Purdue Calumet Partnership with Lake Area United Way Makes a Difference in 2015

Purdue-Calumet-Partnership-with-Lake-Area-United-Way-Makes-a-Difference-in-2015In the spirit of helping, Purdue University Calumet recently partnered with the Lake Area United Way in response to needs of local individuals and families.

Faculty, staff, students and alumni made a difference across Northwest Indiana by facilitating three ventures:

A food drive, sponsored by the Purdue Alumni Calumet Board of Directors, for families of Campagna Academy youth;

Preparation of personal care kits by students of the university’s Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS), for distribution to area homeless shelters; and

Financial contributions by faculty and staff in support of the university’s annual Lake Area United Way employee campaign.

Food Drive During a one-week period in November, Purdue Alumni Calumet Board members, assisted by several student organizations, collected 60 bags and four boxes of non-perishable food items from shoppers at Strack & Van Til’s in Schererville. The food was distributed to families of 65 Campagna youth prior to Thanksgiving.

“Our Purdue Calumet campus members are proud of where they live, work and play and want to make a positive impact in our local communities,” Purdue Calumet Manager of Strategic Event Operations Ashley Gerodimos said. “One small act of caring at a time, we are working together to improve the lives of others.”

Personal Care Kits As part of a civic engagement class project, students of the Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS) raised $2,500 in October to fill 815 personal care kits with shampoo and hair conditioner, soap, deodorant, hairbrushes, lip balm, and toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Representatives of the Calumet Township Trustee Office-Homeless Shelter, Hammond Rescue Mission and Continuum of Care distributed the kits to constituents.

“Each semester, as a civic engagement component of our ‘Introduction to Higher Education’ and ‘Learning Strategies’ courses, our students connect in a distinctive way to Northwest Indiana communities,” Purdue Calumet Interim Director of the Student Success and Transition Center for Learning and Academic Success Linda Atkinson-Pettee said. “This fall, our students have promoted the importance of assisting the homeless and used their network to seek donations.”

LAUW campaign support Meantime, Purdue Calumet’s annual employee campaign in support of the LAUW generated more than $10,000.

“Purdue Calumet has a proud history of reaching out to make a difference in various ways within our local communities,” Gerodimos said.