This year LEAP has been made possible thanks to CCE’s partnership with Allendale Columbia School, our wonderful and dynamic LEAP staff, our reliable snack donor, and the Warner School of Education for their unwavering support!

LEAP End-of-Year Celebration

On April 26, 2025, Glenn Cerosaletti, Director of the Center for Community Engagement, joined the Learning, Exploring At Play (LEAP) staff, along with the kids and their families, to joyfully celebrate the students’ achievements during the LEAP graduation. The event marked a meaningful close to the year, highlighting the growth, dedication, and community spirit shared by all involved.

See our LEAP Graduation ’24-’25 video

LEAP Field Day: Learning Beyond the Classroom

At the end of the academic year, the LEAP staff organized a Field Day to give students the opportunity to explore new and engaging forms of learning beyond the traditional Saturday sessions. The event allowed kids to experience hands-on activities, outdoor games, and creative challenges that promote fun, teamwork, as well as curiosity in a relaxed environment.

LEAP All-Staff Training

Before the commencement of LEAP Saturday sessions, all LEAP staff are trained on classroom management, mood regulation, creating effective communication skills, and team building.

The Associate Director, Team Leaders, Tutors, and LEAP Kids Celebrate Together

On April 26, 2025, the LEAP graduation was filled with joy and pride as Dr. Halima Therese Gbaguidi, Associate Director of the Center for Community Engagement, joined the kindergarten through fifth grade teams to celebrate the remarkable progress of the LEAP students. The event captured the spirit of growth and community, with smiles, laughter, and heartfelt recognition of the students’ achievements.

written by Dr. Halima Gbaguidi, CCE Associate Director

The post LEAP (Learning & Exploring at Play) Program Highlights – June 2025 appeared first on Bridging the Gap.

Earl Bumagat

Community Organization: TRANSFORM Research Center at Mt. Hope Family Center

Project Title: “Disseminating Information with TRANSFORM”��

Community Advisor: Dr. Catherine Cerulli��

Faculty Advisor: Stephanie Ashenfelder

“I worked with Transform Translational research…. and what they do is …conduct research into…prevention and intervention methods for child abuse and maltreatment…Throughout the semester I have worked on editing their unused footage and clips into shorter videos and clips that could be used for more accessible, more learnable, and more engaging content. We want to use these clips, post it across their social media platforms, and… tie it in with their social media monthly initiatives and campaigns that they go into…A lot of it will be for a backlog but it’ll be content that’ll be useful for the future.” – Earl Bumagat

Audrey Chung

Community Organization: GiGi’s Playhouse Rochester��

Project Title: “Strength in Motion: Enhancing Motor Skills & Independence in Children with Down Syndrome”��

Community Advisor: Haley Everett��

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Stephen Sulkes MD

“So I’ve been working with GiGi’s Playhouse, a nonprofit down the road that works with people with Down syndrome…I’ve been working with the kids’ fitness and cooking programs, and testing their motor skills [with] different exercises and food preparation. The fitness mainly works on… flexibility, endurance and motor skills.….. People with Down syndrome have low muscle tone…..which means they need constant activity and movement to sustain their muscle … We’re basically testing their motor development and how we can introduce these habits at a young age so that they learn how to maintain a good lifestyle.” – Audrey Chung

Johari Hemphill��

Community Organization: Archive of Black History & Culture (ARHC) under the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County’s Local History & Genealogy Division��

Project Title: “The ‘Divine 9’ and First Archive Collections Project”��

Community Advisor: Antoine Mcdonald��

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Molly Ball

“My work was getting some archives training and helping them [ARHC] process some of their first four collections, one of them being the Bobby Johnson collection, who was a local poet and activist. [These archives] have been or you can go access them at the local library … Additionally, we’re working on finishing the Charles Price collection… Another part of my work was reaching out to some collections that we identify as being essential to the archive, one of them being the National Panhellenic Council, otherwise known as the Divine Nine. [The Divine Nine] is a group of nine historically Black Greek letter organizations: five fraternities and four sororities, that all have chapters here established in the greater Rochester area that have been around as early as the [1940s.] So a large part of my work was reaching out to them, creating an email template….. identifying an assessment of what materials they have, what we need and what we want, and then creating a timeline of how we’re gonna gather materials and then process them and make them accessible to the public.” – Johari Hemphill

