Communications Students “Pay it Forward”

In Anntarie Sims’ Small Group Communication class, students are bestowed with a unique opportunity for an undergraduate student—go out into the world and make a difference.

This semester, three groups of students from the class are reaching out to members of the community to support environmental efforts, underprivileged young mothers, and third-world entrepreneurs.

Audrey Hix ’12, Maddie Patrick ’10, Victoria Scarfone ’10, Chelsea Woodson ’12, and John Zoppina ’12 decided they wanted to support the efforts of a Web site called Kiva (www.kiva.org). According to the Web site, Kiva’s mission is “to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.” Kiva utilizes microfinancing, where people make small loans to entrepreneurs, like farmers in Uganda or grocery store owners in Bolivia, and are repaid over time.

The student group established a team through Kiva called KivaKind at The College of New Jersey and has been encouraging people to join their team through social media networks, like Facebook and Twitter. Within two weeks, the group and members of their Kiva team raised and lent $175. KivaKind’s efforts will continue after the semester is over; their team page can be found at www.kiva.org/team/kivakind .

Another group directed its efforts toward helping the environment within TCNJ’s community. Kyle Andrucyk ’12, David Bosak ’10, Julie Buxbaum ’12, Patricia McWatters ’11, Matthew Mosner ’11, and Sarah Ruane ’11 created a group called Water Works. They developed a plan to install clean water taps in buildings on TCNJ’s campus. The taps would allow students and faculty to refill reusable bottles, thus encouraging tap-water usage and reducing the amount of plastic water bottles consumed by  TCNJ’s campus community. The students also aided the student organizations Water Watch and Take Back the Tap in their “Green Week” initiatives.

There is also a third direction of efforts in the class. Dhara Desai ’10, John Kovac ’11, Samantha Leschek ’12, Louis Orth ’11, Erika Rieth ’12, and Ivana Vranjes ’10 are supporting the Inwood House in New York City. The Inwood House is a shelter for underprivileged young mothers from unsupportive families and sometimes abusive relationships. The mothers come to the Inwood House in order for support and the skills they need to have better futures for themselves and their children. The TCNJ students  held a benefit show on April 13 at the Lawrenceville Armory in Lawrenceville, NJ, and all their proceeds benefited the Inwood House.

All three groups are learning the intricacies of working in a small, diverse group and the importance of organizing efforts to benefit a cause that affects hundreds or thousands of people. These TCNJ students now know “paying-it-forward” is a lot of work but is also soulfully satisfying.