Walking for Lily/Council for Exceptional Children

The 8th Annual Lily’s Loop Walk attracted the largest group of walkers in its history on a perfect October day. More than 100 participants helped raise $975 to benefit the Lily’s Hope Foundation, which supports premature babies and their families with unexpected expenses due to the baby’s early arrival.

CHC’s Council for Exceptional Children, under the direction of Mary Stratton, M.Ed., instructor of education, and Len Spearing, Ph.D., assistant professor of education, works closely with Marie Bambrick, SSJ, M.Ed., scholarship liaison officer, to organize the annual event on CHC’s campus.

The women’s and men’s basketball teams, the cross country team and the women’s soccer team all pitched in to help, and many members of the College community ate at Bruno’s on the day of the walk, which donated a percentage of all proceeds to the foundation, raising nearly $500.

Visit the Lily’s Hope Foundation website for more information.

In addition to working on the Lily’s Loop Walk, The Council for Exceptional Children gives students opportunities to become involved in social advocacy and hands-on experience working with individuals with physical and mental challenges.

In the spring, the group plans to host a Light It Up Blue day in April to educate the College community about Autism and the Autism Awareness Foundation. Future plans include either hosting or participating in events such as the Special Olympics or those run by the Easter Seal Foundation and United Cerebral Palsy.

Interested in membership? Contact Dr. Leonard Spearing, spearingl@chc.edu, or Mary Stratton, strattonm@chc.edu, co-advisors. 

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“Pipeline” 

The Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a program in late October to educate the College community about a national trend in which children are funneled into juvenile criminal justice systems rather than being given the additional educational and counseling services they need. Many of these children have learning disabilities or histories of poverty, abuse or neglect. “Pipeline” was an open discussion based on information distributed at the beginning of the event.

“Juvenile detention is often used for small offenses and is a revolving door,” says Kai Asbury ’17, BSU’s president. “Police presence in city schools, especially, along with metal detectors and guns, cause more aggression and the special ed programs don’t really help.”

The BSU has sponsored several events this semester to raise awareness around social justice issues. According to Asbury, BSU is now in its second year and growing. On December 3, the BSU will host (At SugarLoaf) “Guess Who is Coming to Lunch with Toni Ford and Friends.”

“The afternoon is designed for conversation and storytelling across generations while sharing favorite foods,” says Asbury. “Our goal is to share the wisdom of elders and the visions of the young.”

The group also is hoping to hold a spring carnival built around different traditionally black cultures from the West Indies, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, for example.

“We want to include music, dance and food from these cultures, and hold it in the Piazza,” she says.

BSU sponsors programming that rotates themes between music, movies, culture, fun and educational events.  

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Social Just-US and Nu Epsilon members gathered on October 17 to make 400 Re-Entry Personal Care kits for distribution through regional post-incarceration support centers.  Additionally, other members delivered pizza and soda to a local shelter.