Students, local nonprofits win awards at Wright State Nonprofit Leadership Alliance annual event

Bruce Kline, president of the board of directors of the Wright State Alumni Association accepted the Outstanding Nonprofit Organization Award on behalf of the association. Amanda Turner (right) of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance presented the award and also won a $250 scholarship.

Featuring over $3,500 in cash awards and the largest Wright State certified nonprofit professional class ever, the 2012 Spring Community Recognition Ceremony June 1 recognized nonprofits and students for their leadership and excellence in community service.

“With the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA) we’re training to train the next generation of nonprofit professionals and leaders,” said Jennifer Subban, Ph.D., director of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. “This event, recognizes all of the hard work of our students and some of the best nonprofits in the area.”

Among the group were 11 students who earned their nonprofit certifications this quarter, the largest class of graduates to earn the certificate ever, and eight others who are set to earn the certification in the summer.

The Wright State Alumni Association won the Outstanding Nonprofit Organization award of $1,000 and Jennifer Mueller of the YMCA won the Outstanding Nonprofit Leader award of $500.

Students Brad Roediger and Ashley Fisher won Outstanding Leadership awards. Kumar Marthy and Caitlin McGee won awards for Exemplary Service. And Carolyn Teter, the assistant director of annual giving, won the Emerging Leader award.

“These individuals all showed exceptional leadership and effort both with the NLA on campus and with nonprofits off campus, where they went above and beyond what was required,” said Subban.

Students in the Citizen Scholar course, Women in the City, also awarded money they fundraised as part of a service-learning intensive course that partners with the Student Philanthropy Project.

In the class, students raised over $2,000 during spring quarter and then awarded grants to local nonprofit agencies at the end of the term during the event. Their efforts were supported by an additional $2,000 grant from Ohio Campus Compact, a statewide non-profit coalition of 47 colleges working to promote and develop the civic purposes of higher education.

“I had a wonderful class this quarter, they really dove into it,” said Marjorie McLellan, associate professor in the department of Urban Affairs. In addition to studying the history and experiences of women in American cities for the course, “students volunteer 20 hours with organizations, write a grant proposals with the organizations, and then the proposals were evaluated by their peers,” said McLellan.

This quarter the local YWCA, a domestic violence resource agency (the Artemis Center) and the Wesley Community Center were picked to receive the grants.

Scholarships were also awarded to three students.

Aiyana Marcus, a graduate student in public administration, was awarded $1,000; she received both the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Academic Scholarship and the AMI Scholarship that supports participation in the Alliance Management/Leadership Institute that will be held in Atlanta, Georgia in January, 2013.

Graduate students Amanda Turner and undergraduate Kori Roth each received $250 scholarships as well.