engaged in our communities, demonstrating service learning at its finest. MSTC students and employees positively impact hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives each year through volunteerism and service learning.

Service learning is a method of instruction that combines classroom knowledge and skills with real-world experience through community service. Many MSTC students engage in service learning and charitable activities, demonstrating that a technical college education not only provides students with the skills they need to succeed in the workforce, but also community spirit to be valuable contributors to central Wisconsin.

The number of MSTC community projects is too great to list them all, but I’d like to share a sample of the spirit of giving among our students.

Many MSTC programs arrange service learning to help meet specific community needs. For instance, the Early Childhood Education, or ECE, Club filled pillowcases with pajamas, toys, personal hygiene items and games for children who have been removed from their home due to possible neglect or abuse. Mid-State Student Nurses Association, or MSNA, sponsors an on-campus blood drive every semester.

Students also are quick to address tragic events and previously unforeseen needs. Corrections students sponsored a walk that raised $9,800 to assist a local family with their child’s medical expenses. The same group of students is raising money for the family of an Adams County deputy injured in the line of duty.

Student projects also increase awareness and educate. Students Environmentally United for a Sustainable Society, or SEUSS, a club made up of students from MSTC’s five renewable energy programs and the Urban Forestry program, regularly promote environmental sustainability through a variety of events and charitable giving. In one instance, the SEUSS club recently bought and prepared locally grown foods and served dinner to about 180 people at The Neighborhood Table in Wisconsin Rapids. MSTC law enforcement students mentor local high school students and members of the community through the police academies.

I am humbled and inspired by these outstanding and selfless acts of kindness. Generosity and service learning are truly a part of our culture at MSTC. The student club concept fosters self-improvement by providing opportunities to develop leadership qualities, social awareness, occupational understanding and civic consciousness. Development of these skills helps students discover new interests, make connections, and enhance opportunities for employment — all while positively impacting their future employers and the fabric of our communities.

MPTC students join Capitol event

From wiscnews.com: “MPTC students join Capital event” — Legislators and other guests were invited to attend a showcase of service learning and entrepreneurship projects involving more than 100 Wisconsin Technical College students, including students from Moraine Park Technical College, on Feb. 19 in the State Capitol Rotunda.

The Celebration of Student Engagement included project displays from Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges. Moraine Park’s display featured the college’s interactive media design program and information on building relationships within communities through student involvement.

Moraine Park interactive media design students Amanda Finstad of Waupun, Bonnie Weiss of Kewaskum and Resa Wronski of Campbellsport joined  leadership development student William Milbrot of Mayville to represent Moraine Park at the event.

Finstad, who attended the event last year, was honored to attend the showcase again this year.

“I enjoy sharing my experiences at Moraine Park. Participating in the showcase is a great opportunity to show what I have learned and how I will apply that knowledge to my future career,” said Finstad. “The showcase also allowed me to meet other people and learn about what other technical colleges are doing throughout the state.”

Creating Community…One Seed at a Time

From wicampuscompact.org: “Creating Community…One Seed at a Time” — A collaborative between the University of Wisconsin Parkside, Gateway Technical College, and multiple community agencies in the Kenosha/Racine area has had a significant community impact. Students worked with projects supporting community gardens as well as with programs in the community to educate low income and other individuals about healthy nutrition options with a focus on fresh food and its preservation.

“Usually a STEM discipline [course] feels very lecture oriented or class oriented. Community Service projects actually allow the students to go out, have hands-on experience, and actually apply the knowledge they are taking in through lecture.” -Stefanie Straus-Thomkins, UW-Parkside

“You can tell somebody, ‘This is how a pepper grows,’ but until they see that pepper growing on a plant and watch it develop and watch it grow – you don’t get the full experience. I get hands-on experience of learning and doing it and then I go and teach somebody else that too.” – Charis, Student, Gateway Technical College.

View video from wicampuscompact.org

Technicians, NWTC students team up

From greenbaypressgazette.com: “Technicians, NWTC students team up” —  Energis High Voltage Resources, an energy services company in Green Bay, recently partnered with students from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College on a service learning project.

Four NWTC students, under the direction of instructor Pete Mleziva, and two Energis technicians, worked on a project for the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District. They installed a down guy and anchor on a wood pole.

“Service learning projects are a good way for our students to get out of a controlled classroom environment and get into the ‘real world’ for some true hands-on experience,” Mleziva said.

The project incorporated several of the skills and safety practices that the students will be using once employed.

“They got to partake in a job/safety brief with the Energis crew members, discuss Digger’s Hotline, and put into practice the correct construction standards used to perform a job to the customer’s satisfaction,” Mleziva said.

The program gives Energis an opportunity to help NWTC establish criteria for the electrical programs based on industry standards, said Pat Staszak, director of Business Development at Energis. “We find great value in working with the students, and it’s a good way for them to interact with peers in the industry to gain knowledge and real experiences.”

NWTC earns 2010 presidential honors

From the Green Bay Press Gazette: “NWTC earns 2010 presidential honors”— Northeast Wisconsin Technical College was admitted last month to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its students, faculty and staff in service that achieves results in the community.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has run the community service honor roll since 2006. More than 600 colleges and universities were admitted to the 2010 honor roll for their impact on issues ranging from literacy to neighborhood revitalization to support for at-risk children. About 850 schools applied.

Honorees were chosen based on a variety of factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service learning is embedded in the curriculum and the school’s long-term campus and community partnerships and measurable results of services.