University of Tennessee, Knoxville JCLS Fall 2024 Semester in Review
Throughout the fall 2024 semester, the Jones Center for Leadership and Service (JCLS) has provided students with transformational leadership and service opportunities and elevated our campus and community partnerships by focusing on collaborative excellence. We are committed to cultivating a space where students feel like they matter and belong, expanding opportunities for students to explore how they can uniquely and positively impact their communities, and empowering student leaders to become active changemakers.
We have expanded our professional team, celebrated the success of our programs and the student leaders who make magic happen behind the scenes, and actively sought opportunities to connect with others and share the JCLS magic. Our programs and initiatives are supported by an incredible team of professional staff who care deeply about our work and more than 150 creative, energetic, and passionate student leaders. Every day, I am inspired by this team’s innovative ideas and genuine commitment to having fun while also doing excellent work.
A JCLS signature program, Ignite, welcomed new Vols to campus and helped ease students’ transition to Rocky Top by connecting them with other new students, experienced team leaders, and the many resources that make this place home sweet home. Our longest-running program, VOLbreaks, and robust service opportunities encourage students to think critically and reflect intentionally on social issues affecting our communities. Through these experiences, students are challenged to consider using their time and talents to create a positive change in their current and future communities. Leadership Knoxville Scholars has proven to be a profoundly impactful experience for participants. By engaging with local leaders, connecting with mentors from Leadership Knoxville, and developing and implementing year-long Community Action Projects, students engage in a unique learning experience that prepares them to become socially responsible and active citizen leaders.
We are excited to share these valuable stories and celebrations with you and hope you enjoy learning more about these programs’ impact.
Go Vols!
Mandie Beeler, Ed.D. Director of the Jones Center for Leadership and Service
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MANAGING EDITORS
Steven Cheppo
Blakley O’Brien
ART DIRECTORS
Patrick Shuster
Dalton Courtney
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Kyndall Williams
Dalton Courtney
COPYWRITER
Blakley O’Brien
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
AlexaLin Moses
OFFICE STAFF
Mandie Beeler, Director
Steven Cheppo, Associate Director
Shane Boswell, Assistant Director
Natalie Frankel, Assistant Director
Claire Hensley, Assistant Director
Esmerelda Aguilar, Educational Specialist
Mikayla Brown, Educational Specialist
Grace Hicks, Educational Specialist
Morgan Powers, Educational Specialist
Gavin Aitken, Graduate Assistant
E’Monica Booker, Graduate Assistant
Maiben Mitchell, Graduate Assistant
Noelia Rodriguez, Graduate Assistant
Ashley Seyrek, Graduate Assistant
FALL 2024
SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, fully embodies the Volunteer Spirit as our students invest in community through service. To celebrate their commitment, we honor students’ exceptional involvement with service medallions for graduating seniors and oversee ServeUTK, our community engagement platform. Faculty, staff, and students recorded the following stats in ServeUTK:
TOP TOP ORGANIZATIONS ORGANIZATIONS
*THAT STUDENTS RECORDED MOST SERVICE HOURS WITH IN SERVEUTK
KEEP KNOXVILLE BEAUTIFUL
MOBILE MEALS
YOUNG-WILLIAMS ANIMAL CENTER
MUSE KNOXVILLE
MCNABB CENTER
64,187 64,187 network verified hours
20,872 20,872 impacts
7,208 7,208 unique students
9 9
service medallions 225+ service hours
5 5
service medallions 175 - 224 service hours
58 58
service medallions
- 174 service hours
95% Increase from Fall 2023
FALL 2024
IN THE JCLS
Our office is committed to connecting UTK departments, organizations, and classes to the greater Knoxville community beyond our campus. We do that through planning service events, facilitating presentations and hosting community partners on campus. Highlights of this semester’s efforts include:
15 15 service events
30+ 30+ facilitators
17 17 volunteer fair partners
350 350 participants
13 13 partners served
1,050 1,050 total hours served
1,200+ 1,200+ presentation attendees
56 56 presentations
We are grateful for the student leaders who demonstrate their passion for service learning and community engagement via education and events across campus and the community partners who generously welcome Volunteers into their organizations to learn about their mission and serve Knoxville.
