Pictured left to right are Maine State Senate President Beth Edmonds, Award winners Khadra Jama and Becki Quimby of University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn College, and USM Interim President Joseph Wood.

March 2008

Maine Campus Compact, a consortium of 18 higher education institutions dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education, is pleased to present Khadra Jama and Becki Quimby of University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn College with this year's Heart and Soul Award.  The award, now in its 7th year, honors students who have demonstrated a commitment to using campus-based resources to address community needs.

“Khadra and Becki have transformed USM LAC's Office of Community Service”, says Matthew Barison , VISTA Leader for Maine Campus Compact. “Their first major project was a service learning breakfast which brought together students, faculty and community partners to address needs and analyze service gaps in the Lewiston/Auburn area. This collaboration has led to some major projects which may not have occurred otherwise”. Together they built USM LAC's community partner contacts to include over 100 partners and nearly 60 different community based projects during this last year alone.

Additionally, the office compiles and widely publishes a monthly Civic Engagement calendar, bringing together all the great activities being run by L/A institutions.  All the while, the two have worked hard to recruit more students, and have doubled the office's staff.

“Their efforts in transforming the campus into a more engaging place exemplify the ability of dedicated Maine students to be forces for positive change both on their campuses and within their communities”, says Barison. Both were presented with this award at a ceremony at the State House on April 2nd.