News – Center for Service

Sigrist will lead Center for Service

crisler — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 21:11:08 +0000

Jan. 6, 2021–Kim Sigrist will lead the Center for Service at ��߲��. Sigrist is currently Missouri Western’s executive director of enrollment management.

“Kim is a Griffon through and through, and her love for the University and our students combined with her strong ties to the community will provide outstanding opportunities for our students to volunteer with area agencies,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, interim president.

The Center for Service provides students with opportunities to learn and serve by connecting them with volunteer opportunities in the community. Students can earn elective credits for their community service.

“Meaningful service experience goes well beyond earning elective credits”, Sigrist said. “We believe our students can gain experiences that will benefit them as they graduate and enter the workforce, while at the same time instill a lifelong passion for serving the community.”

Sigrist graduated from Missouri Western with a Bachelor of Science Technology in Business Management/Legal Studies. Her current time at Missouri Western started in 2015, serving as administrative assistant in the Department of Athletics, then Executive Associate to the President and Secretary to the Board of Governors before moving to her enrollment management role earlier this year.

Previously at Missouri Western, she served as an employee relations clerk, admissions counselor and director of the Pass the Power adult literacy program. Sigrist also worked for the St. Joseph School District for 10 years.

Sigrist is a member of Missouri Western’s Gold Coat Club Board of Directors and a former member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. She and her husband Robert are longtime members of the Western League of Excellence and United Way Crystal Circle.

Sigrist succeeds Dr. Gary Clapp, who has been named director of the Innovation Stockyard.

��߲�� is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.

Students Volunteer With Mosaic Foundation

jenniferstover — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 20:06:06 +0000

Getting involved with Mosaic Life Care and Mosaic Life Care Foundation is becoming easier for ��߲�� students.

Mosaic Life Care and Mosaic Life Care Foundation has welcomed multiple Center for Service volunteers from Missouri Western. Four volunteers have been placed at the Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary Gift Shop, guest relations, distribution and emPowerU.

McKenzie Waters, student and volunteer, has chosen to volunteer at the Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary Gift Shop.

“The people here are amazing,” Waters said. “This will definitely be a future workplace for me.”

KQ2: MWSU “Center for Service” Program Seeks Funding From City

jenniferstover — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 18:32:23 +0000

The “Center for Service” program, is a course for students to connect to community members and find volunteer work, all while receiving course credit for no cost. St. Joseph’s city council is presenting a resolution to the funding of $40,000 for “Center for Service” during the council meeting on Monday, October 19.

News-Press NOW: Western program warms up for more volunteering

jenniferstover — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 17:37:08 +0000

Getting involved in the community now is becoming easier for students at ��߲��. Missouri Western’s Center for Service is working on bolstering student volunteerism by offering free elective credits for community service.

According to Gary Clapp, Director of the Center for Service at Missouri Western, students can take a class, called University 201, where they can get involved with or create their own community-service projects to earn one elective credit for every 40 hours of volunteer work. “You have to take elective credits anyway,” Clapp said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to reduce some of the cost associated with higher education.”

The Center for Service currently has nine students going through the online orientation for University 201. While some student organizations already are required to do some volunteer work, Clapp said University 201 will attract more students to volunteer in the community.

“What we find is that once people start doing some good work in the community, they don’t want to quit,” Clapp said. “Once they’ve got their hours in for what their needs are, maybe some of them quit but some of them say, ‘Hey, that makes me feel good!’”

Shoot Against The Prez Raises $19,000 for Center for Service

jenniferstover — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 17:10:34 +0000

The Shoot Against the Prez competition wrapped up last week, and raised a total of $19,000 for the Center for Service.

Excellence in Philanthropy Award Nominations Due April 17

jenniferstover — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 21:17:08 +0000

The deadline to nominate a student organization for the Excellence in Philanthropy Award, given by the Missouri Western Foundation is April 17.

This award recognizes service by a student organization which has demonstrated outstanding commitment to their community through direct financial contributions, development of charitable programs, volunteering and leadership in philanthropy.

Nomination criteria and instructions can be found here:

Students Serve as Griffon Buddies

jenniferstover — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 17:40:05 +0000

Each year, as new Griffons arrive on campus before classes start, they participate in Griffon Buddies, a service learning partnership with the St. Joseph School District. Griffon Buddies is part of the Griffon Edge new student orientation program, and it brings new Griffons into the local elementary school classroom to volunteer in various ways. It’s designed to build connections with local schools while giving new Griffons an opportunity to serve and make a difference when they first arrive on campus. The new Griffons read with students, play games and help with schoolwork while making new friends and giving teachers a platform to talk about the importance of getting a college education.

Student Athletes Serve Through Make-A-Wish Foundation

jenniferstover — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 20:17:04 +0000

Missouri Western student athletes came together to help grant a wish to a local child through the Make-A-Wish foundation. Student-athletes and staff members granted Carson Powell’s wish of a colorful room makeover, leading a fundraising campaign to purchase the needed items and installing them in Carson’s room.

They also hosted a special “Colors 4 Carson” recognition ceremony during a Griffon Basketball game where Carson and his family were joined by all Griffon student athletes for the presentation.

The Student Athlete Advisory Committee spearheaded the service project, which was named a finalist for the , which recognizes initiatives that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership. Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campus.