GC&SU and BAPDD finanlists for the Carter Partnership Award

Georgia College & State University, in collaboration with the Baldwin Association of Persons with Developmental Disabilities, has been selected as one of three finalists for the second annual Carter Partnership Award.

The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award is given to an organization for their Campus-Community Collaboration.

The award, organized by Georgia State University as a tribute to the
former President and First Lady, includes $5,000 for each of the two partners of the winning program.

The partnership between GC&SU and the Baldwin Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (BAPDD) encompasses a wide range of programs that include music therapy, dance therapy, Best Buddies friendship, nature education, and marketing and advertising.

The association’s goals are to enrich personal and social services to adults with disabilities, while GC&SU’s goals are to enrich student learning, increase student involvement and contributions to the community through service and support professors as a community resource in their areas of expertise.

The individual components of the partnership between GC&SU and the BAPDD include the following elements.

Music Therapy is an opportunity for GC&SU students to apply theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom to experiential settings. Students learn to lead the sessions under the guidance of the professor. New, experimental tools are plotted, which gives the students a view of their potential to make significant contributions to the profession as they complete their training. In addition, students establish treatment goals and track the progress of consumers.

Dance Therapy operates as a person-centered service of dance classes and dance therapy conducted through small group and one-to-one sessions. The dance therapy group has created its own dance company. Their work has resulted in numerous invitations for the students, professor, and partners with disabilities to perform in public.

Best Buddies provides opportunities for college students to pair with adults with disabilities for friendships. Through its service and social activities, the friendship pairs have evolved into typical groups, which has enabled many to begin establishing friendships outside of the Best Buddies networks. Students have also presented information about their program at several national conferences.

Nature Education involves hands-on educational experiences such as nature therapy at campus recreational sites, the creation of both indoor and outdoor nature education areas at the BAPDD center and service learning projects within the community.

Marketing and Advertising is conducted through GC&SU student service learning projects. Materials and brochures on BAPDD services, partnership events, and conference programs have been developed through this project.

Barbara Byrne, director of the association, states, the partnership has allowed the BAPDD to obtain its goal.

“The partnership has enabled the BAPDD to offer consumers the opportunity to pursue goals once thought unattainable to persons with developmental disabilities,” Byrne said. “Who would have ever thought that one day our consumers would be attending college and pursuing their dream to be a dancer, a musician and a performer? Not only has the faculty opened their classrooms to them, but the students have opened their hearts.”

Dr. Amy Childre, assistant professor of special education and administration, said the partnership has helped faculty and students at GC&SU as well.

“The partnership has afforded both students and faculty with numerous opportunities for learning, research, and personal development,” Childre said.

For more information about the Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaboration, including details on each program applicant, visit www.gsu.edu/carteraward, e-mail rtrammell@gsu.edu or call 404-463-9538. For more information about the GC&SU program, contact Dr. Amy Childre, (478) 445-4577, or Barbara Byrne, (478) 445-7176.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 5 2001. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry