TWU and Volunteerism

TWU Alumna Laurie Stokes-Bell, Chair of the North Texas Walk to End Alzheimer’s shown with Walk volunteer, Thomas Owens

Laurie Stokes-Bell, 1993, MMSW, LBSW, Social Work, is so dedicated to finding the answer to the devastating disease called Alzheimer’s that she has chaired the North Texas Walk to End Alzheimer’s to benefit the Alzheimer’s Foundation for the past two years.  The most recent Walk was held September 22 in Denton.  Laurie’s background of volunteerism began at TWU as an undergraduate student where she says that TWU’s School of Social Work provided a rich environment to explore and work to make a difference in the lives of others.   “The rewards from my volunteerism have been innumerable.  I continue to be blessed by the opportunity to serve several vulnerable populations,” says Laurie.

Laurie went on to earn a Masters degree in Social Work from UT- Arlington and is currently employed by Hospice Plus as a Hospice Consultant.  In her caring manner Laurie notes that she is privileged to serve patients and their families at the end of their journey.

Regarding her volunteer role with Alzheimer’s Laurie told us, “I look forward to the day when this devastating disease is no more.  As a social worker, I have watched individuals with Alzheimer’s struggle with the multiple losses they encounter throughout the disease process.  The families of the Alzheimer’s victim are not immune to the ravages of the disease as they watch their loved one slowly disappear.  It truly is the Long Goodbye.”
If you would like to support this cause, visit the Alzheimer’s Foundation or find a Walk to End Alzheimer’s near you.

The spirit of volunteerism and the opportunity to explore its rewards are still very much a part of the TWU culture.  Just this past week the Office of Volunteer Services held its annual volunteer fair called “Find Your Fit.”  Students were encouraged to visit various booths to learn about the possibilities.  Interestingly, two of those booths, Peace Corps and Hearts for Homes, were manned by TWU alumnae.

Through Helping Hands, the largest student organization on campus, hundreds of TWU students sign up to serve the campus and the community.  As alumni director at TWU I continue to be touched by the spirit of caring exhibited by both our graduates and our students!

Share your story of volunteering at TWU or in your community by posting here.

First Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award Event

Alumni Award Display in Hubbard Hall

In April of this year, there was a “first” held on the TWU campus.  TWU recognized the first recipient of the Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award.  Unlike a lot of awards that recognize distinguished alumni, which this one certainly does, there is not a luncheon or dinner involved.  Instead, the award recognizes alumni achievement but also adds to the body of academic knowledge by bringing the honoree to one of the TWU campus locations to share experience and expertise with the students, faculty and alumni in the honoree’s professional field.  Pat Costner, the inaugural honoree, holds two degrees from TWU and was recognized for her contributions to environmental science during her many years with Greenpeace.  Honorees, there will be one each semester, are recognized in a permanent display in the foyer of Hubbard Hall on the Denton campus.   I’ll post again later about the second honoree, Dr. Anngienetta Johnson.

TWU’s Chancellor, Dr. Ann Stuart, has personally funded this award for 20 years so that even after she has retired the award can be given and the departments involved can continue to bring the honorees back to TWU.

I hope that you enjoy seeing a few of the photos from the reception, award presentation and the talk given by Pat Costner for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

TWU faculty, students and alumni enjoyed meeting Pat Costner at her Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award campus event reception

Dr. Richard Sheardy, Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Chancellor Stuart present the Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award

Pat Costner’s presentation gave a global perspective about the persistent organic pollutants (POPS) that plague the world’s waters and the hope for solving those issues

In the 60s

Fitted, sleeveless bodices and flared skirts in 1963

A little bit of shopping over the Memorial Day weekend left me with the eerie feeling that I had seen the ”latest fashions”  before — the “new” Peter Pan collar on blouses, dresses with fitted bodices and flared skirts, cardigans, straight skirts and skinny legs on pants.  Surely enough, a review of the 1962 and 1963 Daedalian yearbooks showed me why these current fashions seemed so familiar!

However ………..I don’t think the bobby socks are coming back any time soon!  Let’s hope not!

Enjoy these other 1962-63 coed fashions!

And then the 2012 versions…..

Peter Pan collar and cardigan

Row of bobby sox

Skinny Leg Pants

Kindergarten Memories

The TWU Alumni Office often receives notice of the passing of one of our alumni.  One particular obituary caught my eye recently because Norwyn Kent Worthey, age 93, not only graduated from Texas State College for Women but, according to the notice, also from Kindergarten at the College of Industrial Arts (CIA).  I have heard other alumni and their family members speak of the Kindergarten that was once here on the Denton campus.  So I went to the history books to get some additional information.

