Above: From left, WCU faculty members Eric Hendrix, Norma Smith and Steve Wohlrab perform music with John Makinson of Franklin at a benefit for KIDS Place. (Photo courtesy of Christie L. Fulcher)

Students in Eric Hendrix’s English composition classes at Western Carolina University fine-tune their writing and research skills through assignments designed to give them a closer look at global issues and the power of getting involved in their local communities.

Last semester, Hendrix took his students beyond the books when he invited them to participate in and write about a fall fundraiser that he dreamed up for KIDS Place, a children’s advocacy center in Franklin that provides counseling and services coordination for abused and neglected children. The event raised $2,500, enough money to cover the final expenses for diagnostic equipment used by a volunteer pediatrician.

“I realized how involving my students would be a perfect fit with Western’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which emphasizes bringing together learning inside and outside the classroom, and with service learning,” said Hendrix.

The idea was born months before when Hendrix was reminiscing about the fundraisers he used to organize when he owned Mi Casa restaurants in Sylva and Franklin and decided it might be fun to host another one. Representatives from KIDS Place and Macon County Department of Social Services worked with Hendrix and others to plan “Mi Casa Night” themed on “esperanza,” which is Spanish for “hope.”

WCU student volunteers helped decorate the hall, serve food, fill drinks and greet about 150 attendees. They wrote about the experience and what they learned from talking with people who work for KIDS Place. They also drew connections to information about the increasing influence of non-governmental organizations in world affairs using information from the Seven Revolutions project, which was developed by the nonprofit Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“What I learned about KIDS Place and its purpose really was heartwarming,” said Brandy Morrow, a freshman from Kings Mountain (pictured above right). “It was a great experience through and through.”

Student participants also included freshmen Sarah Bishop from Charlotte, Mika Cagle from Alexander, Brittany Hillman from Cary, Cannon Miller from Matthews, Colinda Petrus from Latrobe, Pa., Jay Ranies from High Point, Alex Vendetti from Charlotte, and Mary Welch from Huntersville; and sophomore Amber Reeve from Forest City.

Volunteers also came forward from the faculty. Joining Hendrix on the stage at the event was guitarist Steve Wohlrab, an assistant professor of music at WCU; Norma Smith, part-time instructor of art at WCU; and John Makinson of Franklin. Auctioned off for charity by Dodie Allen of Sylva (pictured at right in photo courtesy of Henry Fichner of Winterhawk Graphics) were donated items including Hendrix’s Key Lime pie recipe and one of Smith’s paintings.

“The evening truly was a success for KIDS Place and our students,” said Hendrix. “They saw in-action how important it is to be involved with local communities on very practical levels and how far a little effort can go.”

For more information, contact KIDS Place at (828) 524-3199 or Eric Hendrix at (828) 227-7264 or ehendrix@wcu.edu.

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Last modified: Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008