Lighting the Way: Lighting the Way: How Ignite Enriches New Vols How Ignite Enriches New Vols
By Blakley O’Brien
The Ignite program is a unique opportunity for incoming students to build lasting relationships, discover valuable resources, and kickstart oncampus engagement. It offers a distinct experience that enriches their time on Rocky Top. As the program concludes a historic season, the Jones Center for Leadership and Service reflects on the energy and engagement of the session participants, as well as the dedication of their student leaders.
The program is only possible thanks to the generosity of Clay (‘71) and Debbie Jones, the namesakes of the office. Their commitment to and passion for leadership development enables our office to inspire early leadership and service education for students. Ignite has evolved in many forms since its founding in 2001, but it currently hosts the following programs:
Ignite: 865
Over 340 students participated in Ignite: 865 throughout five sessions, an on-campus experience that cultivates relationships among first-year students and encourages a deeper understanding of the greater Knoxville community. Many long-standing traditions compose the program, but the sessions have undergone refining changes in recent years to enhance the student experience. Last season saw the combination of Ignite: Knox and Ignite: Serves, merging the best of both programs. The Community Leader Dinner, one of those elements, invites students to hear valuable insights from prominent Knoxville leaders, such as Charles Lomax Jr., Sam Springer, and Lamar Bryant, and reflect on the opportunities that lie ahead.
The Ignite program continues to impact the Knoxville community, contributing over 680 hours of community service with 14 community partners. Students engaged in projects with local nonprofit organizations to recognize the city’s needs and learn from those dedicated to resolving them. Maddox Thigpen, the program’s student director
of service, shared, “It’s an amazing feeling seeing hundreds of new Vols take their first step in making Knoxville their new home. Service is a crucial part of this program and campus as a whole, helping students learn more themselves and their abilities and feel like they are making a tangible impact as a part of a larger, decades-long effort.”
Students enjoyed excursions such as paddleboarding on the Tennessee River, exploring historic Market Square, and venturing through the Zoo Knoxville, admiring the city’s vibrant life. One participant said, “The service and excursion were so much fun. The sense of community that we built made it so much more enjoyable.”
The Ignite program prioritizes fostering conversations among its students, ensuring that all voices are heard and respected. The groups concluded the second day with reflective discussions on a range of topics that enabled them to understand their peers’ perspectives and lived experiences. Students continuously demonstrate their commitment to leadership development, selfdiscovery, and sustainable service, which inspire the program’s ongoing expansion.
Ignite: Summit
Founded in 2001, the original Ignite program has paved the way for many iterations that engage hundreds of students each year, presenting longstanding traditions while exploring participants’ unique identities and encouraging relationshipbuilding. The off-campus experience allows students to immerse themselves fully. One student said, “I felt that I had a much easier time socializing and making genuine connections with the people around me through Ignite, and I feel that this program has helped me grow my confidence in myself.”
Participants bond with their teams through spirited games, team-building activities, and a lowropes challenge course. A widespread favorite of
the session was the Traditions Duel, a lively relay game that tests students’ knowledge of Tennessee trivia.
Students expressed their excitement to support one another’s growth through lasting friendships that extend far beyond the three-day session. After exploring leadership potential through thoughtful discussions among their small group, one participant said, “By relating to them, I was able to understand I am surrounded by thousands of like-minded people, and we will continue to work together to make our Rocky Top experience the best it can be.”
Over 125 students participated in this year’s session, nearly tripling last season’s registration. This year’s record-breaking attendance fostered an even greater diversity of perspectives and strengthened relationships. Ignite: Summit annually empowers students to actively contribute to shaping a vibrant and inclusive campus community.
Ignite: Outdoors
Ignite: Outdoors, hosted by RecSports, continues to excel as it builds connections and confidence in the wilderness. The program maximizes participation in its close-knit groups as the fourday experience cultivates relationships within small groups amidst the beauty of the Smoky Mountains, which the university calls home.