Sab Lin

Community Organization: Girls Rock! Rochester��

Project Title: “Visions and Paradoxes of a Feminist Nonprofit and Social Movement”��

Community Advisor: Amanda Ashley��

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kristin Doughty

“I did my work on Girls Rock Rochester, which is a local nonprofit organization that is also a social movement with over 100 camps across the US and internationally…I first started volunteering there 2 or 3 years ago and since then it’s expanded into a much bigger project….[For my Capstone, I decided] to put on a community event for trans visibility which I hosted about a week and a half ago and the point of it was just to create a safe space for trans youth and… just come together, grab a snack, have some community….” – Sab Lin

Aliza Lopez��

Community Organization: Kids Thrive 585��

Project Title: “The Nexus of DEI & Health Literacy: Democratizing Cultural Health Resources and Workshops for Diverse Youth in Rochester”��

Community Advisor: Dr. Megan Lasaponara MD��

Faculty Advisor: Dr. April Luehmann

“So for [my project,] the question was how can we promote cultural health in RCSD.… because …standardized exam results…, as well as…health literacy rates in the Rochester City School District are pretty low, especially for marginalized populations such as Latino and Black students. I wanted to try to find…a way that we can better appeal to them and make content and material that’s more engaging and make sure that it really applies to them, so that they can… increase their health literacy rate and increase their health outcomes…So the first thing that I tried to make was a resource navigator. I put together a list of resources [that] I could classify… into two different categories. One of them was virtual resources, so…databases of different phone providers that serve marginalized demographics, such as, for example, databases that serve the Latino population. [The second category] is in-person resources, so Rochester has quite a few community-based clinics such as those for BIPOC or LGBTQ populations…all of these platforms and resources would be listed on the organization [Kids Thrive 585]’s website…The second part [of my project, is the] lessons and workshops that would be done at schools. I want to create a written report of recommendations and potential frameworks that the school districts, as well as community colleges, can use if they’re trying to revise their curriculum or if they’re trying to make more health-related activities for students.” – Aliza Lopez

Jiola Paco

Community Partner: Arnett House

Project Title: “Increasing Job Readiness in Unhoused LGBTQ+ and Trafficked Youth”

Community Advisor: Kelly Sciarratta

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Stefanie K. Dunning.��

“My project is increasing job readiness in unhoused LGBTQ+ and trafficked youth. LGBTQ+ youth are at a 120% higher risk of homelessness. There are also many unmet needs within this community, 17% and 18% of these needs are emotional stability and support, and employment, respectively. So I decided to work on the employment aspect because I am a student interviewer for the �����ٸ�ר�� and I want to use my skills where I can, so I created this ‘getting rid of job application stress’ workshop…and then, at the end, we’re doing a thrifting trip with CCE funding in order to get them job appropriate attire and then we’re going to do a fashion show when we get those items. We also do self-confidence workshops…this just helps them visualize the end goal in order for them to take the steps to move towards it.” – Jiola Paco��

Suzanna Rainbolt��

Community Partner: Rochester Sexual & Reproductive Justice Taskforce (Roc SRJ)��

Project Title: “Let’s Talk About Sex: Focusing on Community-Based Information System to Rethink Sexual Health Information”��

Community Advisor: Jilian Quigley

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Rachel O’Donnell

Paige Schneider��

Community Partner: Rochester Ecology Partners��

Project Title: “Youth Environmental Health Education in Rochester”

Community Advisor: Christopher Widmaier��

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sandra H. Jee, MD, MPH

Zihan Wang��

Community Partner: Brightstar Community��

Project Title: “The Impact of Street-Level Outreach on Local Economic Communities: Exploring Economic Stability Through Grassroots Engagement”��

Community Advisor: Sue Kirby��

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kristin Doughty

These students have gone above and beyond by applying their education to community work outside of the classroom and putting what they’ve learned during their time at U of R into meaningful action. We can’t wait to see what these students go on to do and we’re confident that they’ll continue to succeed and thrive, as they’ve already made sustainable positive social change and left their mark on the Rochester community.

