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HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM Basic Information Full Name: Sarah Martynowski UC Email: Martynsr@mail.uc.edu College: Arts and Sciences Major: Environmental Studies and Political Science Title of Project: Mothers Day Baby Shower Collection Thematic Area: Community Engagement Expected Project Start Date: April 9, 2014 Expected Project End Date: May 18, 2014 Project Information 1. Provide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
Every year around Mothers Day weekend, my home church of St. Clarence in North Olmsted, OH would hold a Mothers Day collection. My grandmother and her sister would lead the drive every year. Similar to a baby shower, the collection would gather items such as maternity clothes, diapers, and baby bottles. I am proposing to implement the Mothers Day collection in Cincinnati, OH at Hyde Park Methodist Church. I plan on working in collaboration with Christopher Zerhusen, also an honors student. We will start the project y contacting local womens shelters and foster care or orphanages, asking if they would like to benefit from the drive and if so what items they need most. In addition, I will be conducting research. I want to understand why these shelters are there, what factors contribute to women entering these shelters or what causes children to lack care from their parents. I plan to compile my research with other material from the project to create a video to share with the congregation at Hyde Park Methodist Church as a final presentation. I have included a draft timeline below to show the extent of my time commitment to the Mothers Day Collection. April 9, 2014 Begin contacting organizations, shelters, etc. Ideas of locations to contact include YMCA Battered Womens Shelter, YMCA House of Peace Shelter, Bethany House Services, The Childrens Home of Cincinnati, One Way Farm, and First Step Home. I am also contacting the three organizations St. Clarence provides to ask if those organizations have affiliates in Cincinnati. April 16, 2014 Finalize a list of three organizations as beneficiaries and make commitment to visit the organizations. Contact Hyde Park Methodist with the list of organizations and start creating a poster, announcements to speak to the parish, and announcements for the church bulletin. April 23, 2014 Finalize the announcements and posters for the event. Send the finalized documents to Hyde Park Methodist Church and make arrangements to make announcements on Sunday, April 27 and Sunday, May 4, 2014. (Christopher will be making the announcement on Sunday, May 4, 2014 because I will be running the Flying Pig Marathon.) April 27, 2014 Make announcement at Hyde Park Methodist Church and spend time in community with them. May 4, 2014 Make announcement at Hyde Park Methodist Church and spend time in community with them. May 10, 2014 Prepare the collection area at Hyde Park Methodist with a baby crib and other decorations to resemble a baby shower. May 11, 2014 Make announcement at Hyde Park Methodist Church. Stand by the collection area thanking individuals for their donations. May 12, 2014 Take donations to the separate organizations and due final interviews. Also, construct a thank you verbal and written announcement for Hyde Park Methodist Church. Finalize the presentation.

2 May 18, 2014 Make thank you announcement at church. Set up the presentation in the gathering area of Hyde Park Methodist Church to allow those interested to view the final project. Our goal is that the final presentation will teach the parish community why these shelters are in place and how they can help by giving time or materials.

