1. Project Paws Christina Murdock, Rachel Mulberry, Bailey Hopkins, Brooklyn Jackson, Mo Comm101 C11 - Communications - Margaret Sass
Introduction:
Learning goals
Cultural Awareness; marketing to different cocultures
Interpersonal Communication; narrowing ideas down, scheduling meetings
How to be Active Community Members; staying involved in the community after the service learning project
Empathy; Involving ourselves into the community to understand situations from all aspects
Course Concepts:
Public Communication:
Getting in touch with the Twin Falls Animal Shelter, Petsmart, and the CSI event planner
Listening
Listened to each others thoughts and ideas, followed guidelines from businesses and professors
Group Communication
Gathered outside of class to complete our service learning project
Worked together on all aspects of project
Persuasion
Persuaded people to purchase dog treats or donate funds to the animal shelter for a good cause
Methods:
we contacted the animal shelter to partner with them to raise money and donations.
we then got together and gathered materials to make dogs treats to sell
went out into the community and set up a table to sell treats and accept donations.
made a trip to the animal shelter to drop off donations
made our poster and presentation for overall project.
Results:
Our group was able to benefit the animal shelter directly by raising money and blankets to get them through winter.
With the money and blankets we raised for the animal shelter, we indirectly affected the community by raising donations for the animal shelter for them to obtain the resources they need for winter.
Community Partner:
Name: Magic Valley Humane Society
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide a humane shelter for cats and dogs in Twin Falls City and County. Our shelter is an Animal Control facility for stray,lost, found and abandoned pets. We reunite pets with their owners and adopt pets who have lost their owners.
Project Purpose /Need:
Raise funds/ collect donations to benefit the holding facility before the animals find their permanent homes.
Reflection:
As a group, we got in contact with the Twin Falls Animal Shelter and after listening to each others ideas on how to complete this project, we decided to make dog treats to sell to raise money for them along with a blanket drive. We communicated with businesses individually and completed our service learning project together as a whole by meeting outside of class to make the treats and sell them. We had to persuade people to buy dog treats to put money towards the good cause of helping the animal shelter get through the winter.
Rachel:
Knowing the importance of getting involved with the community is something I have learned from completing this project.
Communicating with a group and people in the community is something I have learned to do well.
I realized how important it is to communicate within the group to get achieve our goals from this project.
It is important because communication skills are going to be needed throughout the rest of my life.
I will remember this experience and look back on it when I have another project, relationship, or job and use it to make myself a better communicator.
Christina:
After completing this project I have realized that it is important to stay communicated with other group members and that being actively involved in the community is important.
I have learned how to efficiently work with other group members and how to get involved in community projects.
I realized how important it was to get involved in the community after seeing how many people were willing to help out and donate to help the local animal shelter.
I will try and volunteer more and the community after completing this project.
Brooklyn:
I realized that the way you word things can make a huge difference when trying to get people to support a cause.
Before this project I thought that there would be a lots of people willing to support their community and be a part of improving it, but I realized that most members of society are only willing to help if they can see how it’ll directly benefit them.
I had an aha moment when the majority of the people that’d say no to supporting the animal shelter, would make excuses such as not having a dog or the treats were not something they could eat.
This is important to know because when people explain that they only don’t want to help due to it not benefiting them directly, then in the future I’d know to reword things to them to explain how that their support actually does benefit them, just indirectly.
What I would do differently would be to have more alternatives planned ahead of time; such as make it clear that donations are acceptable with decorated jar and have the baked goods for both days to boost the sells
Bailey:
Have completed this project I have now realized that it is important to stay involved with your community and give help whether it is needed or not.
I learned that communication and the role it plays in everything we do is important.
This project was important because it made us look at how communication is a huge part of what we do. Also I have realized that people are willing to help out more than we think.
I will be more aware of how I come across and communicate things. I noticed when doing this project people were more focused on them not having a dog rather than looking at it as helping the animal shelter.