by givebackdv | Apr 3, 2020 | Staff
Hello, my name is Kelsey Novak and I just joined the Give Something Back location in Lockport Illinois as the Manager of Mentor/Student Services. Prior to me starting with GSB, I worked as a financial aid counselor for the last 8 years at the University of St Francis in Joliet IL. My husband and I currently live just outside of Joliet, and 7 months ago we brought our first baby home! We are enjoying spending A LOT of family time together these last few weeks, and watching our son grow and learn new things every day.
My husband and I are huge sports fans, and we’re finding ourselves scanning YouTube for made up sports to watch. Sunday football (Bear Down) is a big production in our house, as well as hockey, and we’re a house divided between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. (Go Cubs Go!)
I’m very excited to start this new career with GSB, and I cannot wait to get into the office after April 30th and really hit the ground running with the Lockport team. I appreciate all the warm welcomes I have received thus far, and I know that this is the place I need to be to make a difference.
Be Well,
Kelsey Novak
by givebackdv | Mar 16, 2020 | Partners, Scholars
Our high school and community partners provide future and current Give Back scholars with mentoring, and academic support. Partner school, Whitney Point High School is no exception. Located in northern Broome County, NY, Whitney Point HS is committed to providing high-quality education and professional development to its students. Whitney Point students in grades 9 through 12 receive the individual attention and support they need to succeed with a student to teacher ratio of 12:1.
One of the places where this support has been taking place is in the Resource Center or Drop-in, which has provided a quiet and friendly place for students for several years. The space was so popular and successful that students advocated to increase its hours. The space is now open daily for students to come down during lunch or study hall. Students work on homework, do puzzles, play games, or connect in what they have come to know as their safe space. The Center has a back room that has been designated a quiet room for students to use if they need fewer distractions while doing homework or a quiet place to unwind. Our Give Back students meet at the Center with their mentor and Community Schools Coordinator, Dorothea Primavera. The scholars have even made it rule to take advantage of the Center’s resources outside of mentoring sessions!
Whitney Point emphasizes self-love and positive affirmations in its Center. With the help of fellows from Binghamton University’ graduate social work program, undergraduate interns and volunteers, students have the opportunity to talk with individuals they can connect and relate with. They also receive social-emotional and academic support. “This space certainly impacts the success of our school and the ability to give individualized attention to students with whatever they may need,” Primavera says.
Give Back is honored to partner with a school committed to seeing its students thrive academically and personally.
by givebackdv | Feb 20, 2020 | Partners
On January 30, representatives from Goals and Assists — the partnership between Give Something Back and the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, presented a $500,000 check to Neumann University that would pre-pay scholarships for students in need.
President and CEO of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, Scott Tharp, and Board of Directors Chairman Bill Whitmore presented the check to university president, Dr. Chris Domes. President Domes expressed his gratitude for Neumann University being chosen as the fifth partner school for Goals and Assists. He compared the mission statement of Goals and Assists to that of Neumann University — and found them to be aligned in important ways.
“Our students are bigger than just a sport; bigger than just a classroom experience,” President Domes said. “We are transforming lives together,”
The Goals and Assists program, with its focus on teaching good citizenship to scholars, matches how Neumann University works to imbue students with a sense of responsibility and stewardship in their community and beyond.
“We’re proud of all our university partners, and Neumann is one of the few universities that targets the type of child we serve,” said Tharp, referring to Neumann University’s student population where 99% receive financial aid of some kind and 75% are the first in their family to attend college.
Scott and Bill also presented President Domes and Board Chair Ann Baiada with honorary hockey jerseys – both sporting #20 to commemorate 2020.
President Domes concluded the event by inviting some of the students attending Neumann University through the Goals and Assists program to join them for a photo. One of the students, Georgia Wunder, is currently in her freshman year at Neumann. She plays on the women’s hockey team and appreciates the positive impact the program has had on her personally.
“Snider [Youth Hockey Foundation] has helped me in terms of being a better citizen and conducting myself professionally,” Wunder said. She explained that the organization’s influence is not merely athletics-based — she has learned valuable soft skills that will better equip her to deal with scouting and networking throughout her athletic and academic career.
Neumann University, located in Aston, Pennsylvania, promises to be an excellent partner for Give Back and the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation through the Goals and Assists program. The five pillars that hold up the ceiling of the Bayada Atrium within the school’s Mirenda Center for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development each list one word that rings true for scholars in the Goals and Assists program: Play, Beauty, Reflection, Balance, and Respect.