It is more than an adventure; it is an opportunity. Participants rely on one another as they navigate trails and set up camp.
For many participants, Ignite: Outdoors is their first time away from home or their first immersive outdoor experience, and students overcome challenges with the mentorship and support of Team Leaders. They expertly guide participants through adventurous activities, including hiking and rafting, as well as meaningful discussions on personal values and leadership development that maintain the spirit of the Ignite program regardless of the environment.
The program offers a valued return to genuine, face-to-face connections where students learn to trust in themselves and one another. The unfamiliar setting fosters authentic relationships and effective communication to embrace shared experiences and encourages personal growth and confidence to forge their futures at the university.
Specialty Programs
Collaborations with the university’s colleges and divisions enable the Ignite program to continuously expand its reach and tailor the sessions to cultivate unique experiences for specific groups. The academic year presents the following specialty programs:
Ignite: 865 with Haslam College of Business
An ongoing partnership with the Haslam College of Business presented an Ignite: 865 session tailored to incoming business students. The program aims to foster connections among students embarking on similar academic experiences. Amidst the traditional activities of Ignite, students explored an array of opportunities by touring the academic building and learning about various resources. City excursions exposed them to local businesses—Tombras, Cirrus, and DeRoyal—allowing them to explore career aspirations and build connections with regional business leaders.
The Community Leader Dinner welcomed many guests from the Haslam College of Business’s administration, as students heard valuable insights from Haslam College of Business alumnus Sam Springer, who spoke on his time as an undergraduate student and his experience in the accounting industry. The unique session enabled students to understand the broader network of businesses surrounding the college, encouraging their aspirations as they embark on their time at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Ignite: First-Year Council
Composed of some of the university’s foremost first-year leaders, the Student Government Association’s First-Year Council joins the Ignite program for a meaningful one-day retreat. The session challenges students to consider their identity in terms of their leadership and encourages them to understand the perspectives of their peers. Groups dive into activities that strengthen their existing connections, and thoughtful conversations equip the council members with crucial teamwork skills that value each person’s unique contributions.
Ignite: Honors
First-year University Honors students came together for a four-hour orientation program, supported by Ignite Team Leaders, to better understand their unique strengths and connect with their peers who share a profound commitment to excellence. University Honors students participated in meaningful conversations on their leadership principles to broaden their perspectives as they began their coursework.
University Honors concentrates on developing problem-solvers through their coursework, and the Ignite program leverages long-standing relationships within the community to further students’ education through experience. Ignite will continue collaborating with University Honors throughout the fall semester by hosting service experiences with community partners—Ladies of Charity and YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center—to foster connections with and an understanding of Knoxville.
Ignite: Evolve
After an unexpected winter storm caused the session’s cancellation in 2024, the Jones Center for Leadership and Service is eager to bring Ignite: Evolve to life in January 2025. The session will allow first-year transfer students to build relationships and acquaint themselves with the Knoxville community.
Ignite sessions annually empower students to contribute to shaping a vibrant and inclusive campus community. The Jones Center for Leadership and Service actively seeks opportunities to expand the program, and we look forward to exploring partnerships with the university’s colleges and departments to accommodate the unique ambitions of their students. To learn more and collaborate with our office, please contact leadserve@utk.edu.
VOLbreaks: Transforming VOLbreaks: Transforming Perspectives and Cultivating Perspectives and Cultivating Community Engagement Community Engagement
By Blakley O’Brien
Since 1993, VOLbreaks trips have served as the leading immersive community engagement experience at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Organized by students for students, dozens of participants give their time during fall and spring breaks to engage in meaningful opportunities that broaden perspectives and empower advocacy while engaging in our communities. Service partners welcome groups to stay with their organizations to focus on the experience fully.
