How Alumni Volunteered During Pro Humanitate Days

Photo courtesy of Open Hand

Nearly 20 alumni clubs and more than 400 Wake Forest University students, faculty and alumni participated in volunteer projects as par of this year's Pro Humanitate Days 4Good, which ran from June 1-4.

In Washington, D.C., alumni helped  outfit a new school library at Excel Academy, a public charter school, assembling furniture, labeling and shelving books and painting. In Nashville, alumni worked for Second Harvest Food Bank.

In Philadelphia, the cause was the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, while Open Hand, a nonprofit providing home-delivered meals and nutrition care for the sick, disabled and elderly, was the beneficiary in Atlanta.

Kim Shirley (’85), who has served as an alumni council member for six years, came up with the idea for the event, where Wake Foresters could volunteer together no matter where they live. “Education is a privilege and should be more than a diploma on a wall,” she said in a press release. “We need to take all we learned at Wake Forest, and all we continue to learn after we graduate, and use this knowledge to give back to our communities.”

Current students are encouraged to join in with an alumni club to share the experience.

“One thing that unites Wake Foresters is their like-minded belief in the importance of service,” said Molly McBride, the assistant director of marketing and communication in the Office of Personal and Career Development. “Students volunteering side-by-side with alumni is an opportunity to share this fundamental value and build a support network both personally and professionally.”

Q&A With IBM Executive Marc Lautenbach

Marc Lautenbach, a managing partner, Global Business Services, North America, IBM Corp., answers questions after speaking on a panel at “Rethinking Success: From Liberal Arts to Careers in the 21st Century,” a conference held by Wake Forest University on April 12.

Pro Humanitate Day Update: Raleigh

Thank you to everyone who volunteered at Stop Hunger Now, for Wake Forest University's first annual Pro Humanitate Day! We packaged over 4,000 meals in less than two hours, helping to affect that many lives.

The club will be taking a summer break but will be back with more events in August, and possibly more community service projects. If you're interested in participating in community service projects with the club, please "like" this post, so we can get a sense of interest for the fall!

Laura Bayzle

Andy Chan Discusses Pro Humanitate

Andy Chan, who oversees the Office of Personal and Career Development, took to his blog today to shares his thoughts of Pro Humanitate.

We have written about this concept on several occasions (a heart-warming example is here, and one of our best posts can be found here). The university's motto serves as a reminder that students and faculty must view service as an integral part of their daily lives. You can view his post below, though it is worthwhile to check out his entire bloghttp://andychan.blogs.wfu.edu/.

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Anyone who knows Wake Forest knows how important the school’s motto, “Pro Humanitate”, is to our students.  From the moment that students arrive on campus (and many even in the summer before!) Wake Forest students volunteer their time and energy to help others.

The OPCD is very excited to participate in this year’s “Pro Humanitate Days.” These “4 days of good” were originally created by Kim Shirley (‘85) and are being implemented across the country from June 1 to June 4. The concept is quite simple: Wake Forest alumni from all over the country can volunteer and show their Pro Humanitate spirit in their local area.

The Wake Forest Alumni Group has organized a “Pro Humanitate Days Kickoff Event” on campus this Friday. Scores of Wake Forest students, staff, faculty, and local alumni will volunteer with the Wake Forest Campus Kitchen, the Wake Forest Campus Garden, or our local Enrichment Center. This is a great opportunity for all of us at Wake Forest to not only give back, but to spend quality time with like-minded individuals that have the same Pro Humanitate mindset.

We hope that you or your student are able to participate in a local Pro Humanitate event. For more information follow this link. Whether you participate or not, don’t forget to follow the #4goodwfu on Twitter to hear all about these 4 days of good!

Charlotte Campus to Offer Course for Nonprofit Leaders

The Wake Forest University Charlotte Center is expanding by offering a series of courses designed for nonprofit directors, staff and volunteers.

“Essentials of Business for Nonprofit Organizations” is a series of nine courses that will cover topics essential to the governance and management of nonprofits. Classes are taught primarily by Wake Forest faculty and administrators and are open to the community.

“The Wake Forest University motto is Pro Humanitate, which means ‘for humanity.’ The core of our mission is to teach passionate leaders who are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and talents to serve humanity,” Steve Virgil, the director of the Wake Forest University Institute for Public Engagement, said in a Friday press release.

The sessions will take place monthly from September to June of the following year, with a January break. Courses include: Human Resources, Fund Development, Collaboration, Evaluation, Advocacy and Communication, and Leadership Lessons for Nonprofits. Students have two years to complete all nine sessions. After finishing all sessions, participants will receive a certificate of completion from Wake Forest University.

Individual courses cost $75; all nine courses are available for $575. Scholarships are available from Duke Energy and Foundation for the Carolinas. Classes are held at the Wake Forest University Charlotte Center at College and 5th streets in Uptown. Fees include lunch, parking and course materials.

To register or learn more about “Essentials of Business for Nonprofit Organizations” visit here. You may also contact the Wake Forest University Charlotte Center at (704) 365-1717. Click here to register.

Wake Forest to Host Nicaragua Symposium

Curious about Wake Forest's efforts to improve conditions in Nicaragua?

Members of the Nicaragua Nexus Advisory Council will visit Winston-Salem on Sept. 13 to discuss the opportunities and challenges in Nicaragua in their specific fields. Each member will be sponsored by separate colleges and professional schools and will meet with students and faculty to discuss issues of importance in the Central American country. 

There will be a symposium that evening that will bring all five individuals together to provide the Wake Forest University community with an chance to learn about the opportunities and challenges in Nicaragua. The goal is to give students and faculty a better understanding of the type of role they can play in the country.

The event is tentatively scheduled for 5-7 pm at the Byrum Welcome Center Auditorium.

Wake Forest has deep ties to Nicaragua. Each year a group of students visits the country. You can read about the Project Nicaragua perspectives of graduates Justin Bertholot and Sandie Taylor. Earlier this week, Dr. Ajay Patel gave an update on entrepreneurial trends in Nicaragua. Click here to find out how you can contribute to our Project Nicaragua team.

Project Nicaragua team in 2010.