Seed Coalition was honored to partner with the 9/11 Day Foundation and AmeriCorps to fund service and keep the memory of September 11 alive for the next generation. This year Seed Co provided over $13,000 in funding to six member campuses: Allen College, Buena Vista University, St. Olaf College, Simpson College, University of Minnesota Duluth, and Wartburg College. Seed Coalition was awarded funds as part of its membership in the Alliance for Campus Community Engagement, a coalition of similar organizations working with campuses across the country. We are proud to share some of the ways our members built meaningful service opportunities for their students this September.
For the second year in a row, St. Olaf was able to use grant funding to support Service Saturday, the final activity in their New Student Orientation. While heavy rains impacted plans, 155 students participated in service at eight sites around Rice County. Making the day all the more meaningful was that Brenda Berkman ’73, the first female firefighter on the New York City Fire Department and a responder on 9/11, came back to campus to speak to students. In her remarks to students Ms. Berkman chose not to focus on 9/11, but instead spoke of 9/12 and how people from all over the world came together to support New York City.
Buena Vista University used their grant funds to build a day of deep meaning to their campus. The day began with a panel of six local first responders who reflected on service, sacrifice, emergency response, and community engagement. Over 140 community members from the area, including 95 students, joined the panel, the lunch that followed, or participated in a commemorative stair climb to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Tyrany Mason, a first year student who joined the stair climb reflected, “Participating in the stair climb on campus made me feel more connected to their stories and gave me a greater appreciation for the sacrifices made by first responders.”
For the second year in a row Simpson College used 9/11 Day of Service Grant funds to partner with Meals from the Heartland to package meals that will be sent around the world to alleviate hunger. This year 100 more volunteers participated than last, including 30 students from Indianola middle and high schools, bringing the broader community into the activities and providing an opportunity for younger citizens to reflect on the impact of 9/11.
Wartburg College thoughtfully crafted a day of different service projects on campus, incorporating the Waverly area. Students had the opportunity to participate in a blood drive and to build hygiene kits that would be distributed to senior citizens in need. Key partners included the American Red Cross and the Waverly-Shell Rock Area United Way. Additionally, to mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, bulletin boards were constructed across campus to highlight the significance of 9/11 and its evolution into a day of service. Finally, a student-led civic engagement table in the Student Center invited students to commit to 11 Acts of Caring, reinforcing meaningful ways for students to volunteer and honor the legacy of 9/11. Over 200 students participated in the Day of Caring.
Both Allen College and the University of Minnesota Duluth built days of service and remembrance around packing kits and care packages. Allen College’s kits were distributed to local first responders. Students described how meaningful the care package project was and how significant it was to spend time with local first responders and discuss their recollections of September 11, 2001.
As part of the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Fall Volunteer and Engagement Fair on September 10, UMD students assembled the happiness kits for each student at Myers-Wilkins Elementary School. Each kit contained a notebook, pencil, sticker and stress ball printed with words of affirmation and encouragement. Student clubs and athletic teams volunteered to deliver the kits to the school and engage with students during their visit. Student volunteers also participated in training that included education and reflection on the significance of September 11, 2001.