As the oldest program in the Jones Center for Leadership and Service, VOLbreaks is steeped in history and tradition. Previous trips have traveled to more than 22 states, surpassing more than 65 cities whose unique opportunities prioritize understanding the interconnectedness of community needs and continue to transform our students’ perspectives as global citizens. This year, trips went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and students worked locally with organizations in Knoxville and surrounding areas in East Tennessee.
Urban Poverty in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, students engaged in various service projects to cultivate understanding and holistic perspectives on housing insecurity as local organizations educated them on the crisis within their community.
“Learning about the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati allowed me to understand new perspectives about urban poverty and how the people advocated for each other’s right to affordable housing, accessible and healthy foods, and [provided us with] enriching education opportunities,” said participant McKenzie Nguyen, a sophomore student, “The energy that Cincinnati provided through the people we met, the atmosphere, and the love for the community is unmatched.”
Students partnered with the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, which works to eradicate homelessness through service and education. They heard from insightful speakers who had experienced or were experiencing housing insecurity and provided their perspectives. A notable trip project included the Shadowing StreetVibes program, in which students sold newspapers in various Cincinnati neighborhoods and used their income to pay for their next meal.
The StreetVibes newspaper concentrates on social issues and features work created by those affected by housing insecurity. Distributors sell the papers throughout Cincinnati and utilize the funds to support housing costs, utility payments, and other necessary purchases.
At the Permaganic Eco Garden, students listened to the founder’s story and learned about the organization’s mission. They sorted donated coats at CAIN and served dinner at St. Francis Church, supporting organizations that provide critical resources. Through meaningful discussion and valuable experiences, students recognized how Cincinnati’s network of nonprofits interconnects through shared concerns and overlapping community needs.
As Vols develop the knowledge of their cities and learn how to advocate and cultivate change, they become powerful catalysts for growth in their communities. One of the trip’s leaders, Georgia Ahrens, reflected, “A change can be made personally instead of leaving it to other people. I think that’s resonated with me a lot, that we have the power to enact change and inspire others.”
Disability Advocacy in Charlotte, NC
VOLbreaks Leaders Matt Billings and Marc Stubblebine infused their trip with their evident passion for disability advocacy, prioritizing volunteering at facilities that support the economic accessibility of their services to individuals with disabilities and their families.
The group began their trip at Shining Hope Farms, an organization that offers therapeutic horse riding in an enriching environment. Students built, repaired, and painted fences for the horses’ pens, cleaned the children’s play area, and tidied landscaping affected by storms on the outskirts of Hurricane Helene’s path. They returned to the farm on their third day in Charlotte to assist in their charity golf tournament. The group’s assistance enabled fundraising to concentrate on supporting the organization’s holistic programs and purposeful activities without diverting funds to pay event workers.
Participants also learned about Hinds’ Feet Farm’s mission to provide rehabilitative and engaging activities for people with traumatic brain injuries, where they cleaned up the land and natural trails struck by foul weather to allow trail use to continue unobstructed. Then, the group spoke with the Office of Disability Services at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to understand the university’s efforts to implement accessibility measures on a large scale. Participants heard from community partners with unique perspectives on disability advocacy.
Amidst reflective conversations, the group cultivated relationships as they connected with the scope of the local need for inclusive programming and infrastructure. One of the trip’s leaders, Stubblebine, said, “It makes [students] realize what is not looked at as much in a major city, understand those lessons and then bring them back to Knoxville.” As students continue to seek educational experiences to foster their growth in leadership and service, our office looks forward to supporting their efforts to understand and advocate for their community.
Sustainability in Knoxville, TN
The devastation of Hurricane Helene in the Southeast forced the Asheville trip to unexpectedly pivot to concentrate on the needs of the Knoxville community and surrounding areas. The trip strived to maintain its emphasis on sustainability but prioritized going where volunteers were most needed. Recent events have presented unique and evolving challenges, and local organizations have diverted their vital efforts to support East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Students divided their time between disaster relief efforts with the Tennessee Department of Health and local organizations dedicated to sustainability, including the Second Harvest Food Bank, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, the Old City Garden, and the Beardsley Community Farm.