If you’re a student interested in pursuing the Community-Engaged Learning Certificate or a faculty member interested in receiving a Community-Engaged Learning Course Operating or Course Development Grant, feel free to email cel@ur.rochester.edu with questions or go to the CEL page of CCE’s website to learn more.��

written by��Lily Bencivenga, CCE Administrative Coordinator

��

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Prior to the start of Compact25, Drs. Gbaguidi and Nelms attended The Research University Civic Engagement Network (TRUCEN). TRUCEN allows �����ٸ�ר�� Compact active members to share information, perspectives, and tactics for how research institutions promote civic engagement in their communities and campuses. Day 1 (March 29) focused on new member orientation and networking, followed by an opening plenary cocktail reception and a welcome dinner at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

On Day 2, the group departed for Emory University from Marriott Marquis early in the morning. They spent the full day at Emory, whose hospitality was outstanding. After some welcome introductions from the TRUCEN leadership committee, the group broke into different deep-dive workshop sessions to discuss “civic and community engagement during turbulent times.” Members in their respective workshops came together to discuss, address, and share insights into the most pressing issues in their collective work.

After a top-notch lunch, participants dove into the “Resistance, Resilience and Healing as a Community Engagement Professional.” This session allowed members to acknowledge and process the vulnerabilities, risks, and challenges they are navigating in higher education and across communities. TRUCEN members had to select one of three sessions whose primary focus was to explore different approaches for recognizing the stressors and working towards healing and resilience. Dr. Gbaguidi selected the “Story Circles” session facilitated by Lynn Blanchard, the director of the Carolina Center for Public Service at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At that workshop, she was reminded of the power and value of storytelling as a listener and a hearer, which aligned with the presentation Lovely would be giving at Compact25. During the break, some students also gave a tour of Emory University and provided some insightful context.

Lovely joined Drs. Gbaguidi and Nelms for the first day of Compact25 on March 31 and enjoyed a powerful performance from the Atlanta Women’s Chorus.��

At the networking dinner, Dr. Gbaguidi made some connections with professionals in the field. The majority at the table shared it was their first time in Atlanta and suggested they go for a city excursion. One of the women who lived in Atlanta volunteered to take them for a city tour. Dr. Gbaguidi created a WhatsApp group to organize the outing, and the group grew from four to twelve participants from different states and institutions. It was an incredible way to engage with the Atlanta community, observe, continue the conversation, and connect with professionals in different fields.

On the last day of the conference, Lovely had the opportunity to present an author’s talk for her forthcoming book, . Drawing from over 200 stories, interviews, and photographs, this book is an in-depth study of community building at a Baltimore City farmers market. “The best way to learn about this book is to experience it,” she told the 28 conference participants in her breakout session. Participants were guided through a storytelling and art-making exchange based on the book’s Story Seeds engagements. They then used these stories to identify a shared sense of community, and brainstormed how to facilitate storytelling in their own communities on and off campus to cultivate belonging, unity, and civic engagement. Participants identified a range of applications for storytelling, including using it to facilitate connections among volunteers at a community garden; as an entrypoint for difficult dialogues; and archiving university programs. One participant said that she learned more about fellow conference attendees in the five minutes of sharing stories than three days of networking, which emphasizes the connective power of focused conversation.

In summary, TRUCEN and Compact25 were excellent opportunities for professional development, to boost the visibility of the Center for Community Engagement and �����ٸ�ר��, and to find ways to work and collaborate with others in the field. These annual conferences are just two avenues for professional development available to the �����ٸ�ר�� faculty, staff, and students now that the university is a member institution. More information can be found at .

written by��Megan Lovely, CCE’s Program Manager of Community-Engaged Learning & Dr. Halima Gbaguidi, CCE’s Associate Director

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At the �����ٸ�ר�� (UR), the EWB chapter is an active and passionate group of students who apply their engineering knowledge to real-world problems. Their mission is to not only enhance their technical skills but also create lasting positive change in both global and local communities.

