M O N T H LY N E W S L E T T E R
1 l
0 i
1
BONNER
2 pr
A
Congress Reps, Bonner Interns & Student Leaders
Type to enter text
ETTER
B O N N E R E -N E W S L
“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides
through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”
W h at s your B i g idea ?
S ummer is right around the corner,
and another semester of service is
almost complete. Congratulations to the
graduating seniors and a hearty thank
you to Bonners around the country who
stay committed to their service along
with the steady demand of school work.
Your service does not go unnoticed and
is part of the reason that we can have
the deep impact that we have in our
communities. As we prepare for this
summer’s SLI at Sienna College in Albany
NY, take the time to visit your Big Idea
projects. Make effort to reflect on your
service work and the progress of your
Big Idea. The Bonner Advisory Board
NEWS
- Maya Angelou
(BAB) will be following up with you in
the coming month to check in on how
your Big Ideas are progressing. We want
to hear about the great work that is
happening around the network and the
impact Bonner make every day.
This edition of the newsletter features
reflections and articles from your fellow
Bonners on a variety of topics and social
issues. If you are interested in writing for
the newsletter email.
mrichardson@bonner.org.
Michael Richardson
Program Associate
Bonner Foundation
April 2011
16th edition
This mo
nth’s
Hot Top
ic s
Take Action
Big Idea Check In!!
As you progress through the school year, be
thinking about ways in which you can
strengthen and move forward with your Big
Idea! Check in with your BAB member this
month and let them know of your challenges
and successes so far.
Reflections p. 2 -5
Bonner’s around the Network
A series of reflections, issue articles, and
partner highlights from staff and Bonner
journalists
Alumni Highlight p. 6
What are Bonner Alumni doing
now? The Bonner Alumni Highlight section is
a great way to see what Alumni are doing
now! Check out this months Alumni Highlight!
Bonner Big Ideas! p. 7-8
See whats happening!
Check out what Rider, Morehouse, and are
doing with their Big Idea!
Bonner Video Project p.
9-10
BVP deadline is coming up!
Final deadline for Bonner Videos is May 5th!!
Find information about the new changed to
the Bonner Video Project and get started!!
 Best Practice: First Year Trip to New
Orleans
Tsesa Monahgan, Class of 20’13 Macalester College
When applying for Bonner program the summer
before coming Macalester College in St Paul,
Minnesota, part of what appealed to me was the
opportunity to go on a service-learning trip to New
Orleans as part of a post-hurricane effort. I was
surprised that approximately five years after the
disaster Macalester was still sending students,
ignorantly thinking the lingering effects would be
minimal. However, I was shocked immediately when
we arrived seeing that many parts of the city are still
suffering. Angela Butel, a sophomore, shared a similar
feeling. “I had been to New Orleans a couple of years
before for a similar service trip, and I was expecting
things to be significantly different on this trip, but…
for many people, nothing had changed.” While the
wealthier areas of town and tourist attractions like the French Quarter were repaired very soon after the
hurricane and suffered less damage originally, other areas, like the well-known Lower Ninth Ward, are still almost
empty fields, although they were once bustling neighborhoods. Many people who relocated immediately following
the hurricane have not yet been able to come home, or do not wish to do so.

While the trip had many different components, one important part was different kinds of volunteer work. My
small group did a lot of work with community gardens, and it was interesting learning about how they are being
used to provide nutritious food to local residents and teach about gardening while involving local community
members. The work we did in NOLA was very influential to some Bonners, impacting what kind of civic
engagement or social justice issues they were interested in pursuing back in St Paul. Tan Do, a junior, volunteered
at a soup kitchen, and after meeting a little boy there, she was inspired to continue similar work through Bonner.
“After meeting him, I decided to work at Family Place during my sophomore year with homeless youth [and
later] an organization called Project Home, which works with churches to provide a place for homeless families
to stay at night.” Zack Avre, a first year, explained, “From the sights we saw to the testimonials we heard, the trip
only confirmed for me that I want to use my talents and energy for civic engagement and fighting for those who
have been marginalized within our society.” Rosie Glenn-Finer, a sophomore, changed her major as a result of the
trip, explaining, “New Orleans gave me a chance to realize the importance of working as an active member of my
community. I added a Community and Global Health concentration to my biology major to integrate my work in
science with community involvement on a larger scale.”

