News Release

Southeastern student awarded Carter Foundation grant


Contact: Constance Woods

3/31/08


President Randy Moffett, CASE recipient Candice Gianelloni, assistant professor Wendy Siegel, LaCC executive director Stuart Stewart

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SOUTHEASTERN STUDENT RECEIVES CARTER GRANT– Pictured are President Randy Moffett, CASE recipient Candice Gianelloni, assistant professor Wendy Siegel, and LaCC executive director Stuart Stewart.


     HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University graduate student Candice Gianelloni of Mandeville has been awarded a $1,000 grant from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Foundation to assist her in building a volunteer tutor base and in developing literacy lessons for adults in New Orleans.

     The grant was presented through Louisiana Campus Compact, a coalition of colleges and universities that focuses on encouraging community service and service learning activities. Gianelloni will use the funds with her community partner, the New Orleans Mission Adult Learning Center, an outreach program of Church of the King in Mandeville. The mission provides opportunities for clients to take advantage of rehabilitation programs, Christian study, and the learning center.

     Gianelloni said the homeless population in New Orleans has increased dramatically since Hurricane Katrina, a situation which has worsened due to a decrease in the community resources available.

     “Participants are generally men who were formerly homeless or drug and alcohol addicts,” said Gianelloni, a teacher at Mandeville Middle School and a 2001 Southeastern graduate in elementary education. She is currently enrolled in graduate studies in curriculum and instruction at Southeastern. “My ultimate goal for the participants is for them to attain their GED, but given the nature of our clientele some of the participants often do not complete the program,” she said

     Grant money will be used to purchase instructional materials and books to train additional volunteer tutors to assist program participants. Participants are given an initial assessment to determine their ability level, Gianelloni explained.

     “I analyze the results in order to develop an individualized tutoring program for myself as well as other tutors to use,” she added.

     A coalition of 29 Louisiana public and private colleges and universities based at Southeastern, Louisiana Campus Compact (LaCC) is focused is on service-learning, leadership, volunteerism and activism with community partners.

     The LaCC under the leadership of Executive Director Stuart Stewart was chosen to present the CASE grant to Gianelloni. “CASE is a student-led initiative and that seeks to foster academic-service learning at colleges and universities,” said Stewart.

     Wendy Siegel, assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development, suggested to her students that they apply for the Carter grant. “I’m so excited that Candice applied and received it,” she said

     Siegel serves as a faculty associate on the project providing support, advice and mentoring.

     The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has provided to the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Foundation funds for use in fostering closer cooperation between American universities and their communities.



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