Clearly and thoroughly address how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work: 2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area (identified above) Learning Outcomes for the Community Engagement Theme: Possesses awareness of purpose of service, including need for reciprocity, understanding of social issues, and ability to see those issues from multiple perspectives. Growing up, I was taught to give back to the community. I was highly involved in service opportunities through Girl Scouts, church ministries, etc. I did not want the light to dim when I arrived at college so I created the Mothers Day Baby Shower collection with Christopher Zerhusen. Part of the project will be interviewing individuals who benefit from shelters, the directors of shelters, as well as members of the parish. Proposed questions for the parishioner interviews are below: 1. What is your view on shelters or organizations that provide help to individuals and families in need? 2. Can you name a few shelters or organizations that are local? 3. What do you feel causes an individual or family to rely on a shelter? 4. Do you feel shelters help or hinder during the process of recovery? Does it depend on what the recovery is from? 5. What can we as a society do to improve shelters and/or reduce the number relying on shelters for support? Proposed questions for interviews with the directors of the shelters are below: 1. What do you feel causes an individual or family to rely on a shelter? 2. Do you feel shelters help or hinder during the process of recovery? Does it depend on what the recovery is from? What is the return rate at this shelter? 3. What can we as a society do to improve shelters and/or reduce the number relying on shelters for support? Proposed questions for interviews with the residents of shelters (if allowed to conduct interviews with them): 1. What is something they think people should know about being homeless/residents of a shelter? Or, what do they think misconceptions are? 2. How long have they been coming to the shelter? 3. How has your experience here impacted your future? What have you learned? Conducting interviews will help me learn about the issues surrounding shelters from multiple perspectives. Recognizes how public policies and practices, and power and privilege, have an influence on social issues. Explores ways to alter public policy and/or identify solutions. A large problem in the United States is generational poverty. Generational poverty is the idea that children born into poverty have a slim chance of reversing the cycle. There are numerous theories to explain generational poverty. Some theories point to a failing education system because an overwhelming number of poor do not complete high school. Other theories point to the broken welfare system in the United States. Generational poverty is not the result of one action but of many. Until recently, government thought of treating homelessness or poverty was simply providing a shelter or a warm cup of soup. As a result the number of Americans who are in poverty or are homeless is on the rise. However, one organization in Cincinnati is addressing the issues of generational poverty and making strides

in breaking the chain! CityLink is a one-stop-shop addressing generational poverty and it is located in Cincinnati! CityLink provides childcare, job training, transportation, help in finding a home, etc. At the time of compiling this proposal the list of organizations benefiting from the Mothers Day Collection are not identified. CityLink has the possibility of being one of these organizations. Nonetheless, we hope to select organizations that serve the poor in Cincinnati with an approach similar to that of CityLinks: that is looking at the individual holistically. Participates in community and understands own role as citizen of community. As a member of any community, human beings have a responsibility to take care of the environment surrounding us. The environment includes the plants/animals as well as other human beings. We have a responsibility to share the love God has given us and shine it around the world. Simply put, I am proposing this project to be the love in an individuals life, even if just for a moment. 3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories (include reference list, as appropriate) A. My main goal in my professional as well as personal life is to create change. Women and children in shelters are often forgotten about it our society. If not forgotten, women and children in shelters are looked down upon. I hope to change this perspective with the implementation of the Mothers Day Drive. B. The references I plan to utilize for the implementation of the Mothers Day Drive are cited below.

Stensrud, Amy. Toward a Better Understanding of the Needs of Shelter Users: A Consultation with Shelter Residents and Workers. Ed. Diane Delaney, Jocelyne Praud, Linda Cunningham, and Maria Hendrika. Http://pathssk.org/. Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan, Mar. 2005. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. Bradshaw, Ted K. Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development. Http://www.rupri.org/. Rural Poverty Research Center, Aug. 2005. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.
4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity The Mothers Day Collection is an annual event held at my home church in Cleveland. Over the past four years in college at the University of Cincinnati, I have learned about generational poverty. The fact that surprised me that most is one in every four Cincinnatians is below the poverty line. When I looked around at different collections, I saw food drives and coat drives among others but nothing pertaining specifically to women and children. As a result, I am working to bring the Mothers Day Collection to Cincinnati, starting at Hyde Park Methodist Church. 5. Reflection To reflect on this experience I plan on keeping a record of my involvement and daily thoughts in a notebook. In addition, I plan to look over the interviews and create a video to share with the parish community of Hyde Park Methodist Church in addition to the Honors Department at the University of Cincinnati. 6. Dissemination The dissemination ties into the reflection of the Mothers Day Collection. Upon completion of the project I play on creating a video to share with the Hyde Park Methodist Parish Community as well as the Honors Department at the University of Cincinnati. 7. Project Advisor (list the persons name, title, and contact information) None at this time, I am currently speaking with prospective advisers at Hyde Park Methodist Church.

8. Budget (if applicable): None.