The trip also involved learning more about the unique New Orleans culture. We attended small museums to
learn about different communities in NOLA, and four of us were extremely lucky in getting to see Mardi Gras
Indians parading first hand while we were waiting for a trolley. Angela described it as her favorite part of the trip,
and for me I will never forget their amazing, hand-beaded elaborate costumes and their incredible energy and
music. NOLA is a very special city, and the trip was a lot of fun, but also a really powerful and important part of
my college experience so far. I hope to remember what I learned about structural inequality as I continue in the
fight for social justice.

If you would like to learn more about our trip, please check out our Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=PxmA_ItdbzA
 One Step Away – a newspaper of the
streets
Unsolved Community Issues Section
By Joe Landolfi, Rider University

One Step Away is Philadelphia’s

first newspaper of the streets or
homeless newspaper. Their
mission is to raise awareness
about homelessness and provide
employment to those in need. In
fact, their vendors make 75% of
the profit from each newspaper
sale; the other 25% is for printing
costs.

One Step Away is a unique paper

of the streets unlike the other 26
homeless newspapers across the
continent: nearly all of its content
is produced by residents of
shelters in Philadelphia. Their writers provide first-hand insight about the issues that impact the homeless
population. This makes their stories more genuine, helps them become better writers, and makes them
more job-ready.

One Step Away is a project of Resources for Human Development (RHD), Philadelphia-based national
human-services non-profit, whose mission is to serve individuals with diverse needs through programming
such as One Step Away.

“Lil’ Addict” is a cartoon featured in One Step Away. The creator of “Lil’ Addict” is Robert Hayes, a resident
of one of Philadelphia’s shelters. His cartoons carry messages about addiction, temptation, and recovery in
a thought-provoking way. In fact, “Lil’ Addict” has been picked up by the Philadelphia Public School System
for publication and use as an educational resource for parents and children. His cartoon was selected for
the relevancy of its topic and for Hayes’s imaginative, yet informative approach.

Hayes is an example of the potential success at which

practical programs, such as One Step Away, can help
individuals arrive.

For more information about Hayes’s story: http://

www.streetnewsservice.org/news/2011/january/
feed-267/homeless-cartoonist’s-work-used-to-teach-
pupils-about-addiction.aspx

For more information about One Step Away:

http://www.osaphilly.org/

For more information about RHD: Rober Hayes, the creator of “Lil Addict” at
work.
http://www.rhd.org/Home.aspx
 Strength to Move Away the Bully

Unsolved Community Issues Section

By Chaz A Barracks, University of Richmond

On my campus, there are flyers promoting the month of “Gaypril”, to feature a series of events that will take
place over the next few weeks, promoting the presence of LGBT individuals on campus and beyond. My first
reaction of this pertained to the efforts that campus administrators and student groups possess in order to get
such events supported and publicized campus wide.

On another students exist who may not understand why gays feel they need to emphasize themselves as
“community” and demand such attention through posted advertisements and events, and therefore make fun of
such efforts. Bully’s especially, who may not condone such communities, feel the need to express their negatively
on something that’s meant to be inclusive and positive.

Although education around prevention has evolved in many forms, bullying is still a major an unsolved community
issue facing our schools on all levels. We (Bonners) are the youth of our community work. Many serving at
schools or youth programs, we’re integrated in the primary locations where bullying eradicates. Regardless of
teacher’s attention or lack of towards such occurrences, we are more likely to act upon such an offence facing
youth because bulling isn’t too far back in our own past. This creates an identifiable understanding of how
important it is for mentors to also create prevention efforts and educate inclusiveness.

The story of young Australian student, Casey Heynes has enhanced bullying in schools as a current hot topic
throughout. The media has responded to Casey’s action of finally standing up to a bully after years of being a
victim of verbal and physical violence because of his weight. This day Casey had enough, after he was punched in
the face several times over and over by a repetitive bully, Casey takes charge and slams the boy on the floor and
looks in him the eye, finally facing his attacker, regaining control. In a fright, the boy gets up and runs away. In an
interview Casey reported that the bullying has decreased drastically since that day. In no way does the support
for Casey’s actions condone school violence as solution to bullying but it acknowledges his ability to put a stop to
the abuse. Such courage, many students’ do not get the opportunity to possess. Casey has stood up for himself
before worse could happen. A student interviewed by the Sydney Telegraph revealed that, "People pick on (Casey)
every single day, they hit him around and stuff and he just got sick of it and let out the anger."

Stop Bullying.gov, a non-profit database that educates the

communities about ways to prevent bullying, discusses
bulling as something that ironically does to not discriminate
nor exclude gender, race, or age. The bully is concerned
with the thing that makes you different or peculiar.
Educators today are supposed to be role models to
students, promoting education as a way to enhance life and
its opportunities within everyone. No role model is setting
an example by ignoring the existence of bullying in the
classroom. We (mentors) have to be the protector for our
youth and recognize the warning signs. Like the efforts of
this month, “Gaypril”, I often reflect on the intense
devotion and courage we must take to promote
inclusiveness as a decreasing method to bullying in our
communities.
 Society and Gender: A Barrier to Service
Unsolved Community Issues Section
By Tre’vell Anderon, Morehouse College Class of 2013

Society has a problem of confusing male with man. Being male is biological. A male has a penis. Being a man
however is more psychological, mental, self-defined. I cannot say what is a man because being a man doesn't
not fit comfortably into a box. You cannot tell me I am not a man because I am feminine. You can't tell me I
am not man because I have a high pitched voice. And you can't tell me that I am no man because I have an
erotic, romantic desire for men - this makes me homosexual, gay, not any less of a man than you.

Because who are you? I wasn't aware that there was a Man Tribunal that determined everyone's man-ness. If
that was the case, you too should be chastised for when you cried last week in your bathroom because you
felt all alone.

Society then says that men are providers, responsible, protective, strong, adventurous. If that is so, my mom
must be a man because she embodies all of these as a single parent in the U.S. military.

Manhood is self-defined. I cannot, and you cannot, say who is a man. For masculinity is not
a dichotomous concept.

Tell that to the rappers, mechanics, and gym-rats.

But we don't want to tell this to our children. When mentoring, it's difficult to tell the youth that you can
express yourself in any manner possible, without fear of how people may perceive your sexuality. Sex, gender
and masculinities are taboo topics in school - they're still taboo in many colleges. 

My question to society is, "how can you expect me to serve, impact and inspire if I have to hide who I am to
fit into your 'Be A Man' box?"

Reflection: Berry College Gets Ready for

20th Anniversary! by Aaron Ogletree, Berry College

2011 marks an important milestone for the Bonner Scholars’ Program at Berry
College—our 20th anniversary! To commemorate this event, another Bonner
Scholar, Amanda Main, and I have been placed in charge of the planning and
coordination of a 20th anniversary brunch to be held this fall. For two sophomore
Bonners this is becoming quite a task. As of this spring, we have been operating
without the guidance of a program coordinator. Since we have been without a
coordinator, our program director has been juggling the management of work sites,
CLAs, incoming Bonner interviews as well as continuing the search for a new
coordinator. Needless to say, she’s busy. But I cannot imagine the planning of
something like this being easy for anyone. We are hosting twenty years of Bonners
as well as their families—that’s 400 plus individuals. We have been toiling away in
search of mailing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, food,
entertainment, cheap but classy invitations and letterhead, and enough room to
accommodate everyone. Luckily our anticipation outweighs our obstacles. As the event gets closer and we
tackle obstacle over obstacle, we can see the end in sight. The Berry College Bonner Scholars’ Program 20th
Anniversary will surely be memorable.
 Alumni Highlight: Matthew Morton
Unsolved Community Issues Section
Stetson University Class of 2006
By Chaz Barracks, University of Richmond

What is one of your best Bonner memories?

I loved the Bonner Retreats we had off of Stetson's campus to
start the year. The culinary options were unconventional (frog
legs?), the "friendly" kick ball games usually devolved to water
fights, and pranks were rampant, but somehow the experience
managed to be meaningful! The retreat reminded us of our
collective purpose to affect change, and it showed us that we
weren't alone in acting on that purpose. The retreat was definitely
a Bonner highlight for me. 

What kind of work have you been involved with

since leaving college?
I took a year off from school to help get the Bonner program
going at Stetson and volunteer in Uganda. I then completed a
Masters in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and am now
finishing a PhD ("DPhil") at the University of Oxford, UK. I've been
working with groups like the European Union and NGOs like
Questscope in the Middle East to develop better ways to evaluate
the impacts of social programs and policies. I've also been
volunteering with community-based youth empowerment projects
through Youth Factor, a new organization some friends and I set up
to improve supports and resources for promising grassroots
efforts around the world. Otherwise, I've been filling time up with
friends and mud runs in the UK. 

How has the Bonner Program impacted your life?

Bonner fostered in me the notion that service is necessary but insufficient. The "Just Do Something" approach
isn't enough to tackle the major challenges facing our generation. Social action has to be long-term, relational,
thoughtful, and relentlessly focused on specified impacts. The Bonner model of student service and advocacy really
reinforced these principles in me, and I've been working ever since to better understand and implement them. 

What is one piece of advice that you would leave for current Bonner Scholars?
The first and simplest piece of advice is to get a group of friends around you to encourage, challenge you, and
serve with you. Transformational service over the long haul can be tough work and emotionally and intellectually
taxing. It really helps to have a group of friends (even 3 or 4 people) go through it together, and the closely-
bonded team makes for a great positive force in the community. Some Bonner programs organize these kinds of
small groups formally, and in others they can emerge more organically. Either way is cool as long as there's an
intentional effort to help each other reflect on the service and support each other. 

If you had one word to describe Bonner, what would it be?

"Wildfire" -- Bonner's more of a movement than an institution. We have lots of awesome fires for social action
and justice ablaze in campuses across the nation. Every time campus groups come into contact with communities
and each other the fire spreads, the movement grows.
 Morehouse’s Big Idea: “Service in
the Arts” by Osaze Jones, Morehouse College Class of 2014


Objective: To involve the
grater college community in
service by introducing them
to our office’s community
partners and various
volunteer opportunities
while catering to their artsy
needs in the form of an
Open Mic night. The vent
also served to advertise our
Campus Wide Day of Service
that was held the following
day.

Personal Reflection: Our Big

Idea, “The Big Idea” took
place on March 18, 2011. As I
walked into the doors of Sale
Hall Chapel, I felt an air of
positivity come over me. When I sat down and saw the live band begin to play, I grew to enjoy the
atmosphere even more than when I walked in. The moment that the program started I was enraptured by
the talent that was on the stage. From the energy that the hosts exuded during each intermission to the
brilliant wordplay that the poets displayed, from the beautiful voices of the singers to the amazing dance
routines, I remained in awe until the end of the performance. It was a wondrous occasion which should be
introduced as a tradition amongst our Bonner Office.

Stetson Bonners Hard at Work on Big

Idea by Linh Tran, Stetson University

Over the past year and a half, Bonners at Stetson University have been diligently working to
accomplish the Big Idea Project from 2009 while also taking steps towards the Big Idea from 2010. In 2009,
Congress Representatives Jack Kelly and Linh Tran and the Bonner Senior Interns decided that the junior
Bonner class did not fulfill a leadership role to leave a legacy for other Bonners. In attempt to fix this, the
juniors were to create a project highlighting their past few years, their obstacles and achievements. To
further perfect our project, this year’s junior Bonners collaborated a Legacy Video
Project consisting of each Bonner’s personal video. Alex Sanchez stitched them all
together and presented to the other Bonners. (Not to be biased because I am a
junior, but it was pretty successful!)

For the most recent Big Idea, Stetson Bonners are in the process of adjusting
specific components to the Freshman Exploration Project, which was mainly
developed by Scarlett McCoy and Maria Wrabel the summer of 2010. Although it Linh Tran
was only the first run through in the fall, it really well thought out and organized. Stetson University
There are a few kinks that the Bonners hope to smooth out before the Congress
 Big Ideas around the Country!
by Anna Miller, Widener University & Mauro Cantantore, Middlesex County College


The great thing about the Big Idea process is that is individualized to each school!

At Davidson, the students decided that strengthening the relationships between the members of their
program and their community partners was important. In addition, as students in the Bonner program, they
obviously had awesome ideas that they wanted to introduce to their community partners, which is fantastic!
What is pivotal to remember when having these new ideas, however, is to recognize that we can’t just push
our ideas upon our service coordinators; we have to present them in a great way that gives them the
opportunity to come on board or perhaps revise the idea to more beneficial. Either way, awesome Big Idea
Davidson!

Rider University Bonners, according to Joseph Landolfi, focused their Big Idea on reorganizing the community
service council at their school. The community service council is responsible for planning campus wide
service events. These large scale events are great ways to present and encourage support and awareness for
a cause that really hits home with you. Many campuses in the Bonner Network already have an organization
similar to Rider’s community service council, but if your school doesn’t, follow suite to the Big Idea from
Rider University!

Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” What’s awesome is that there are so many ways
to implement that change. Whether it is by bringing new ideas to a non-profit for whom you serve or by
encouraging support and bringing awareness for awesome causes, the Big Idea is helping to bring that change
that we as Bonners want to see in the world!

Morehouse Service in Mississippi

by Tre’vell Anderson, Morehouse College
“How can you serve abroad if you can’t serve within your own borders?”
This is a question I posed to the freshman class of Bonners. They were slightly upset when we announced that
a portion of their Spring Break would be spent in Ocean Springs, Mississippi whereas our junior class would
be serving in Dangriga, Belize.But this all changed once we began, experienced and returned from the deep
South.

Freshman Martavius Leonard reflected on the first day and our visit to the National Tuskegee Airmen Historic
Site in Alabama. “Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it,” he said. “Yes, I learned a great deal. However, I was expecting
much more out of the site.” Our first night in Mississippi, we settled into our living quarters at Camp Victor, a
large, open room with bunk beds and community showers. That night, we chose to experience the city by
having dinner at a local favorite restaurant The Shed. “It was a different experience for me especially since we
were some of few African Americans in the establishment,” Leonard said.

The next day was spent with Hands on Mississippi. We were broken into two groups - building water bars or
performing property clean-up. The second day, our original project had been cancelled so we traveled to
Biloxi to perform a beach cleanup. The third day, the city was closed due to the many Mardi Gras festivities.
We were able to attend various parades in the city. One on one interviews were had with our new program
coordinator Mr. Bentley. The freshmen were allowed the opportunity to debrief about their experience. We
also were able to leave our mark in Camp Victor in the form of two murals (see photos). It turns out that the
trip wasn’t as bad as they thought it would be. They are already excited about planning the junior year
international trip.
 Bonner Video Project 2011


What is the Bonner Video Project?
The Bonner Video Project (BVP) is part of the Bonner Network's Serve 2.0
Initiative, using social media tools to enhance and expand the culture of
community service and social justice among college students and the
communities they serve throughout the nation.  
 
Over 100 videos have been produced through the BVP. Now in its third year,
the Bonner Video competition will be more exciting than ever! Check out the
BonnerNetwork YouTube channel to view entries from the 2009 and 2010
competitions.
 
What is different about this year's competition?

In the past, the Bonner Video Project has focused on the creation of single videos through a variety of themes. This
year, we are making a change.  We are looking for high-quality video series.  Think powerful, concise documentaries
— in short, illustrative series.  We want you to create a video series with 3 (ideally) short videos that tell the stories
for the themes below.  Each video in the series can be 2 to 5 minutes long — but the length should be dictated by
what you, the director, are trying to accomplish.

What are the categories for this year?

Issues to Impact
Pick an issue (homelessness, youth development, immigration) and show us how your Bonners (or
students doing service) Bonner Program, campus, and community work on it - and make an impact!
Think about the process of learning about an issue, working with it in the community, and then making
and measuring the impact related to your work. 

Local to Global
Pick an issue or topic around which you serve (like water quality, food access, immigrants' access to
college education) and show us how your Bonners (or other students doing service), program, or campus
is connecting their local work with global issues or needs.  Or show us the global situation is affecting
the local one.   

Service to Politics
Show us how students in your program (and campus more broadly) make the connection between their
direct service work and politics — through advocacy, public policy, and public education. 

Reps in Action
Show us how students in your program identified and took action on a big idea to strengthen their
Bonner Program, campus, or community.  This one should be connected to your Congress
Representatives' big ideas or their work in Regional Teams!  Here, we're trying to see student voice
and leadership in action for change!  What does it take?  Who do you network with and why? How
do you get things done?

Bonner Love
Back by popular demand, the Bonner Video Project 2010-2011 will also accept single video entries that
exhibit Bonner Love. Here are the details:
 
Your video should highlight how your Bonner Program or service center fosters the “beloved
community” through a sense of community building, appreciation for diversity, and the promotion of
acts of peace, unity, and human rights.
 BONNER VIDEO PROJECT 2011
It's that time of year again! The competition is
back and better than ever, with even more
opportunities to get your video into the annual
Bonner Film Festival at the Summer Leadership
Institute at Siena College in Albany, NY from
May 31 to June 3.

Check out the Bonner Video Project homepage to This year's Bonner Video

learn more about this year's competition. All Project focuses
entries are due by Friday May 5th at 5pm. on documentary series of
3 videos. 
All campuses must select
their Bonner Video Liaison and Categories are:
upload their information to the BVL
Issue to Impact
Roster page by this Friday, January
Local to Global
14th.
Service to Politics
e sure to connect is information
Congress Reps in Action
“We don't just make videos; We make change”.
   
Videos are due by 5pm on And a Bonus Single Video Competition!
Friday, May 6, 2011 Bonner Love