Staff Profile
Robert Hackett
From the Heart of The Bonner Foundation: Elaine ...

In celebration of Elaine Wheeler's retirement, we honor her invaluable contribution to the Bonner Foundation. Her commitment and mentorship have been instrumental in our growth as a Foundation and the Network we have today. As she embarks on her retirement, we celebrate her legacy of dedication and look forward to the path she has paved for us.

From the Heart of The Bonner Foundation: Elaine Wheeler's Retirement Celebration
Robert Hackett
Announcing the Refreshed Bonner Wiki

With over three decades sharing campus examples, guides, and documents to download, the Bonner Foundation is excited to announce a recently updated Bonner Resources Wiki.

This summer, the five National Bonner Summer Interns at the Foundation — Anu Baskar (George Mason ‘24), Camila Guayasamin (The College of New Jersey ‘24), Dominique Dore (University of Houston ‘22), Mikaela Chin (High Point University ‘24) and Selah Ndouta (Capital University ‘22) — worked with the Foundation staff to refresh the look of the wiki’s homepage and, more importantly, update campus examples and other documents.

They devoted particularly attention to the Bonner Program Management and Community-Engaged Learning sections. In addition, Mikaela and Dominique also created a short video on how to navigate this wealth of knowledge.

Announcing the Refreshed Bonner Wiki

Maryville

Maryville Professors Team Up to Empower Budding Activists

Maryville Professors Team Up to Empower Budding Activists

One year ago, Professor Adrienne Schwarte and Mark O’Gorman learned about a Bonner Foundation grant that would allow them to start a class focused on social action, and they knew they wanted to get involved. Their passions in design and political science, as well as their involvement with the Center for Community Engagement at Maryville College, came together to create the new “Art, Design, and American Politics” course.

To sum up the mission of the class, Schwarte said, “It’s important to make sure people realize that individuals can make a difference; they do make a difference, and it happens every day.”

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9 Bonners Selected for 2022-23 Newman Civic Fellowship

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9 Bonners Selected for 2022-23 Newman Civic Fellowship

The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers at Campus Compact member institutions. Fellows are nominated by their president or chancellor on the basis of their potential for public leadership.

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change. The yearlong program, named for Campus Compact founder Frank Newman, includes virtual learning opportunities and networking as part of a national network of engaged student leaders and an optional in-person convening.

Campus Compact views the Newman Civic Fellowship as a core component of our strategy to build a national network of engaged student leaders who can support one another in building transformational partnerships between campuses and communities.

Below we have included the personal statement from each of the nine Bonners who are part of the 2022-23 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.

The Human Side of Immigration

The Human Side of Immigration

It’s 8 a.m. in Nogales, Arizona, as 19-year-old Maryvillian Kirksey Dalen Croft [Bonner Scholar from Maryville College] loads the back of a vehicle with supplies for an all-day mission.

She and some others head out for the scorching desert to make water drops for migrants who might be trying to make their way from Mexico and into the United States. On some nights, they camp in the desert. She doesn’t meet any travelers on this trek, but evidence of their presence is starkly evident. As they walk along one of the trails used by the migrants, crosses and memorials come into plain view.

“We’re walking in the middle of nowhere in the desert and all of a sudden, there are six crosses right there,” she said by phone Thursday. “Seeing them became normal even though this is so not normal.”

Read full story here in the Blount County newspaper The Daily Times, by Melanie Tucker Jul 11, 2019

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Maryville Bonner Makes a Difference Among Special-Needs Adults

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Maryville Bonner Makes a Difference Among Special-Needs Adults

At first, Elizabeth Dunn wondered how in the world she could fit community service into her college schedule.

Now she wonders how in the world she could have ignored her volunteer spirit.

Dunn, a first-year student at Maryville College, is a Bonner Scholar. In exchange for scholarship dollars, she volunteers at least 40 hours monthly at the Gateway to Independence, a local non-profit agency whose mission is to help young adults with disabilities to achieve independence by providing them with vocational training and social activities.

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Maryville Bonner Starts Food Recovery Network Chapter

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Maryville Bonner Starts Food Recovery Network Chapter

When Maryville College senior Brandon Denney ’16 began volunteering at local service sites, food became his focus.

As a Bonner Scholar, Denney spends 10 hours a week volunteering at local non-profits. Through his volunteer work, he witnessed food waste firsthand at various jobs and volunteer sites.

While volunteering at a local afterschool program, he also noticed that students in the program had access to healthy and nutritious food that many similar programs were unable to provide.

Alumni Profile: Peter Coats

Alumni Profile: Peter Coats

"The Bonner Scholars program not only showed me the world, it changed the way I see it. Bonner Scholars who complete their service hours during the school year receive a stipend to cover travel and living expenses on an international service trip of their choice each summer. I was able to study and complete my volunteer work in Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Dubai, China, and India."

Bonner Scholar Lives out Boy Scout Slogan

Bonner Scholar Lives out Boy Scout Slogan

oseph "Joey" Courtney exudes a volunteer spirit as he heeds the call to serve in the Boy Scouts of America, living out the Boy Scout slogan "Do a good turn daily."

Courtney, a 19-year-old sophomore at Maryville College, hails from Knoxville, Tenn. He is a Bonner Scholar who volunteers at least 40 hours per month in exchange for scholarship monies to apply toward tuition and books.

Internships Benefit United Way, Local Latino Community, and Maryville Students

Internships Benefit United Way, Local Latino Community, and Maryville Students

Maryville College juniors Jose Perez ‘15 and Owen Shelnutt ‘15 completed summer internships at the United Way of Blount County that provided valuable work for the non-profit while providing relevant, real-world experience for the students.

Both Perez and Shelnutt completed the internship as a part of their Bonner Scholarship summer service requirements.

Perez, a psychology major with minors in sociology and Spanish, was able to provide the United Way of Blount County with important information that will help with future outreach efforts for the local Latino community.

During his internship, Perez worked on translating the United Way's needs assessment survey into Spanish, delivering it to many local businesses. He also hosted several community conversations to get a deeper understanding of the aspirations and needs of the Latino population of Blount County.

Bonner Alumnus and Wife Start Charitable Business

Bonner Alumnus and Wife Start Charitable Business

Residents of Maryville and Alcoa can now help local charities while receiving a low-cost grocery delivery service.

Maryville College alumnus Trey Brewer and wife Brett recently created a grocery delivery service, “In the Bag Delivers,” to fulfill their passion to help their community and local nonprofit organizations.

“I grew up in Maryville and benefited from the overwhelming support of parents, teachers, coaches and the general community. Now that I have graduated from Maryville College, I want to do my part to make the community a better place for the future,” said Trey on the business' official website.

Padilla Selected for THEC Service Award

Padilla Selected for THEC Service Award

Stacey Padilla, a 2015 graduate of Maryville College, is among five college students in Tennessee to be named recipient of the 2015 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award sponsored by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).

Named for the late state representative from Nashville who was instrumental in passing legislation for community service recognition programs for higher education in 1991, the award recognizes outstanding community service at the campus level and carries a $1,000 cash prize.

Perez Leaves Lasting Impact on Campus Community

Perez Leaves Lasting Impact on Campus Community

Maryville College senior José Perez has transformed from a terrified freshman unsure of his place at Maryville College into a social justice advocate who has made a lasting impact on the MC community.

Perez, who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree on May 17, is a first-generation college student and a Mexican-American from an immigrant family.