How Engineers Without Borders Helps the �����ٸ�ר�� Community

While EWB is primarily known for its international work, the organization also makes a significant impact on the UR campus and the surrounding Rochester area. Here’s how:

1. Hands-on Learning for Students – EWB gives engineering students at UR the opportunity to work on real projects, designing and implementing sustainable solutions that have a direct impact on people’s lives.
2. Leadership and Collaboration – Students develop leadership, project management, and teamwork skills by working with mentors, faculty, and local communities.
3. Community Outreach – Beyond global projects, the UR chapter engages in local initiatives, such as mentoring STEM students, improving local infrastructure, and partnering with other nonprofit organizations in the Rochester area.

Notable Contributions by EWB at UR

The �����ٸ�ר��’s EWB chapter has undertaken several impressive projects, including:

1. Water Infrastructure Projects in the Dominican Republic

One of UR’s EWB flagship initiatives has focused on improving water accessibility in rural Dominican Republic communities. The team has worked to design and implement sustainable water filtration and distribution systems, ensuring that residents have consistent access to clean and safe drinking water.

2. Sustainable Energy Solutions in Central America

In partnership with local communities, UR’s EWB has contributed to solar energy projects in regions with unreliable power. By installing solar panels and training residents on maintenance, they’ve helped provide sustainable electricity solutions.

3. Local STEM Education and Outreach

EWB students at UR frequently collaborate with Rochester-area schools, hosting STEM workshops and mentoring young students interested in engineering. They inspire the next generation of problem-solvers by demonstrating how engineering can be used for humanitarian efforts.

Why EWB Matters

EWB is more than just an engineering club—it’s a movement that empowers students to make a tangible difference in the world. By tackling real-world challenges, students at the �����ٸ�ר�� develop technical expertise while creating solutions that improve lives. Their work not only benefits communities in need but also enhances their own professional and personal growth.

If you’re an engineering student at UR or someone passionate about global development, consider getting involved with EWB. Whether through fundraising, technical design, or outreach, every contribution helps drive impactful change.

The post Engineering With the Community: Engineers Without Borders appeared first on Bridging the Gap.

Meet the Adelante Juntos 2024–2025 Executive Board:

(Left to right) Jonathan Bermudez ’27, Drea Restitullo ’27, Jazmine Cabriales ’27, Jaydee Ortez ’25

Jonathan Bermudez (’27), the Communication Chair, emphasizes that the organization provides a “unique opportunity for change and a way to uplift the local Rochester community with our students here at the �����ٸ�ר��.” He adds, “the sense of purpose that comes from building relationships between students and the local Latine community has been at the core of my commitment to this organization!”��

Event Spotlight: Tienditas de Mi País:

Every spring, Adelante Juntos hosts Tienditas de Mi País, an annual event where they gather local and student-owned Latine businesses, services, and spaces in a flea market-style setup at Hirst Lounge. The event encourages students, faculty, and community members to network and foster connections.

Jaydee Ortez (’25), the Programming Chair, says Tienditas de Mi País is her favorite event. It reminds her of “la pulga” (flea market) from her childhood, and she especially enjoys connecting with the local artists and photographers.

Recent Initiatives:

Adelante Juntos regularly partners with community organizations such as the Father Tracy Advocacy Center, the Western New York Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies, and the Al Sigl Community of Agencies. The organization hosts food and hygiene drives, maintains community gardens, and organizes college workshops for local students.

During Fall 2024, Adelante Juntos has already achieved significant milestones:

• Through the Empower Her Initiative, they donated all menstrual product kits to the WNY Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies.
• They also partnered with the Al Sigl Community of Agencies to work on a community gardening project.

Recently, the organization collaborated with Nayeliz Santiago from the Monroe County Young Democrats to host a voting and registration information session. They also volunteered at the Memorial Art Gallery’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration Day.Upcoming Events and Service Initiatives:��

• Wednesday, October 23rd – Adelante Juntos is taking over the Spanish and Latine Students association Weekly Noche
• Friday, October 25th 3:00pm-6:00pm- Morado: The Color of Bruises, The Color of Resistance in the May Room

Stay connected with Adelante Juntos! Follow them on Instagram or email them at uradelantejuntos@gmail.com if you’re interested in supporting or joining the organization.

The post Adelante Juntos: Bridging the Gap between UR students and the local Latine community appeared first on Bridging the Gap.

