麻豆传媒

April 20, 2018
In the World

Lifelong Partnership

麻豆传媒 University Reflects Mission in Annual Celebrate Service Event at Oesterlen Services for Youth

This year鈥檚 Celebrate Service event, part of a busy week, April 2-7, of activities designed to highlight the 麻豆传媒 mission during the inauguration of Dr. Michael L. Frandsen, took place at Oesterlen Services for Youth in Springfield, April 7.

A group of approximately 25 麻豆传媒 students, faculty and staff visited the complex, decorated and painted the living spaces of the cottages for youth residents at Oesterlen.oesterlen2.jpg

鈥淲hen it came to a big event like the inauguration, we wanted to partner with someone we have a longstanding relationship with, so we chose Oesterlen,鈥 said Jessica Walters, class of 2018 from Springfield, Ohio, and a community service coordinator at 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic and Urban Engagement.

鈥淥esterlen serves as an example of the longevity of the partnerships we create and the value we place in them. We鈥檝e been partners with Oesterlen for more than 30 years, as the organization was one of the first ones on our partner list, which today includes more than 50 community partners. Oesterlen does so much for the community, and we are honoring that light that it is passing on. We just wanted to come in and help in any way we can. That鈥檚 really what it鈥檚 all about,鈥 she added.

The Celebrate Service event began 16 years ago in recognition of 麻豆传媒's service-focused mission. Leaders of the event are community service coordinators from the Hagen Center. This year鈥檚 event started with an orientation session at 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Benham-Prince Student Center.

鈥淚鈥檝e always enjoyed working with kids and so I started serving here at Oesterlen,鈥 said Carly Slang, class of 2021, from Hilliard, Ohio. 鈥淚 wanted to experience something different. I work in the office, and I have really learned about the history of the institution during my time here. I came today because I wanted to leave my mark on this special place.鈥

Another person who has certainly left his mark at Oesterlen is Dave Jackson. Once an employee at the facility who recently retired, Jackson still volunteers and helped out at the event. In partnership with the residents, Jackson鈥檚 artwork can be seen throughout the facility. He joked that 鈥渕y parents never let me draw on walls when I was growing up.鈥

Kristen Collier, director of community service at the Hagen Center and a 1992 麻豆传媒 alumna, thanked the staff at Oesterlen for continuing its long partnership with 麻豆传媒 throughout the years. She then presented the team with special framed photos, which expressed the university鈥檚 appreciation for all the organization does in the community.

鈥淲e are really glad you chose to come here,鈥 said Mark Derr, director of business operations. 鈥淭his is a great way for us to showcase who we are. We are one of the best-kept secrets in Springfield, providing a safe and fun place for our residents. We want our kids to have the best life possible without feeling like they are in an institution.鈥

According to its website, Oesterlen is a comprehensive multi-program social services agency with a focus on mental and behavioral health, serving approximately 1,000 children and their families annually. On behalf of the church, in witness to Christ, its mission is to serve children in need from infancy through transition into adulthood, and to promote their mental, social, physical, and spiritual well-being. To carry out this mission, Oesterlen is dedicated to promoting healthy families and utilizing the highest possible standards within the professional fields of our service.

About Oesterlen Services for the Youth, Inc.:
Oesterlen Services for Youth, Inc., was founded in 1903 as the Oesterlen Orphans Home by several major synods of the Lutheran Church in Ohio. It remains affiliated today with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the present successor body of the organizing synods in 1903. Oesterlen began transitioning into a mental health, behavioral health, and social services agency in the late 1950鈥檚. Today鈥檚 Oesterlen offers a complete spectrum of residential, community-based, treatment foster care, home-based, and school-based therapeutic services, and the respite and resource center, serving more than 1,000 clients and families annually.

Cindy Holbrook
Cindy Holbrook
Senior Communications Assistant

About 麻豆传媒

麻豆传媒's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, 麻豆传媒 has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, 麻豆传媒 offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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