Contact:
Carrie Williams Howe
VCC Executive Director
(802) 654-2092
cwilliamshow@smcvt.edu
VCC at St. Michael’s College
SMC Box 289
One Winooski Park
Colchester, VT 05439
www.vtcampuscompact.org
Vermont Campus Compact Vermont Recovery Interns pause for a group photo during their pre-internship orientation at Goddard College
on June 7, 2013. Pictured are: (back row) Ben Ganon, Binh Bui, Megan Sullivan, Karen Foley, Ryan Barry, Kelly Hamshaw (facilitator),
Carrie Williams Howe (VCC Executive Director), Tyler Russell; (kneeling) Lyndsay Sargeant, Alyssa Peteani
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2013
Vermont Recovery Interns to be Recognized
Friday, August 2nd
2:00 – 3:30pm
Pomerleau Alumni Center, St. Michael’s College
Since early June, eight Vermont college students have been interning with community, nonprofit, and state
organizations to assist with Vermont’s disaster recovery, preparation, and resilience efforts. On Friday, August
2nd at 2:00pm, Vermont Campus Compact, along with state and community representatives, will honor these
interns for their efforts.
Over the course of the summer, these interns have supported projects ranging from environmental impact
assessment to continued individual assistance, documentation of success stories, and emergency preparation
initiatives. Together, they have logged over 1700 hours of time to these projects. While working at their
individual sites, students also participated in a cohort-based learning experience in order to improve their skills
and knowledge in disaster management and community development.
Carrie Williams Howe, Executive Director of Vermont Campus Compact, notes, “These interns have helped to
demonstrate the powerful impacts that can be achieved when campuses collaborate with communities to address
real needs.” Recovery intern Tyler Russell, who is working with Vermont 2-1-1, reports that he is even
considering a new career path related to disaster management. “I feel more capable and comfortable in the realm
of incident management with every passing day,” he said. Karen Foley, an intern working with the Vermont
Housing and Conservation Board, has learned about the importance of collaboration between stakeholders in
dealing with disaster recovery and mitigation. “It was good to see how each organization, town, and individual
communicated with each other to work through an issue,” she said, “ It taught me how to respond and what to
expect if I were going to be a steward of conserved land in the future.”
Students from the Community College of Vermont, Green Mountain College, Johnson State College, and the
University of Vermont have worked for the following organizations: Champlain Valley Office of Economic
Opportunity (in collaboration with the University of Vermont), the VT Department of Environmental
Conservation; The Rozalia Project; Southeastern Vermont Long Term Recovery Committee; Vermont 2-11; the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board; and the Woodstock Area Flood Relief Fund.
Please visit Vermont Campus Compact’s web site to meet learn more about the program and projects.
Vermont Campus Compact is grateful to a host of funders and supporters who made this project possible. Major
funding was provided by The WaterWheel Fund for Vermont Flood Recovery at the Vermont Community
Foundation. Additional generous monetary or in-kind support is being provided by Goddard College, the
National Life Charitable Giving Foundation, and Saint Michael’s College.
# # #
Vermont Campus Compact is a statewide consortium of colleges and universities committed to community
engagement. We provide training, networking, grants, resources, awards, and more to advance service, servicelearning, and civic engagement on campuses and in communities. VCC is part of a larger national network of 35
state Compacts affiliated with national Campus Compact, representing 1100 college and university presidents
and their campuses, all dedicated to realizing the public purposes of higher education.
Want to learn more about the work being done by students, faculty, and campuses to positively impact our local
and global communities? Visit our website www.vtcampuscompact.org or contact Executive Director Carrie
Williams Howe at cwilliamshow@smcvt.edu.
# # #
Participating Interns & Sites
Internship Site
Intern
First
Name
Intern Last
Name
Woodstock Area Flood Relief Fund
Lyndsay
Sargeant
VT 2-1-1
Vermont Housing and Conservation
Board (Housing)
Vermont Housing and Conservation
Board (Conservation)
Southeaster Vermont Long Term
Recovery Committee
Tyler
Rozalia Project
VT Department of Environmental
Conservation
Champlain Valley Office of
Economic Opportunity/UVM
Intern College
Intern Hometown
Russell
Johnson State College
Community College
of Vermont
Granville, VT
South Burlington/
Highgate Center
Megan
Sullivan
University of Vermont
Karen
Foley
Binh
Bui
University of Vermont
Green Mountain
College
Chardon, OH
Poultney, VT
Vietnam
Ben
Ganon
University of Vermont
Stone Ridge, MA
Ryan
Barry
University of Vermont
Southborough, MA
Alyssa
Peteani
University of Vermont
Rutland, VT