“This summer, I decided to dedicate my time to giving back to my community in Arizona by volunteering and interning with the AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute. AGUILA is a pre-college program that supports students—primarily from minority communities—in navigating the college application process and preparing for success in high school. This organization was instrumental in my own journey; it’s how I discovered the �����ٸ�ר�� and found the motivation to apply, ultimately securing financial aid. I wanted to help more students like me find the guidance they needed.

Becoming an RA and Mentoring Future College Students

My most rewarding experience this summer was volunteering as a Resident Advisor (RA) for AGUILA’s Summer Symposium at Northern Arizona University. For three days, I had the incredible opportunity to mentor ten high school senior girls while they got a taste of college dorm life. As someone who was once in their shoes, navigating the challenges of college preparation and figuring out the future, I could connect with them on a deeper level. Many of the girls were nervous about college and carried the weight of generational trauma. I noticed that having someone who looked like them who shared similar experiences and faced the same uncertainties made a huge impact in their experience during the symposium.

Throughout those three days, I did my best to answer their questions about college and encouraged them to consider what they need to think about before choosing a college. I shared my own story and struggles, showing them that it’s possible to overcome obstacles and succeed. It was amazing to see them open up, trust me with their vulnerabilities, and feel a sense of hope. We’ve stayed in touch since, and I’m grateful to have built lasting connections with these bright young women. They ended up being one of the last people I saw before leaving Arizona to finish my final year of college, and their heartfelt hugs and words of encouragement for my senior year still warm my heart whenever I think about them.

Continuing My Involvement as an Intern

After the Summer Symposium, I felt a strong desire to continue supporting AGUILA. I reached out to Mrs. H—known fondly as Momma H—to ask how I could be more involved. This led to an internship with the institute for the rest of the summer! Since I have graphic design skills, one of my main tasks was helping them create digital content to spread the word about future events. I designed several website pages, organized materials for upcoming events, and even helped them move into their new office space. Additionally, I tabled at nearby high schools to encourage more students to join AGUILA and supported another event for high school students and their parents from across the Valley of Arizona.

This summer, I not only had the chance to give back to an organization that has greatly impacted my life, but I also got to be part of helping other students find their paths and pursue their dreams. It was an incredibly fulfilling experience, and I’m excited to continue supporting my community in any way I can, which is exactly what finishing my degree will do!”

The post Keeping Community Alive: Juliana’s Summer Impact in Arizona appeared first on Bridging the Gap.

Willow Domestic Violence Center is one of several community organizations that partner with �����ٸ�ר��’s Center for Community Engagement. It is one of 40 organizations that participated in the Center for Community Engagement’s annual Community Engagement Fair this year. It was the largest community organization turnout that the fair has ever seen!

Willow provides a wide array of resources for survivors of domestic violence in the Rochester area. Their goal is to rehabilitate survivors and transition them to a safer situation (if the survivor chooses to do so.) They aim to serve as the primary point of contact for domestic violence survivors and their families. The survivors that Willow provides for consist of women, children, men, and people of all genders and sexual orientations, but predominantly, women. While anybody can be a survivor of domestic violence and abuse, this issue disproportionately impacts the lives of women. This is indicative by the fact that women make up the majority of calls into Willow’s 24-hour hotline and mobile services. Because domestic violence is primarily a women’s issue, what better time to cover this serious topic than Women’s History Month, a time when we focus on the considerable diverse obstacles women have faced throughout history and still face today?

We chose to cover this pressing issue for Women’s History Month and are grateful to have a connection with this amazing organization as well as a Rochester Youth Year Vista located there. Rochester Youth Year (also known as RYY) is one of many programs run by the Center for Community Engagement. RYY is an opportunity for recent college graduates from across the U.S. to spend a year engaged with a Rochester community organization. RYY Vistas support their organization’s staff in designing and carrying out new policies, with a focus on sustainability, so that they can create positive change that lasts, even after their service ends. The RYY Vista member who is spending her year with Willow, Erika Schnieble, is a University of Rochester alum and a lifelong Rochester local. We are so lucky that we got the opportunity to interview her about the inner workings of Willow!

