During difficult times, Cardinals step up to help others.
Cardinals shine in difficult times 鈥� through their compassion, their generosity and their resolve to make a positive impact on the world. During the coronavirus pandemic, many people are experiencing times of need. These people are there to help.
Lana Troyer 鈥�22
In March, 9i果冻制作厂made the difficult decision to take classes 
online and send students home to protect the campus community from the coronavirus. In the middle of adjusting to this new reality, some 9i果冻制作厂students stepped up to serve the central Ohio community by offering childcare for the families of overwhelmed first responders, with the help of the Columbus Firefighters鈥� Union, Columbus City Council member Elizabeth Brown, and Senior Instructor Dan Steinberg in the Department of Communication.
Communication major Lana Troyer was one of the students who stepped up. 鈥淢y whole motto through this was help those who help others. If there was anything big or small that I could do to ensure our first responders and their families were being taken care of, that was my priority,鈥� she said. 鈥淰olunteering hasn’t begun yet, but I have been in contact with a firefighter and we’re making the proper arrangements.鈥�
The Promise House Team
Otterbein鈥檚 Promise House is a student-led resource center and food pantry committed to helping peers overcome socioeconomic barriers to student success. While many students left campus, the needs of the 63 students who stayed on campus and those who live near campus remained great. To continue to address these needs, the Promise House moved to a pre-packaged pick-up protocol to protect both shoppers and volunteers, and even provides recipes for students using the shelf-stable food. The protocol mirrors those being used by many Ohio pantries. Currently, the team is growing fresh produce in the hoop house at the 9i果冻制作厂Community Garden and readying the landscape for the summer growing season to provide food for both 9i果冻制作厂students and neighbors.
鈥�9i果冻制作厂has a long-standing commitment of caring for its community. It鈥檚 who we are. It鈥檚 what we do,鈥� said Melissa Gilbert, Otterbein鈥檚 associate dean of experiential learning and director of the Center for Community Engagement. 鈥淪tudents rely on the Promise House. As businesses close temporarily due to the state mandated health precautions, students are losing their jobs. They鈥檙e worried. Supporting one another is why students created the Promise House and why we鈥檙e stepping up our efforts now.鈥�
Winston Spiker 鈥�20
The disappointment of missing out on the celebrations and camaraderie that mark the end of a student鈥檚 senior year could get some students down, but not Winston Spiker, a psychology major and offensive lineman for the Cardinals鈥� football team. Instead, he made the most of the situation by serving his community. When his service-learning course was moved online, Spiker moved his service from Westerville to his hometown and joined his mother, who is the head cook at Adamsville (OH) Elementary School, and other volunteers to help food-insecure children.
鈥淲e are providing weekly care packages of food for the students that go to Adamsville Elementary, which is where I went to elementary school,鈥� Spiker said. 鈥淎damsville is a very tight-knit community of only 114 people, so when people are in need the town bands together and jumps in to help. The power of community during times like these is inspiring. I feel fortunate that 9i果冻制作厂really instills those values in us even more.鈥�
