Washington Campus Compact and Inspireum announce Students In Service Awards

Washington Campus Compact has partnered with Inspireum, a national inspirational awards provider, to search for and celebrate outstanding college students whose volunteer service has a positive impact on society and inspires others.

The Students In Service Awards, commencing its inaugural year, seeks to engage the broader community to recognize and support students, community organizations, and colleges and universities that cultivate student leadership through service.

Scholarships and grants totaling $25,000 will be awarded to three category benefactors. Three students will receive academic scholarships with the winner receiving a $5,000 scholarship, and a runner-up and the “fan favorite” each receiving a $2,500 scholarship. The service-learning centers at the university of the student will each receive a $2,500 grant for the purpose of supporting their civic engagement programs for students. Additionally, $2,500 grants will go to each nonprofit organization that sponsored the winning service projects of each of the three scholarship recipients for the purpose of supporting their vital community.

"College students are contributing their time, effort, knowledge and leadership to strengthen communities," said Jennifer Dorr, executive director of Washington Campus Compact. "The Students in Service Awards were developed to recognize these outstanding college student civic leaders who are making a difference.”

Students attending a college or university may apply to participate in SISA through the online awards platform. Via an online personal profile page, students will be able to post their amazing service learning stories, share their experience with a national audience, and provide photos and videos about their service project. Applications for the award will be accepted through and Jan. 28, 2011.

Students, educators, family members, and other community members are invited to show support by voting for their favorite student and service project. A combination of fan votes and the Washington Campus Compact staff will select the top 50 inspirational semifinalists. A national selection committee will select the winner and runner-up, while the “fan favorite” will be determined purely by supporter vote. Scholarship recipients and their service projects will be recognized at the 14th Annual Continuums of Service Conference, a nationally-recognized service and civic engagement conference, held in San Diego, Calif., next April.

“Inspireum is extremely proud to be working with Washington Campus Compact to celebrate and share the amazing stories of service from college students around the nation,” said Tom Lindeman, President of Inspireum LLC. “Programs like SISA help bring awareness to the great things students are doing in the name of service, and we want to reward them for their efforts to build a better society for all of us.”

About Washington Campus Compact

Established in 1992 and hosted at Western Washington University, Washington Campus Compact and its membership of 41 two- and four-year colleges and universities are committed to providing meaningful experiences for students to become active, engaged leaders in their communities, furthering the civic and public purposes of higher education and strengthening communities. Washington Campus Compact is an affiliate state office of Campus Compact, a national organization comprised of more than 1,100 higher education institutions committed to the civic and public purposes of higher education.

About Inspireum

Inspireum provides a comprehensive technology and media platform that helps organizations recognize and reward inspirational young people in America. Inspireum utilizes proprietary platform technology, hosted services and social media to create a comprehensive nomination, voting and donation platform that powers inspirational youth awards, scholarships and fund raising programs. In addition to the Students in Service Awards, Inspireum in partnership with Trusted Sports, Inc. manages the High School Football Rudy Awards honoring athletes who have overcome tremendous obstacles to not only find success on the field, but also serve as an inspiration to others. This scholarship awards program looks beyond traditional athletic performance measures to reward team-oriented values and inspirational impact that help youth succeed throughout life.