First, Erika spoke about her individual role at Willow. She said that she feels it is an ideal time to be working for the organization, especially in her specific role, because Willow has recently begun an expansion of services to accommodate a more diverse array of survivor needs. A large part of Erika’s job is devoted to promoting this expansion. Her official role at Willow is called Community Engagement Development and Outreach. Essentially, she interacts with community stakeholders and donors in addition to reaching out to survivors. She does marketing and promotion for the organization to make community members (who could very well be battling abuse and violence at home) aware that help is available. There are many methods that Erika uses to promote Willow but she mainly manages tabling, fundraising, and donor events. For example, at a holiday event, she worked as a liaison between Willow’s donors and the families that Willow supports.

Oftentimes Erika ends up initially connecting survivors to Willow. This is because she has received several casual admissions at tabling events. While she interacts with survivors on a level that introduces them to the organization, it is the counselors at Willow that work more in depth with them. Just like with any workplace, many roles and skill sets go into making the organization possible.��

The other part of Erika’s job, besides promotion, consists of data collection which involves composing data reports to help enable further expansion and possible reforms. This administrative work is vital to Willow so that they can identify trends and decide if new or reformed resources should be implemented based on their findings. This data also allows the organization to decide on a continued course of action for their promotional methods, i.e., if they could benefit from new approaches, should they implement more of a specific kind of promotion, what methods draw in the most clients, what makes survivors feel most comfortable to reach out, etc.

For example, through Erika’s data retrieval, Willow has discovered that their hotline calls have recently spiked and survivors have been reporting more intense violence than in the past. In contrast, they found that police calls in the area are down. Willow is working to interpret the context of this data. There are a lot of questions that Willow is left asking: Has domestic violence in the area really become more prevalent? Or is it that more survivors are empowered to speak out? Are Willow’s promotional and educational campaigns making survivors more comfortable coming out of the woodwork? Why are police calls down? Because of this, presented alongside the higher hotline call volume, is there the same amount of domestic violence but more people contacting Willow as opposed to the police? If the amount or intensity of these occurrences has changed, is there a reason why? It may be impossible to ever know the answers to all of these questions because there are many cases of domestic violence that never get reported.

As previously stated, Willow provides a plethora of resources to survivors. On the front lines, Willow offers a 24/7 hotline for those in domestic abuse situations. The hotline is not only for calls, but can also receive texts. On their website, Willow provides a secure live chat as well. Mobile services are also available, these services play the same role as the hotline and live chat but are used in more emergent situations when someone may not have a phone or needs an ambulance. All resources will be linked below this post.

Willow offers an emergency shelter for survivors and their families, with capacity for children and pets. The goal is to eventually move these families, if necessary, to housing through their Supportive Housing program. Willow provides and owns permanent housing, separate from their emergency shelter, for survivors and their families to move into a home free from abuse.

After being initially connected with Willow, a survivor can be set up with a counselor from the counseling center whose goal is to provide support and give the survivor space to talk. From there, they can determine possible next steps for the individual. Willow, as an organization, always allows their clients to maintain autonomy throughout their recovery process. The goal is for the survivor to make their own decisions and maintain whatever amount of agency they still have. Willow lays out available options for their clients, but ultimately, the individual will decide their own course of action or lack thereof. The organization will never take complete control of any individual’s plan because that would be counterintuitive and create more anguish for the person they are aiming to help.

Lastly, a recent development at Willow is their legal services. Willow’s current legal services are the Family Justice Center and the court advocacy program. Willow’s Family Justice Center supports both clients and staff within Willow with legal counsel��and educates them about possible plans of action. The Family Justice Center also teams up with Bivona Child Advocacy

when necessary. Bivona Child Advocacy’s mission is to support children facing abuse. They work with partners such as; Child Protective Services, law enforcement, investigators, prosecutors, medical professionals, therapists, advocates, and volunteers.��

The court advocacy program at the family court acts as a buffer to institutional and legal obstacles that survivors may face. Survivors who are members of marginalized communities, such as LGBTQIA and minority communities, are especially vulnerable when it comes to the legal system.

Willow is a local cooperative that provides support for survivors of domestic violence and they continue to expand upon their services. In addition to their crisis-related outreach, they do the essential work of prevention education. These educational workshops and trainings are held in a variety of settings such as; workplaces, club meetings, and schools. These events primarily focus on teen dating violence. Prevention education is essential because, with this knowledge, people can spot warning signs not only in the relationships of others, but in their own relationships, and reach out before the situation devolves further into severe violence and even homicide.

