Visionary Leadership
Graduates should have the ability to “break the mold” in devising solutions to problems.
Specifically, graduates should be able to...
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Devise creative solutions to complex problems
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Utilize multiple resources in designing programs and policies
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Articulate a vision and marshal support for its pursuit
Global Relief
I was the first Graduate Assistant in the Office of World Missions to oversee the Global Relief Program. When I came on staff Global Relief was a nameless entity that had been “created” when money had been raised for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005. My role has been to bring creativity, vision and direction to establish Global Relief as a viable and effective program on the Azusa Pacific University campus.
Over the course of the last two years a mission statement and learning objectives for the program have been developed, two semester-long, campus-wide campaigns/initiatives have been put into place, and two mission teams have been deployed (with a hopefully three more in summer 2009) to partner with Global Relief’s campaigns.
Bangladesh Relief Effort
A semester -long, campus-wide campaign to educate the campus community about Cyclone Sidr (Novemember 2007) and raise funds to provide relief to those affected.
The concept for the relief effort started when a student at the university, who is from Bangladesh and was to lead a mission team to Bangladesh over the summer of 2008, came into the office shortly after the cyclone to ask if there was anything our office could do to help. Discussions started, emails began to fly between Bangladesh and California about the feasibility and cost of providing relief, and decisions were made to engage the entire campus community in partnering with a mission team, a well established non-profit, and the people of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Relief Effort was launched during Justice Week (January 2008) with a passive programming event called Lifelines. The relief effort continued throughout the semester with participation from multiple Student Life offices, Residence Life, student participation, and the running of a ½ marathon. The final sum of money raised was over $6,000, enough to fund the construction of 10 cyclone resistant homes in a small village in a Cyclone Sidr affected area. In June 2008, an Azusa Pacific University mission team partnered with Global Relief and World Vision in the construction of the 10 homes.
Final Report Bangladesh Relief Effort Video Lifelines Event
1:6 Initiative
A semester-long, campus-wide campaign to educate the campus community about Global Water Concerns and raise funds to provide relief to those who lack access to clean drinking water.
Mission Statement:
An initiative of Global Relief and the Office of World Missions that aims to bring awareness to Global Water Concerns, educate the APU community about those concerns, raise funds to bring relief to people affected by this epidemic, and to promote an intentional change in water conservation in our own community.
What’s with the name 1:6 Initiative?
Approximately 1.1 Billion people (or 1 in 6 people) globally lack access to clean drinking water, hence the name 1:6 Initiative. By bringing awareness to this global concern and raising funds to alleviate the epidemic we hope to reduce this overwhelming statistic!
Development:
This initiative has been “in process” since spring 2008 when I first started envisioning what my 2nd year overseeing Global Relief could possibly look like. The 1:6 Initiative was officially launched during Justice Week 2009. In the few weeks since the launch there has been great community interest and participation:
A Residence Life living community raised $155 in 1 hour by hosting a black tie event and asking students to donate $5 to provide clean water for individuals globally
The 1:6 Initiative was chosen, by a student committee, to be a recipient of a “love offering” ($700) taken at a large scale event, Gospel Sing, hosted by the Multi-Ethnic Programs Office
The 1:6 Initiative was chosen, by a student committee, to be a recipient of the proceeds of the annual Residence Life 5K
Almost all the Student Life Offices have a set of 7 water bottles on display on their front desks. Six of the seven are designed to represent the 1:6 ration of access to clean water; therefore, one of the bottles is filled with “dirty” water and the others are clean. The seventh bottle is in place to collect change.
"Water Kit" that sits on the front desk of Student Life offices
