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Contact Information:

Center for Academic Engagement
103 Old Main
414 E. Clark St.
Vermillion, SD 57069
phone: (605) 677-6338
fax: (605) 677-3137
engage@usd.edu

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Last Modified: 09/18/07

The Center for Academic Engagement hosted its first service event of the
semester on September 10, 2007 at the Welcome Table in Vermillion, SD.
15 University Students volunteered at this event, where over 150 community members were served a dinner of chili, bread, and cookies.

Welcome Table Volunteer Group Picture	Volunteers singing Happy Birthday to a Guest at the Welcome Table

The CAE event on September 10th, 2007 at the Welcome Table commemorated the
September 11th National Day of Service sponsored by the federal
Corporation for National & Community Service. 

The Welcome Table has been serving the Vermillion community for over 6 years, and offers a free meal every Monday night at the United Methodist Church. During the event University students spoke with community members about fire safety, CPR, and keeping their self and their family healthy by staying up to date on vaccines. Children were also given a fire safety coloring book, donated by the Vermillion Fire Department.

Jane Gullickson a junior journalism and political science major from Brandon, SD, said of the event, “What a great ministry to have in Vermillion! People of all ages and backgrounds can come to visit and share a warm meal and some fun. This provides a great sense of community and togetherness for Vermillion. My friends and I enjoyed it so much that we are even going back [again]!”

Ali Khokhar a communication studies major originally from Lahore, Pakistan, said, “I was very skeptical about the Welcome table before I went to it. I had no idea who was going to attend. I was pleasantly surprised to see people from all walks of life to be there. I met few of my teachers, some of my friends at the event. The most pleasant thing about the event was the atmosphere of belonging as the Steve miller put it. It truly is a place for everyone I feel like I can go there without having to justify anything. Furthermore the non church feeling is always good. I am a Muslim Student and I am a Foreign Born American, usually any church or faith based event I am reminded of that. But at the welcome table this was not the case, I was Just Ali. I have something to do every Monday from now onwards."

John Lushbough, director of the Welcome Table, spoke at length about The University of South Dakota students. “I was very impressed with the energy of [the] crew during the meal. They were extremely friendly and very attentive to the needs of the guests. I also was impressed with the closing. ”  At Center events, the staff and students generally conclude with a reflection session where students are encouraged to connect the community experience they just participated in to their academic course of study, part of the University’s mission to educate citizens committed to contributing to the world around them.

Students involved included: Gullickson; Khokhar; Andrea Broderson of Volin, SD; Bridget Yoerger of Hinton. IA; Claudia Leow of Kota Kinabalu, Mayaysia; Ryan Lowe of Newcastle, NE; Lindsay Pape of Freeman SD; Joseph Bures of Tyndall, SD; Steven Workman of West Jordan, UT; Phillip Mohamed,  Ashley Lilleholm, Amber Brandner, and Kelsey Maloney of Sioux Falls, SD; and Heidi Moline of Rapid City, SD.