2010 State Farm Service-Learning Champion Award Seeking Nominations

State Farm supports service-learning as a teaching method that enhances the academic achievement of students while engaging in service to the community. Teachers and parents are usually the primary individuals guiding a young person’s education. Other adults often play a key role in broadening a youth’s formal education through community service-learning activities. State Farm created the Service-Learning Champion Award to acknowledge this non-traditional advocate of service-learning.

The State Farm Service-Learning Champion Award recognizes a business leader, community member or public official who has a passion for engaging youth in service-learning. Nominations for this annual award are due Dec.1, 2009, and are based on the following criteria:

• The nominee must be a strong supporter of school-based service-learning as shown by their words, actions and ability to engage youth.
• The nominee must be an adult community member, business leader or public official from outside the traditional service-learning ranks (cannot be a classroom teacher, service-learning practitioner, or associate of a service-learning organization).
• The nominee has added significant value to the success of a youth-led service-learning project that addressed a community need(s).
• Nominee must be a resident of the United States (one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia) or Canada (provinces of Alberta, New Brunswick, or Ontario.)
  
  

Examples of service-learning champions:

Edward A. Donaldson, a retired Florida Fire Chief of the Year, has engaged youth in the “I Can Program” to meet the life-safety issues of senior citizens in Miami-Dade County.  Working with teachers and developing a network of community partnerships, Ed has inspired young people to design and implement plans to address the needs of seniors regarding fire-safety, accident prevention, and hurricane preparedness and recovery.  Many of the students who were mentored by Ed have chosen careers as firefighters as well as with emergency management agencies. Through his continued commitment to the service-learning philosophy within the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Ed continues to offer youth the opportunity to work with their community partners to make significant contributions.

Malala Pou, President of FuelOnly was born in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.  He moved to the mainland and grew up attending the public school system of Vancouver Washington.  With his roots in the environmentally conscious North West, Malala created the opportunity to match his experience in the petroleum industry with the need for specialized research and development of alternative fuels.  As FuelOnly was established as a leading voice in the quality control of the developing international biodiesel community, Malala learned of the Biodiesel research being conducted by the students within Evergreen School District – Malala’s early school alma mater. The Evergreen School District Biodiesel project was progressing into a fully integrated production to application course-work.  FuelOnly attended presentations by the students involved in this service-learning coursework and was impressed by the strides they had taken to use the waste cook-oil from the school district and converting it into an alternative fuel being actively used for vehicle application.  The research team and the chemists of FuelOnly donated their time with the students to bring the newest of biodiesel development to their project. The FuelOnly mission of bettering our global community advanced in our own back yard as we were able to donate thousands of dollars in quality control laboratory biodiesel testing to the students as they developed their product.  Not satisfied with this, FuelOnly donated a trailer for their portable biodiesel production technology and then used our connections within the Biodiesel community to supply the Evergreen School District with additional needed equipment to increase their production efficiency.  Malala led the way, donating his expertise and energy to empower the students and enhance their service-learning achievements.

To be considered, all entries must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2009 and include the following completed components: 

• Nominee profile information
• Nominator profile information
• Project(s) information
• Narrative not to exceed 2 typed pages in length. 

Nominations may be faxed or mailed.  FAX to: (309) 766-2314, or mail to:
                        State Farm Insurance
                        Stephanie Dagley
                        Education Leadership, B-4
                        Service-Learning Champion Award
                        One State Farm Plaza
                        Bloomington, IL  61710

Who may submit nominations for the State Farm Service-Learning Champion Award?

• Students
• Teachers
• School Administrators
• Community members
• Business leaders
• Public officials

This annual award will be presented to the recipient at the 21st Annual National Service-Learning Conference in March 2010, in San Jose, Calif.  Transportation, lodging, and conference registration costs for the award recipient will be provided by State Farm.  Visit the Web site of the National Youth Leadership Council at www.nylc.org for details concerning the 2010 Service-Learning Conference that has the theme Inspire. Imagine. Innovate!

Do you want to nominate someone that exemplifies service-learning leadership excellence but doesn’t qualify for the State Farm Service-Learning Champion award?  Visit these Web sites for information on other available awards sponsored by State Farm. 

• www.ysa.org
• www.nylc.org
• www.nslp.org

State Farm Service-Learning Champion Award

2009 State Farm Service-Learning Champion Award Recipient

State Farm Service-Learning Champion Award Recipients from Prior Years

State Farm Service-Learning Champion Award 2010 Nomination Form