WMU News

Four students to receive Michigan service awards

April 12, 2000

KALAMAZOO -- A statewide organization will present community service awards to four Western Michigan University students during the sixth annual Outstanding Student Service Awards brunch Saturday, April 15, at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, Mich.

The awards are being presented by Michigan Campus Compact, a coalition of 31 colleges and universities around the state. The recognition ceremony honors Michigan college students who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to community service during their college years.

Receiving awards will be: Danielle Tanis, a sophomore from Jenison, Mich., majoring in biomedical sciences; Lindley Anne Johnson, a junior from Glenview, Ill., majoring in social work; Jill Briggs a junior from Jenison, Mich., majoring in elementary music education; and Erin Michele Riska of Saginaw, Mich., a senior majoring in environmental studies and pre-communication.

Tanis, will receive the Commitment to Service Award, which recognizes one student per MCC member campus for either the breadth or the depth of their community involvement. The remaining three students will receive the Heart and Soul Award, which recognizes students for time, effort and personal commitment to their communities through service.

According to Katrina Chester, coordinator of WMU's Student Volunteer Services in the Lee Honors College, the students were nominated for the awards by faculty, staff and students at MCC member institutions.

"We're tremendously proud of our award winners," Chester said. "Their commitment to community service and their ability to effectively promote the goals of Student Volunteer Services has been exceptional. They're a big part of the reason we have such a wonderful spirit of volunteerism at WMU."

MCC seeks to help students develop good citizenship values and skills by encouraging them to participate in community service activities. It is rooted in the idea that through service, campus and local communities can share resources and grow stronger. In the process, students obtain a greater understanding of the world around them, become directly involved in solving social problems and are better prepared to live in a multicultural society.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu


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