Tag Archives: community

Beautiful Lengths photo

Beautiful Lengths Donates Hair to Cancer Patients

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Beautiful Lengths photo
Photo by Jake Coughlin

When Allie Bedell was a junior at Londonderry High School, she donated her hair in Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program. The program invites people to cut at least eight inches off their hair and send it to Pantene, the hair and shampoo company, which has partnered with the American Cancer Society to donate real-hair wigs to cancer patients free of charge. Londonderry HS holds the record for the most hair donated at one time.

Two years ago, Bedell, then a junior at KSC, organized a Beautiful Lengths event on campus to honor a family friend who was going to lose her hair as she underwent chemotherapy. She got a Pepsi grant to cover the cost and encouraged 60 women to donate their hair. When she decided to hold the event again this year, Bedell wasn’t sure how she would raise the $800 it usually takes to put on the event, because Beautiful Lengths is not a student organization and doesn’t receive any campus funding. The $800 covers such expenses as scissors, supplies to package and label the donated hair, shipping the hair to Pantene, and t-shirts for each donor.

“We launched a booster campaign and sold t-shirts online to try to raise some money and wound up incredibly lucky,” Bedell said. “We sold more than 160 shirts and received checks from a few very generous donors, bringing our fundraising total to $3,190 in just four weeks. I’m so excited to know that even after I graduate in May, the event will be fully funded for at least two more years.”

How did it go this year? KSC’s Beautiful Lengths took place on Saturday, April 12, in the Spaulding Gym, and 116 donors gave their pony tails to the cause—almost twice last year’s number of donors. If you’d like more info on this worthy event, visit their Facebook page, or check out the article in the Equinox.

Scene from Word Becomes Flesh

Word Becomes Flesh Cast Reaches out to Community

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Scene from Word Becomes FleshSharon Fantl, the Redfern Art Center’s assistant director, has secured a grant through the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) to allow the cast members of Word Becomes Flesh to discuss issues of diversity and social justice with local community members. Fantl is reaching out to KSC classes, local social-service agencies, educators from various disciplines within Keene High School, youth, and members of such on-campus offices as the Office of Diversity and Multiculturalism to invite them to participate in these discussions. Word Becomes Flesh will be performed at the Redfern Arts Center on Wednesday, October 2, at 7:30 p.m. Assistant Professor of Communication Jamie Landau will give a pre-performance talk on masculinity and patriarchal gender norms in parenting, and there will be a moderated discussion in the lobby after the performance.
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Communication Students Develop Marketing Campaigns for Local Nonprofits

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Team members Stacie Coleman (left) and Gabrielle Gentilella present their plan to promote awareness of campus tobacco policy.
Team members Stacie Coleman (left) and Gabrielle Gentilella present their plan to promote awareness of campus tobacco policy.

The 24 students in Assistant Professor of Communication Jamie Landau’s Health Communication and Public Culture class last semester not only got some valuable real-world experience in creating an ad campaign, they also learned some important lessons in public health and advocacy, and in forging partnerships with community organizations. And they were able to present fresh and valuable marketing ideas to local organizations that can’t afford to hire professional marketers.

Becca Berkey, Coordinator of Experiential Education in KSC’s Center for Engagement, Learning, and Teaching, helped Dr. Landau identify three people in area organizations who needed some marketing help: Kate McNally, program coordinator for the Cheshire Coalition for Tobacco Free Communities; Tiffany Mathews, coordinator of Wellness Education at KSC’s Center for Health and Wellness; and Kimberley Diemond, the founder of Joy’s Network, a support group for cancer patients and their families.
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Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

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Are you on board yet for the annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” march against sexual violence? So far, 182 fundraisers and 55 teams have signed up, with $8192 raised to date. As of now, the KSC Nursing Program is the top team, and last year’s champs, Phi Sigma Sigma, are in third place. Join the fun! Visit the website for more info, or to sign up.

All funds go to the great work that the Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention does for Keene State College and community survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking.

And don’t miss this year’s video, featuring appearances by over 40 members of the Keene and Keene State College community, including KSC President Helen Giles-Gee, KSC Student Government President Colin Daly, former Keene Mayor (and KSC alum) Dale Pregent ’11, Senator Molly Kelly ’83, Mentors in Violence Prevention, TKE, Phi Sigma Sigma, and the KSC lacrosse team. Watch it and get your walking shoes on.

Chamber Singers of Keene = Community Collaboration

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The Chamber Singers of Keene comprises great voices and support from the local community, and KSC is an important part of that mix. Assistant Professor of Music Sandra Howard is the director, and Assistant Professor of Music Heather Gilligan composed one of the pieces they will perform next month. Holocaust and Genocide Studies Professor Paul Vincent is a featured bass soloist, and staff member Owen Davis is a featured tenor soloist.

The Chamber Singers will present “Rising Spring,” their last performance for the 2011–2012 concert season on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at 4 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church (44 West Street, Keene). The concert will feature Bach cantata BWV 67 “Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ,” and will include a world premiere of Dr. Gilligan’s “A Prayer in Spring.” Tickets for this event are $12 and can be purchased from CSK members or at the door. For more information, visit the Chamber Singers of Keene web page, or send them an email.

The Chamber Singers of Keene will be traveling to Einbeck, Germany this summer as part of the Keene Partner City project—now, there’s a real community outreach!