Better Together at Ohio University Awarded National Best Campus Impact Award

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.