WWU's Morse Institute hosts Leadership 101 Poster Showcase and Fair

On Tuesday, March 12, students enrolled in LDST 101: Introduction to Leadership Studies presented their quarter-long community engagement projects in the Miller Hall Collaborative Space at the Leadership 101 Poster Showcase and Fair. These projects gave students the opportunity to develop their own leadership and teamwork skills while also learning about non-profit organizations in the county and the needs these organizations try to address. They worked with:

• Days for Girls International, which provides long-term sanitary solutions for girls and women who do not have access to feminine hygiene products. This helps end “period poverty,” as lack of access to hygiene products negatively impacts girls’ ability to get an education, which has long-term impact on their lives.  LDST 101 students raised $1000 for DFG and assembled 300 kits that will be distributed to refugees who have been relocated to the Seattle area.
• Skookum Kids, which supports foster families from licensing and training, to the placement of children in homes, to providing relief for foster parents through social activities for foster children. LDST 101 students volunteered at one of these social events held at Perch and Play, which gave kids an opportunity to play with their peers while the parents could relax and connect with each other. LDST 101 students also raised $574 dollars for Skookum Kids to provide their services and buy supplies for the kids.
• Whatcom Center for Early Learning, which provides programs and support to families who have children with disabilities, specifically focusing on children from birth to age 3. The LDST 101 students helped with administrative work to prepare invitations for WCEL’s annual fundraising auction, and raised $236 from a Chipotle takeover, and a bake sale to help renovate WCEL’s new location in Ferndale.
• Ferndale Food Bank serves Ferndale for people that need access to food. The students partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings and raised $200 that they used to purchase food to replenish the food on hand at the food bank, as well as help replace a stolen laptop. The students also spent a Saturday volunteering at the food bank by stocking shelves and helping individuals collect their weekly allowance of food.

By working with these different agencies, LDST 101 students learned from the skilled and passionate leaders of these non-profit organizations, gained a sense of the impact of their actions, and learned about social change, while also learning about their own leadership development.

See a full Flickr Gallery of the Leadership 101 Poster Showcase and Fair here.