Council for Community Engagement Recognizes Outstanding Partnerships
The Carver Tree Project was the overall Currents of Change winner.
By Jenny Pedraza
During its May 1 “Celebrate VCU with the Community” annual event, the VCU Council for Community Engagement recognized four outstanding university-community partnerships. The Carver Tree Project was the overall Currents of Change winner.
Businessman and philanthropist Steve Markel, who works to develop North Church Hill, was the celebration’s keynote speaker. Attendees also heard a performance by the RVA Street Singers, a community choir for those affected by homelessness in the Greater Richmond area.
Partnerships were recognized in four areas: Research, Outreach, Teaching and Student Initiated:
Exemplary Partnership in Research: The Carver Tree Project
Currents of Change Winner
The Carver Tree Project represents unique organizations with a common purpose – to protect and enhance the urban tree canopy in Richmond. For more information, visit The Carver Tree Project.
Exemplary Partnership in Outreach: Humanitarian Outreach Medical Brigade Relief Effort (HOMBRE)
HOMBRE teams, including students from the Schools of Nursing, Medicine and Pharmacy; the College of Health Professions; and the Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Care, have traveled nearly every year to Honduras to provide direct medical care, as well as healthcare education, to underserved, rural populations. For more information, visit Hombre.
Exemplary Partnership in Teaching: VCU Globe Service-Learning in Mexico
VCU Globe Service-Learning in Mexico takes students to Mexico City and Oaxaca, where they teach English to Zapotec villagers at the request of local women working with the nonprofit Fundación En Via, which provides no-interest microloans and training for local entrepreneurs. For more information, visit Global Education Office.
Exemplary Partnership, Student Initiated: Personalized Exploration for College Success (PECS)
Personalized Exploration for College Success (PECS at VCU) guides local Richmond Public Schools (RPS) high schoolers through their college applications, specifically assisting with writing admissions essays. For more information, visit PECS.
Under the direction of the vice provost for community engagement and the associate vice president for strategic initiatives and engagement, the CCE provides leadership across the university to advance and elevate university-community partnerships that address the challenges and opportunities in our region.