Defiance College social work students Pay It Forward

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Students from Defiance College’s Social Work Macro Practice with Communities and Organizations class conducted their annual Pay It Forward initiative during the fall semester. The course directly impacts community needs by awarding financial assistance. This year, the class awarded a $1,000 grant to CPC Women’s Health Resource.

Since 2008, the class has awarded more than $15,000 to address needs of transportation, hunger, unemployment, youth mentorship and cultural understanding in northwest Ohio. With steps embedded in the curriculum, students conduct a five-county community assessment, prepare a request for grant proposals, send RFPs to approximately 50 non-profit social service agencies, and award grants to applicants that best address the identified community need.

The project began in 2008 with funding through the Pay It Forward student-led philanthropy program led by Ohio and Kentucky Campus Compacts, and later with the support of the Women’s Giving Circle of Defiance. In recent years, the class has raised its own funds through a number of events such as raffles, bake sales, and donation solicitation. This year, a portion of the funds was raised with support from Buffalo Wild Wings and Applebee’s, both of which donated a percentage of one-day dining sales.

This year’s grant recipient, CPC Women’s Health Resource, is a Christian, nonprofit social service agency that assists women and families with pregnancy, prenatal care and parenting skills. CPC has been serving Northwest Ohio for 29 years, now serving six counties. In 2014, the agency served 994 clients, 6,404 office visits and 5,601 screened telephone calls. Last year, 218 babies were born to CPC clients.

The Pay It Forward grant will be used toward the Earn While You Learn Program. EWYL began in 2005 as a way to build mentoring relationships with clients and provide parenting and life skills training. Clients earn material items needed toward raising a healthy family while learning how to be good parents. With the $1,000 grant, the program will be able to purchase car seats and cribs with mattresses.

Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts institution in Northwest Ohio offering nearly 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.