Congratulations are in order for our HungerCorps VISTA Neely Griggs. She has officially received the Fulbright University of Reading Award in Food Security. She will be headed off to Reading University in the UK in September. While there she will be earning an MSc. in Food Security and Development.

The ROOTS Summit 3.0 was held on April 26th at Laverne Banquet Hall on Wingate Campus. President Rhett Brown welcomed more than 100 participants to the day of workshops titled “Deepening Networks and Alliances to Address Substance Use Disorders in Union County.” CCG Director Dr. Catherine Wright co-organized the event along with the Healthy Union Advisory Coalition. The Summit planning committee would like to thank everyone who attended and completed the online survey. They also are grateful for the generous contributions of the ROOTS Summit sponsors: Wingate University, Union County Human Services, Atrium Health, Partners Health Management, Kate Clyde's Catered Creations, and Scooter's Coffee. Dr. Chelsea Kaufman, a political science professor at Wingate University, will be compiling all the data collected at the Summit and issuing a report on our collective findings. However, this preliminary report can give you some great insights into the who and what of the ROOTS Summit.

To view the Preliminary Report click this LINK.

The Uwharrie District (UMC) Recovery Task Force is holding a Recovery Workshop on June 4, 2022, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. We will have two guest speakers talking about addiction, recovery, and how to support those impacted. Our hope for this workshop is to educate churches and individuals about addiction and recovery so that we can better serve our community as well as help people directly impacted by these things. The event will be held at Wingate UMC (111 Hinson St. Wingate, NC 28174) We hope to see you there!

Follow this LINK to register to help us better plan for how many people.

Wingate PUPPY Lab research assistants attended the Monroe Parks & Recreation Easter Eggstravaganza! They provided fun crafts for children of all ages. Some children also participated in a virtual study examining who children like to learn from.

The CGG partnered with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program’s Coordinator at the Union County Extension Center to host a version of Cooking on a Dime at the Wingate University campus. The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program seeks to improve dietary intake and increase daily physical activity, improve food resource management skills, improve food safety and food preparation skills, and reduce food insecurity. Judith Garcia, the EFNEP Coordinator in Union County, presented the Cooking on a Dime nutrition education series to a group of Wingate Students in Spring 2022. In addition to an introductory lesson, key lessons of the Cooking on a Dime educational series include: Choosing More

Fruits & Vegetables, Fix it Safe, Choosing to Move More Throughout the Day, Plan: Know What’s for Dinner, Plan: Shop, Get the Best for Less Shop for Value, Check the Facts Fix it Fast, Eat at Home Making Smart Drink Choices, and Choosing a Healthier You for Life.

The CCG's VISTA Neely Griggs member teamed up with Wingate's Community Council to create a new pollinator area in the Wingate Community Garden! The Community Council, an on-campus organization for freshmen, helped design and choose native flowering plants which will attract and house butterflies, bees, and other insects. The Council members also volunteered their time in removing sod and hosting the Wingate Elementary 2nd graders to plant the garden and learn about the importance of using native plants from Lisa Thompkins of Carolina Heritgage Nursery. Be sure to drop by the Wingate Community Garden this summer to see an array of colors and hopefully spot some native pollinators!

Neely also coordinated service-learning opportunities for students in Dr. Chelsea Kaufman's GPS 220 course. This course partners with the Food Council of Union County to offer students an opportunity to learn about the food system of Eastern Union County. This semester, 6 Wingate students developed "farmer bios" for the Food Council of Union County to promote on their social media. Students toured and interviewed the owners of DabHar Farms, Rocky River Farms, and Dancing Bees Farm. These interviews will come available throughout the summer on the Food Council's social media and website.

We were able to host a class from the Public Health Program in the Wingate Community Garden this semester. The Public Health students had several touchpoints in the garden: planting seedlings, transplanting these into the raised beds, and then having a celebration to commemorate the summer! Sadly, the class was unable to harvest this semester, but they were able to augment their classroom learning through hands-on experience growing and maintaining a garden.

The CCG's Midweek Refuel was a huge hit this semester thanks to the Heart for Monroe and their partnership with Convoy of Hope. Together we handed out $15,493.05 worth of snacks to our Bulldog community almost every Wednesday beside the Charles A Canon statue -- we think he would be quite pleased to overlook this weekly event! Thanks to our great partnerships, the CCG impacted over 900+ Students and we can't wait for the Bulldogs to come back in August.

The CCG is accepting applications for the Service-Learning and Community Engagement Fellowship. Faculty fellows will participate in four workshops this fall to learn about best practices and develop a service-learning course to implement next spring. Fellows receive a $1,000 stipend. Applications are due June 15. Contact Candace Lapan for details.

We have had so many great donations of clothing, small household items (including mini fridges and microwaves) and many other things that make a space a home ... and families in our local community are so grateful! And we have a room full of items at the CCG that would have ended up in landfill -- so Earth is grateful too! We are collecting until May 17th so if you want to donate anything -- you still can!

It's time to celebrate the emancipation of African American people from being freed from slavery in the United States. This is thought to be one of the oldest African-American holidays. It's also a day to celebrate our culture, history and progress. This momentous day was announced on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas.

Please join Trinity Wellness Community Outreach, Inc, Monroe Parks and Recreation and the Union County Community Arts Council in presenting the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Family Fun Festival in Monroe, NC on Saturday, June 18th from 3pm-7pm. We will have food trucks, lots of children's amusements, games, arts & crafts, music, performances and plenty of vendors.

Email: ccg@wingate.edu
Website: http://wingate.edu/around-campus/common-good
Location: Austin Auditorium, Wingate, NC, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCGWingate/