Everything Nac

A Stephen F. Austin State University student service project that helps feed approximately 150 local families during Thanksgiving was recognized as a model for other universities across the country Nov. 21 at the National Council on Family Relations annual meeting in Fort Worth.

Thanksgiving Homebound has assisted Nacogdoches families in need for nearly 10 years. Coordinated by SFA’s Jacks Council on Family Relations, the service project stands out because of its longevity, community and campus involvement, and impact on SFA students’ education.

“It allows students to see that poverty exists all around them and that their efforts can help alleviate families’ struggles to provide for themselves,” said Dr. Jennifer Newquist, assistant professor in SFA’s School of Human Sciences and faculty advisor for JCFR.

Three SFA human development and family studies students had the honor of presenting at the national meeting: Lindsey Lightfoot, 2018-20 JCFR president and Weatherford junior; Julie McAnally, JCFR past vice president and graduate student from Lufkin; and Jaycie Case, JCFR past president and graduate student from Aledo.

Lightfoot, McAnally and Case discussed how they have involved SFA students, faculty and staff as well as the Nacogdoches community in the Thanksgiving Homebound service project each year. They described how the project works, from adopting the families to creating grocery lists tailored to the age, gender and Thanksgiving traditions of the children in each family.

“The conference attendees commented on how special and personalized this service project truly is,” Lightfoot said.

Thanksgiving Homebound started in fall 2011 shortly after SFA’s Family and Child Development Club became the SFA student affiliate for the National Council on Family Relations, the premier professional association for understanding families through interdisciplinary research, theory and practice.

That year, several JCFR members volunteering at the Greater East Texas Community Action Program’s Head Start in Nacogdoches overheard two teachers discussing the many service projects that benefit GETCAP Head Start families during the Christmas season. Though the teachers appreciated these projects, they wished organizations recognized that families needed assistance at other times of the year, too.

The JCFR members then worked with their faculty advisor to design a project to gather nonperishable food items for eight GETCAP Head Start families for Thanksgiving. Local GETCAP Head Start staff members were overwhelmed by the success of the project.

Quotes about this success from both participating families and community organization advisors “resonated with the school affiliates at the conference,” McAnally said. “Those affiliates left with a good idea of how to start similar projects on their campuses.”

In less than a decade, Thanksgiving Homebound has grown tremendously. Along with GETCAP Head Start, the project assists organizations such as the Solid Foundation Association, a nonprofit tutoring and mentoring program for at-risk youth; the Family Crisis Center of East Texas; the Boys and Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas; and the Nacogdoches County adult probation program.

“The conference attendees were impressed by how many families we were able to reach,” Case said.

With the increase in Thanksgiving Homebound participants, JCFR members now rely on SFA faculty and staff as well as other campus and community organizations to adopt families and provide them with nonperishable goods for a Thanksgiving meal.

“The SFA community truly goes above and beyond in this project, and that helped me realize that people do care and want to help out,” Lightfoot said.

To meet their service project goals, JCFR members are interacting more with others on campus and in the community. And as more community members learn about the student-run JCFR, more professional development opportunities open up to these students.

“Thanksgiving Homebound has taught me how to create connections with local resources and those who advocate for families in a community,” said Case, who has helped with the service project for the past five years. “It and JCFR have created such a powerful learning experience for me that they’ve inspired me to continue my studies in the field of human sciences.”

For more information, email newquistjl@sfasu.edu.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Dr. Daniel Unger, Kenneth Nelson Distinguished Professor of spatial science within Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, was awarded the 2019 Carl Alwin Schenck Award from the Society of American Foresters during the SAF National Convention held in November in Louisville, Kentucky.

The national award recognizes individuals who display a notable and sustained record of excellence in forestry education through outstanding service to the field and the development of dynamic, personal teaching methods.

“To be recognized by my fellow colleagues at the national level regarding my commitment to forestry education throughout my career is a humbling experience,” Unger said. “I truly enjoy interacting with the students on a daily basis.”

Unger is one of three SFA forestry professors who have earned the prestigious award. Dr. David Kulhavy, Laurence C. Walker professor of forest entomology, received the award in 2010, and Dr. Brian Oswald, Joe C. Denman Distinguished Professor of fire ecology, received the award in 2002.

“I would be surprised if there is another forestry program in the country that could ever claim to have three Schenck award winners on its active faculty,” said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. “It’s hard to imagine a better recognition of the innovation and effectiveness of the teaching and learning provided by our faculty members.”

Carl Alwin Schenck, the award’s namesake, was a German-born and educated forester who founded the first forestry education program in the U.S. in 1898.

Story by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Contact information: fullersa@sfasu.edu or (936)468-1185.

The Society of American Foresters named Stephen F. Austin State University senior Kathryn Christensen as a 2019 Diversity Scholar and recognized the SFA student chapter of the SAF as one of the top three student chapters in the nation during the organization’s national conference held last month in Louisville, Kentucky.

The SAF Diversity Scholar Program is designed to promote leadership and create community within the SAF by encouraging the involvement of a variety of people in the profession. As the 2019 Diversity Scholar, Christensen participated in the organization’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and was paired with a mentor who works in the field of natural resources.

Christensen, a forestry major, said she advocates for expanding access to outdoor recreation in marginalized communities.

“My love for the outdoors came from my mother’s amazingly creative ways to get us in touch with nature on a budget,” Christensen said. “My past experiences of feeling left out because of the inability to afford camps, cruises and more luxurious ways of viewing nature has only fueled my passion for giving opportunities to those who find outdoor recreation unattainable.”

Christensen serves as the president of the student chapter of the SAF, and along with other organization members, she was instrumental in the SFA chapter being recognized on a national stage for its accomplishments in service, involvement with other natural resource organizations and building community relationships.

To learn more about this and other SFA student organizations, visit atcofa.sfasu.edu.

Story by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Contact information: (936) 468-1185 or fullersa@sfasu.edu.