“These themes go hand-in-hand,” said participant Lily Wegman, “as we must learn to be sustainable in times of disaster for ourselves and for others…I hope more people choose to volunteer to help others as well.”
VOLbreaks Leaders Julia Prince and Jada Lester applauded their group for maintaining optimism and determination despite the initial disappointment of the change. Students watered and weeded gardens, picked up trash and recycled materials on the UT campus while most of the student population was away, and sorted and packaged food to send east to aid victims of Hurricane Helene. The group then traveled to Hartford, Tennessee, to clean debris from a house affected by the storms in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Health.
Reflecting on the support and supplies community members offered them, Lester said, “In the wake of a disaster, people are still willing to help us as we’re helping them.”
The Jones Center for Leadership and Service admires how communities unite to persevere through a crisis and encourages those seeking to serve to view opportunities at leadserve.utk.edu. We will continue to update our webpage to reflect timely service opportunities to support those affected by Hurricane Helene.
The Community Collaborator Continuum serves as the foundation for VOLbreaks. It illustrates roles within communities, with four positions ranging from a member who is unaware of social issues to a community collaborator who understands, analyzes, and aims to resolve interconnected social issues through intentional service and engagement. VOLbreaks trips enable students to identify their location on the continuum and seek to advance their community engagement.
Through vital service experiences, students strive to become global citizens and catalysts for needed change. The Jones Center for Leadership and Service motivates students to seek continuous learning opportunities through community involvement to understand and acknowledge those who dedicate themselves to serving others and contributing to resolving local challenges. As we conclude a successful season of Fall VOLbreaks, we look forward to announcing our slate of spring break trips and weekend excursions soon.
Leading with Leading with Purpose: Purpose: Leadership
Leadership
Knoxville Knoxville
Scholars Forge Scholars Forge
Lasting Impact Lasting Impact
By Blakley O’Brien
“While there are many organizations on campus that teach leadership theory, there are not as many that put it into practice through hands-on experiential learning and community mentorship,” said Tyler Myers, a senior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. A member of the 2025 Leadership Knoxville Scholars (LKS) cohort, Myers and his peers participate in an innovative experience that enhances leadership development and service learning through immersive educational opportunities.
The cohorts participate in two academic courses through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS): the first teaches and analyzes servant leadership in coordination with social change, and the second concentrates on navigating civic engagement beyond graduation as students implement their community action projects while collaborating with Knoxville organizations.
Students engage with local leaders through personalized mentorship in partnership with Leadership Knoxville, forging lasting relationships to advance personal and professional growth. Community excursions to surrounding organizations and activities invite the cohorts to holistically understand Knoxville from a cultural and historical perspective. They implement a Community Action Project alongside a Knoxville non-profit organization in their final year. For Tyler Myers, his enduring passion for developing resources to access nutrition has inspired several projects, most recently leading to his aspiration
for his community action project.
Partnership with United Way of Greater Knoxville
Myers exemplifies significant dedication to community engagement through his involvement with LKS, as he partners with United Way of Greater Knoxville (UWGK) to combat the prevalence of food insecurity in Tennessee. Serving Knox County and neighboring communities, the organization combats poverty by meeting people’s basic needs and providing early care and education, access to healthy food, support for local schools, and resources for financial independence.
“UWGK has a mission to unite people and resources to strengthen communities and solve systemic issues,” said Kimberly Pettigrew, the director of food systems and supervisor of Myer’s project. The collaboration between UWGK and Myers has produced a virtual database that allows schools to observe and access surrounding nonprofits and calculates distances to walk, bike, and bus to critical organizations that provide vital resources. While UWGK has long developed geographic mapping to understand the systemic foundations of food insecurity, the project provides a tangible resource to assist in combating the issue in East Tennessee.
Myers works with school coordinators to ensure program understanding, enable partners to input their data, and collect feedback to gain insight into potential opportunities. The database offers valuable pathways for communication and education to provide nutrition that supports children’s development, advances success in education, and improves livelihoods.