“The first kindergarten at a state college was instituted at CIA in 1917.  For almost a century, the Denton campus has provided assistance to students with children through the kindergarten program, the demonstration school and the child development center.”  (From Marking the Trail: The Quest Continues, 2001).   These facilities provided child care for children of faculty and later students.  If space allowed, Denton community members could enroll their children.

If you attended one of these TWU institutions and have memories or photos that you would like to share, we would like to receive them!  Send to alumnirelations@twu.eduwith the subject line “Kindergarten.”  Or mail them to the TWU Office of Alumni Relations, PO Box 425725, Denton, TX 76204 Attn: Kindergarten

P. S. with a note of pride.  TWU is still assisting student parents to provide childcare so that they may complete their education.  The program, on the Denton campus, is called the Clubhouse and enrolls children (ages 5-12) of resident and commuting students for activities under licensed care.  If space allows, faculty and staff children may enroll.  http://www.twu.edu/housing/clubhouse.asp

A Special Valentine

A proud grandparent, alumna Judy Elias (1986 Government, 1991 Rhetoric) shared this special Valentine story with us and we wanted to pass it along.  It will make your day !

Judy’s granddaugher, Abby, enlisted the help of her mom, Ashlee, to create “love sacks” for homeless people on Valentine’s Day.  Abby explains the project in the note she wrote. (Notice how she puts a tiny little TM above “love sack” each time,  letting everyone know its her trademarked idea!)

You can make your own love sack, if you want.  Here is the list of items to put in a love sack  – cost about $3.00 if purchased in quantity.  Everything goes in a big re-sealable plastic bag.

• 1 bottle of water
• 1 StarKist Lunch to Go pack with tuna creackers, mayo, relish, spoon, napkin, and mint
• 1 Nut and Seed Bar
• 1 Container of applesausce
• 1 small heart cut out of cardstock paper

Somehow I think that Abby has the right idea for this February holiday!  Don’t you?

Caring Connections-Therapeutic Riding Inspires TWU Students

In a recent issue of the TWU New Grad Connection Newsletter, we featured two TWU students, one about to graduate and the other pursuing her second degree at TWU. Please read the article “Caring Connections” and learn about how a love for horses and an amazing little girl named Abby, lead to a caring connection through TWU. Enjoy!

http://www.twu.edu/downloads/alumni/Caring_Connections-NewGrad_Newsletter.pdf

 

　

Housing Crunch

Enrollment is up!  With “census” day passed (the twelfth day of classes is the official enrollment count), TWU is ahead of all projections. It’s a great thing to be in demand — but with success comes extra demands on campus services — especially housing.

It was anticipated that all of the residence halls and the suite style apartments owned by TWU would be full, with triples in most rooms.  So plans began last spring to move juniors and seniors who wanted TWU housing to several apartment properties adjacent to campus.  When this plan was announced to the students, many of whom thought they would return to their familiar surroundings, it was not well received!  The exact properties had not been revealed so maybe they thought it would cost more, or maybe students did not want to leave friends they had made, or maybe it was just the thought of moving to an unknown, but there were editorials in the Lasso and grumblings all across campus. It created more noise than I had heard about anything since coming to TWU.

These overflow apartments are called TWU Select Properties and there are three complexes.  Just before school began I took advantage of an offer from the TWU Housing Office, to tour the new properties.  I was favorably impressed!  The management of the properties, in order to get the TWU business, did a lot of “sprucing up,” both inside and out.  Students had choices to have a private apartment or to have a roommate(s).    The cost is a little more than TWU owned properties, but the same price as the regular rent would be for that apartment.  The apartments come with cable, internet, laundry facilities, parking and TWU security just as in the other housing options and that is no additional cost. The complexes, being a little further away from the main classroom buildings, do require a little better time planning to get to classes on time.  (That was always a problem for me when I was in college!)

I took some photos of two of the three complexes, Bent Tree and Lone Star which I am sharing with you in this entry.  One of our student employees actually lives in the other, Austin Place, and she was good enough to share a photo of her room, beautifully decorated!

Although Dallas and Houston no longer have housing for the Nursing programs there, I know that some great memories were once created there.  I hope you enjoy the photos and that you will feel free to share your memories of living in TWU housing on any of the campuses.