Social Work

Orange Shirt Day

Sept. 30, 2021

Join the indigenous Student Association and their special guest Sharon Bird as she shares her experiences living in a residential school, Sept. 30 at noon in Dining Rooms C & D (Pyle Student Center).
Orange Shirt Day Info

CALL FOR VAMPS

A call was sent out for 215 beaded baby vamps (moccasin tops) to commemorate the 215 children who lost their lives at Kamloops Residential School and Wilmington College answered. Members from all over the Wilmington College community got involved including administrators, faculty, students, staff and family members.  We partnered with the Carleton University School of Social Work to add our support and shine a light on the continuing issues caused by these trans-generational traumas.

The goal was to gather the vamps by September 30, 2021, Orange Shirt Day. They will be framed and donated to the School of Social Work, Carleton University, to honor the young lives lost at Kamloops Residential School as well as all of the children yet to be found.

We received a lovely response from Deborah Young the project Vamp coordinator and who is a Faculty member of the Carleton University School of Social Work:

“A large package arrived from a visiting Assistant Professor of Social Work, Wilmington College, Wilmington, Ohio, with the following note:

‘Greetings Deborah my school community all jumped in on this amazing and powerful project. Many have never beaded before. The vamps represent students, faculty, administrative staff, and some of their children. You are a blessing to us all. Please let us know the progress of your display as you go forward. Stay amazing.’

Oh my goodness. [crying emoji] I am not the amazing one. Each and every one of you have taken the time to bead a vamp to honour and commemorate the lost children of residential schools are the amazing ones!

Together we walk hand in hand. [orange heart emoji]”

Macro Social Work: Community Change

Spring 2021 Projects

Students in the class Macro Social Work: Community Change team up with one another to research, plan, create and enact a project that serves to ameliorate, raise awareness of/educate, or affect change in relation to a social justice issue, community need or concern.

PROJECT 1: THE FORCES OF NATURE (Download Flyer)
Slogan: “Be Part of the Solution, Not the Pollution”
Goal: Clean up areas in Wilmington to make a small impact on climate change
Mission/Vision: To help create a cleaner environment for our future by taking small steps to clean up the spaces around us.

PROJECT 2: HUNGRY HOMES
Students Working to Address Food Insecurity in Wilmington
Mission Statement: We aim to provide resources to those that are in need in the community. Our focus is on nonperishable food items and hygiene products. The health and wellbeing of our community is our main priority.

Core Values:

• Integrity – we are honest and trustworthy to give to our community
• Teamwork – we will work together to achieve all goals that are set
• Respect – we will treat everyone with respect and never give them the cold shoulder
• Passion – support everyone, even those we serve and provide for
• Accountability – the community will trust us to make sure the Hungry Home will be supplied

During our research, we realized there was a possible gap in service for the people of Wilmington. Sugartree Ministries’ meals are only provided at a specific time of day and grocery handout is only once a week. Our Hungry Home is a small pantry that is open to anyone that needs what is inside. It has non-perishables and other items people may need.

We built our Hungry Home in April 2021 and planted it at Sugartree Ministries. We secured funding for a second Hungry Home that we hope to build and plant at Hope House.

PROJECT 3: KB’S SHARING TABLE (download flyer)
Clothing insecurity and sharing tables, working to support low income families/individuals, single parents and individuals or families in need.

Motto/Mission Statement: “Clothing the community, one sharing table at a time”
Goal: to give people a way to acquire “new” clothing for themselves and their loved ones by trading their gently used clothes for them, rather than having to spend their money on them. This makes them feel like they are not just getting another handout, because not only are they giving back, but they are actually giving more than they are receiving, due to our rule of “two out, one in.”

We collected donations and planned to share the surplus clothing with local charities. We were able to donate about eight bags of clothing to Sugartee Ministries and we were able to donate a $36 check to Hope House. We also posted a few bags of more valuable items on Poshmark, with a plan to split any profits made amongst local charities.

We held a second Sharing Table event in April 2021 at a local Christian Academy with good results. We plan to donate excess funds and items from this event.