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Bloomington—Volunteers for 51����Ƶ’s annual O’Bannon Institute Day of Service, taking place today, Friday, April 27, gathered in Shreve Hall this morning for a continental breakfast, a civic engagement awards ceremony, and motivational remarks from Judy O’Bannon. Afterward, more than 550 volunteers, including nearly 25 business partners, dispersed into the community to serve area nonprofits and help Ivy Tech Bloomington reach the goal of providing 1000 hours of service in one day. By early estimates, volunteers are giving nearly 1,400 hours of service in our communities, exceeding the goal.

“Civic engagement is part of the educational environment at Ivy Tech Bloomington,” said Jennie Vaughan, Chancellor at Ivy Tech Bloomington. “Our surveys indicate that in the past year alone, our campus has donated 81,062 volunteer service hours, for a total contribution of more than $2M in the communities we serve, according to figures from independentsector.org.”

The Excellence in Volunteerism award recipient is Ivy Tech faculty, Christine Brandel, for her work this past year with IU Health Bloomington Hospital’s Hospice program.

The Student Excellence in Volunteerism award recipient is Tiffany Purtlebaugh, Ivy Tech general studies student, for her work as a board member on the Indiana Recovery Alliance.

The Excellence in Service Learning award recipient is Ivy Tech faculty Dr. Diana Nixon, for her work in creating coding opportunities for children in area elementary schools.

The Jeanine C. Rae Humanitarian award recipient is MacKenzie Melvin, Ivy Tech general studies student and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter officer, for her work toward just causes, providing support to peers, and encouraging other students to become involved.

The Community Organization Partner award recipient is Regional Opportunities Initiative, Inc., (ROI) led by Tina Peterson, for its partnership with Ivy Tech Bloomington in launching a pilot graduation and career coaching program in nine southwest central Indiana public school districts that started in the fall of 2016. ROI provided funding for seven Ivy Tech graduation and career coaches who work with at-risk students in schools in the community college’s service area.

The Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center Community Partner award recipient is Pygmalion’s, for its assistance in supplying art materials. Additionally, owner John Wilson designated Ivy Tech as the beneficiary of a custom color oil paint fundraiser. More than $2,000 in proceeds from the year-long sale of the custom “eggplant” oil paint benefited Ivy Arts for Kids programming.

The Ivy Tech Cook Center for Entrepreneurship Community Partner award recipient is Bloomington SCORE, for its partnership with Ivy Tech to provide business co-counseling services. SCORE is an organization of volunteers who provide advice on business-related topics at no cost to the customer.

The John R. Whikehart Civic Engagement award recipient is Connie Ferguson, chairwoman of the Ivy Tech Bloomington Campus Board of Trustees, for her leadership, determination, and service to the college since 1998, and as chairwoman of the board since 2001.

“On behalf of all of us at Ivy Tech Bloomington, I want to thank Connie for her leadership and for being the voice of our campus,” said Chancellor Vaughan. “Without her passion for service to our students and the community, we would not be the Ivy Tech Bloomington we know today!”

Day of service volunteers are documenting their service by posting pictures to social media using #IvyTech1000Hours.

More information about service projects at��, then click Day of Service. View photos online at��.

About the O’Bannon Institute for Community Service

The O’Bannon Institute for Community Service () was established in 2004 by Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus as an annual opportunity for the community to come together to discuss topics related to nonprofits, education and political and civic service. Previous speakers at the Institute have included former U.S. Senators, Pulitzer prize-winning authors, Governors, political advisers and columnists, and Laura W. Bush, former First Lady of the United States.

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