Bethany Schroeder, Ithaca, NY
During her appointment as a Cornell Civic Leaders Fellow, Bethany Schroeder will develop a program to document, monitor, and evaluate the outcomes of volunteers with Ithaca Health Alliance (IHA), including those with Ithaca Free Clinic and other IHA programs. Schroeder, President of the Board of Directors of IHA, notes that increasing numbers of volunteers have made themselves available to assist in the work of the Alliance and Free Clinic. Since opening the Free Clinic in 2006, 59 students, faculty, and staff from Cornell have volunteered. The program will be designed to reflect the needs and serve the expectations of all community volunteers, with the hope that the project can be replicated in other regional health and human services programs.
Jemila Sequeira, Ithaca, NY -
Through “Gardens for Humanity” (G4H) Jemila Sequeira intends to link new gardeners of all incomes, ethnicities, and ages with the resources they need to plan, grow, and prepare meals and preserve food from backyard and community gardens. When fully implemented, G4H would make gardens available to anyone in Tompkins County who would like them, regardless of financial means, living situation or gardening experience. Those who could pay would help support the services for those who cannot. With support of the Cornell Civic Leader Fellowship, Sequeira plans to expand the pilot G4H initiatives, support development of 2-3 new pilot community sites, and deepen the G4H network that connects gardening sites to each other and to existing community and Cornell University resources.
