Community Engaged Learning & Research
Concept Cue
I was very intimidated when I first learned the service hour requirements for the American Sign Language Interpreting program coursework. But now that I have begun, I am really grateful for the opportunity to do Service Learning for the experiences I'm having and the connections I'm making.
Concept Cue
Reflect on previous involvement in the community. How has the learning at SLCC shifted your understanding of community? How did your experience with civic engagement relate to the learning in the classroom? How did your experiences support and/or conflict with course content? Please upload appropriate multimedia onto your e-portfolio along with your response.
Sego Lily Purple Tie Gala (2022)
Before becoming a part of a CES course as SLCC, most of my involvement in the Deaf Community had been through church and mostly with people my own age. I had one really close friendship with one Deaf friend. Since participating with community partners though the INTR 1100 course my invovement has broadened. One of our community partners, The Sego Lily Center for Abused Deaf, was looking for volunteers for their annual fundraising gala. SLCAD offers vital mental health and social resources to Deaf victims of domestic violence and other types of abuse. The gala is an annual event. They sell tickets and hold both a silent and live auction to raise money for the center. I served on the registration committee. We met via zoom before the event to discuss our reponsibilities. On the night of the event I was part of the team that checked people in, kept track of bid totals, took payments, and checked people out. The evening was a success. I was thrilled to be a part of it and to support SCLAD's mission.
Community Partner Report
Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf (SLCAD)
Mission: SLCAD chose its name for the Sego Lily, the Utah State flower. They did this because of the unique qualities this flower has. Sego Lilies are known to be beautiful and have the ability to withstand all kinds of weather, be it stormy, snowy, rainy, or droughtful. SLCAD chose this flower as a symbol hoping to send the message to victims and survivors that they are like these beautiful and tough flowers. They have weathered many “storms” of life and they have made it through, still standing strong, like Sego Lilies.
Issues: SCLAD serves Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind victims of domestic and sexual violence of all ages, genders, ethnic background, communication needs and religion. It does not matter when the abuse happened-in the past or present.
Civic Engagement: There are several volunteer and sponsorship opportunities with SLCAD. Students can become and event volunteer (like I did), can volunteer in the office, or can become a victim advocate (which requires additional training, fluency in ASL, and a two year commitment.) Volunteers with an interest in policy development and fundraising may even wish to serve on the board.
I can definitely see myself volunteering with SLCAD again. I want to support them in their mission to empower survivors. It is a couse dear to my heart. I know how hard it can be to get help, even without the language barrier present for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind when seeking mental health or social services.
