Drinko Center Launches Community Fellows Program

Westminster College's Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning has launched the AmeriCorps Community Fellows program that will address community needs in college access and success and engage college students as active citizens.

Westminster is one of 35 colleges and universities across Pennsylvania chosen to participate in this new initiative sponsored by Pennsylvania Campus Compact.

Seven Westminster students are involved in the inaugural year. They will become temporary AmeriCorps members and commit 300 hours of service over a calendar year. At the end of the year, they will receive an education award of $1,132 to apply to loan payments, tuition, textbooks, or room and board.

The Community Fellows program allows college students an opportunity to provide service and assistance to at-risk youth through volunteering to tutor and mentor, assist in college readiness, develop enrichment programs, organize skill-building workshops, and create opportunities for youth to succeed.

Locally, the program will partner with Westminster's Admissions Office and the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership.

"Community Fellows is a wonderful opportunity to enlarge the scope of service and volunteering for Westminster students," said Jeff Ledebur, the Drinko Center's community service coordinator and supervisor of the Community Fellows program. "It will allow us to extend our outreach to communities, schools, and youth throughout the area."

Westminster has been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year since the program was launched in 2006. Nearly 70% of Westminster students volunteered last year and logged over 26,000 hours of community service.

The Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was created to enrich undergraduate education at Westminster through advancing world-class teaching as well as by participating in collaborations that address community and regional needs including strengthening K-12 education. Visit www.westminster.edu/drinko for more information on the Drinko Center and its programs.

Contact Ledebur at (724) 946-6194 or e-mail ledebujt@westminster.edu for additional information.