Ohio
University’s Better Together campaign recently received the Best Campus
Impact award in the nationwide 2012 Better Together initiative, which
took place on more than 100 college campuses
during the 2011-12 academic year. Better Together is a project of the
Interfaith Youth Core with the goal of empowering college students of
all and no faith traditions to identify and voice their values, engage
with others in conversation about their values,
and act together to improve the world.
Better
Together at OU received this award specifically for their partnership
work with the residence halls at Ohio University, involving interfaith
in-service trainings and workshops and
fundraising challenges for Charity: Water. This recognition comes with
$500 to contribute to the fundraising challenge.
Better Together Campaign Organizer, Rachel Hyden, reflects on the campaign’s accomplishments. “This
year we’ve done so many amazing
things, including leading the September 11 interfaith peace walk,
cleaning watersheds, educating students on the world water crisis,
feeding the hungry, and overall just working to build an interfaith
student community.”
The
Better Together campaign was supported by United Campus Ministry and is
a partner in the Ohio University Interfaith Service Campus Challenge
initiative with the Office of Diversity,
Access and Equity, Residential Housing, and University College with a
focus on the environment and domestic poverty. Highlights of the
year-long campaign include a 9-11 Interfaith Peace Walk, watershed
clean-ups, food drives and service at Thursday Supper
and Saturday Lunch, interfaith in-service trainings to Residential
Housing staff, and raising over $3,000 for Charity: Water.
"Ohio
University can be very proud of the fact that our students are being
recognized nationally as leaders in the interfaith movement, which seeks
to build bridges among people of all
and no faith traditions through shared experiences of service to the
community. We look forward to continuing this campaign in the 2012-13
academic year," Melissa Wales, advisor to Better Together at OU and
Executive Director of United Campus Ministry.
For more information or to learn how you can participate, contact Melissa Wales at
melissa@ucmathens.org or 740-593-7301.