Tyler Myers, LKS 2025 Cohort Member
“You can go to maps within our databases and see where food is and isn’t and really understand the links between [food insecurity] and other demographics of Knoxville’s population,” said Myers. “It’s a lot of systemic issues that are sometimes very overwhelming, but in another sense, I also learned there’s a lot of really amazing people in the Knoxville community that are working to change those precedents that have been established for decades. I’m really excited to see what these amazing people are able to accomplish over the next couple of years.”
As Myers applies to medical school, he discussed how his interest in researching the intrinsic links between overall health and nutrition has informed his career goals as a future physician. He intends to prioritize access to quality food to advocate for patients' rights.
Pettigrew said, “Tyler has a passion for people that I don’t often see in those who have careers in more analytical fields...his values, compassion, and generosity are equal to his intellect, making him well-suited to a field that looks to take populations and large datasets and use those to improve precision treatments for patients. I can confidently say that we need more Tylers if we hope to have a future where resiliency, equity, and sustainability thrive.”
Lasting Impacts of Leadership Knoxville Scholars
“Whether scholars are finding third places through excursions or connecting to new professional networks through their mentors, LKS is challenging students to step outside of their experiences at the University of Tennessee and explore what it means to be a community member and take an active part in creating communities they are proud of,” said Natalie Frankel, the assistant director in the Jones Center overseeing the program.
LKS invests in students to cultivate community engagement and further develop active citizens in a global society. The unique experience enables students to explore social issues they are passionate about, regardless of their connection to professional goals. Student interests shape their mentorship matches and guide their community action projects to ultimately cultivate civic engagement in Knoxville while developing leadership competencies.
Cohort applications open annually in the spring semester. The Jones Center for Leadership and Service encourages sophomores to apply to invest in their leadership development and active citizenship while building lasting relationships with peers and community leaders alike.
THE JCLS
CREATIVE TEAM
To expand the reach of the Jones Center, cultivate further engagement with our programs, and provide professional opportunities for students interested in creative fields, our associate director developed four roles—the social media manager, graphic designer, copywriter, and photographer—to cater to unique expertise areas and create a collaborative marketing team.
The social media manager makes engaging social media content and manages accounts across all platforms, guiding posts that significantly increase our user engagement. The copywriter crafts significant stories and website content reviews to highlight the Jones Center’s initiatives and programs that enhance the student experience. The graphic designer creates branded print and digital assets for all platforms, working closely with the social media manager to manage feed content. Our photographers’ work offers unique insights into the collaborative and engaging opportunities in the Jones Center. They capture moments at service opportunities, CliftonStrengths facilitations, speaking engagements, and more.
In May, the jobs were posted in Handshake, generating over 20 applicants across the four positions. Students were eager to find opportunities for on-campus employment to build and enhance their professional portfolios. The team’s collaboration kickstarted a new era of the Jones Center’s social media.
FROM AUGUST 19TH - DECEMBER 3RD:
700+ 700+
photos captured
70+ 70+
posts across all platforms
33,567 33,567
*total reach fall 2024
+340% +340%
*increase in reach, fall 2024 compared to fall 2023
5 5 Creative Team members
6,447 6,447
*total interactions fall 2024
5,223 5,223
*total profile visits, 30% increase compared to fall 2023
675+ 675+ clicks on LinkTree
The engagement has translated to success across all programs—spaces fill up faster than ever for service events, the volume of applications for leadership positions has increased, and more. The success would not be possible without the contributions of AlexaLin Moses, Blakley O’Brien, Patrick Shuster, Kyndall Williams, and Dalton Courtney.
*indicates data from Meta Business Suite
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS
Every donor’s steadfast support enables incredible growth and enriches the student experience, sustaining impactful programs that equip Volunteers to light the way. We extend our immense thanks for their dedication to our mission.
The generosity of Clay (‘71) and Debbie Jones empowers students to engage in valuable service opportunities and leadership development programs. Their commitment enables us to cultivate active citizens to steward social change in Knoxville and beyond.
If you would like to make a difference in the student experience, please consider giving to the Jones Center for Leadership and Service.