We often hear only about physical abuse, which is an extremely significant issue, but emotional, verbal, financial, and sexual abuse also exist. Abuse of all forms, even physical, often go completely unnoticed. These relationships are much more prevalent than we would like to believe and can be hiding in plain sight. That is what makes this a relevant issue to get educated about and educate others on. Abuse can occur in any type of relationship; romantic, familial, or even platonic. Abuse also happens to people of all genders and sexual orientations, even straight and gay men. Willow’s work is vital to our Rochester community and Erika’s contributions are vital to Willow.��

Available resources:

Willow’s 24-Hour Hotline: (585) 222-7233��

Willow’s 24-Hour Text Line: (585) 348-7233

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233

��

Bivona Phone Number: (585) 935-7800

NYS Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-342-3720

written by Lily Bencivenga, CCE Operations and Communications

The post Willow Domestic Violence Center: An Interview with Erika Schneible appeared first on Bridging the Gap.

As the Season of giving continues, the Center of Community Engagement would like to highlight some more initiatives organized and led by students at the �����ٸ�ר��. The Douglass Leadership House (DLH) for example is the only living learning center on campus with the mission of “establishing an engaging intellectual community where students of all cultural backgrounds can come together and raise awareness of the many facets of the black experience; including culture, politics, history, and Diasporic roots,” as stated in their constitution. The house is organized around 4 project areas including the Ella Baker Project: Community Engagement.��

With their motto, From Vision to Action, in mind Serenity Henlon, current DLH president, shares insight into their goals for this year and the service they have started to meet them: “The Douglass Leadership House has taken a proactive approach to bridge the gap between student leaders on campus and the Rochester community in need. Throughout the semester, every month, we’ve�� organized a series of service opportunities open to both residents (Douglass leaders) and non-residents. These initiatives ranged from sandwich making and meal prepping to soup kitchen assistance and needs distribution to homeless and recovering populations with mental health and substance use disorders. Additionally, we successfully conducted the first phase of our community engagement pillar project called “HERDRIVE”, a women’s toiletry drive that will distribute donations to local women’s shelters and centers. These service opportunities were made possible through partnerships with off-campus community organizations such as A Meal and More, Recovery All Ways (RAW), Bethany House and the Father Tracey Advocacy Center. Looking ahead, the Douglass Leadership House aims to build upon existing partnerships while also forging new ones to extend their service efforts into other areas for the upcoming spring semester.”

– Serenity Henlon, Class of 2024 President of Douglass Leadership HouseStay up to date and get involved with the ongoing work of the Douglass Leadership House by following the Instagram linked

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“First, on Thursday, October 26th, our dedicated E-board members rolled up their sleeves and took part in setting up two housing units in collaboration with the Catholic Charities for Family and Community Services. The service consists of tidying up the spaces, arranging the furniture and creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere in preparation for the arrival of two families from Congo.��

Our second event was with Mary’s Place, a non-profit refugee outreach center. This past Wednesday, November 1st, members of our organization joined hands in assisting with Mary’s Place’s weekly food donation. This donation is hosted every Wednesday from 8 am to 10:45am. The service consists of packing food items into bags to be distributed to over 300 refugee families in the Rochester area.These activities were driven by our desire to offer support to refugee families, helping them feel comfortable and truly at home in their new surroundings. Engaging in these acts of service was profoundly empowering, and it reminded us of the meaning and appreciation that comes from assisting others.��

At the core of our organization’s mission is a commitment to helping refugees who have already embarked on a challenging journey to adapt to a new environment in a foreign country. Our goal is to ensure that this process is as smooth and welcoming as possible. We believe in the power of empathy and community to make a positive impact in the lives of those who seek refuge and a fresh start. “

– Naomi Bell, Class of 2025 Secretary of Refugee Student Alliance

To stay up to date with future service projects and events by the Refugee Student Alliance,�� �� follow their Instagram page , join their group me , or look at their link tree ! We at the Center for Community Engagement want to give a big thank you to the Refugee Student Alliance for doing and sharing their incredible work.

The post The Refugee Student Alliance Gives back to Refugees In Rochester appeared first on Bridging the Gap.