4 10 142 https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/23233333893b9288a7eb413f66e68078.jpg eef87f4a03eabdb11e0fc0930f09b526 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Photograph of Cara Gilgenbach Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cara Gilgenbach Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 2019 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cara Gilgenbach Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Description An account of the resource This is a photograph of an alum of 1993 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Unpublished Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Cara Gilgenbach https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/c0184cc2cb0800c20219b67d22ab791e.jpg 23ccdca625f4c0e21da9638d5a6444a4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Photograph of Arete Moody Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wooster Index Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2003 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Description An account of the resource This is a photograph of an alum of 2003 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wooster Index Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Arete Moodey https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/2a90854fab39d00c5a42448a5dde88a7.jpg 147ee76cbedd3a90e33aa61a87cdf0df Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. 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Title A name given to the resource Photograph of Ann-Catherine Browne Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Anne Frederick Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 1998 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ann-Catherine Browne Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Description An account of the resource This is a photograph of an alum of 1998 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Unpublished Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Ann-Catherine Browne https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/6bfb1e9c9ca142656f0fc3df3304f7ef.jpg 14d72bfcb33a9464bf84dfcc8634e55a Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data photograph Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource WOMN/WGSS Chairs 2009 Subject The topic of the resource WOMN/WGSS History Description An account of the resource The image was taken a 2009 retirement reception at the Wooster Inn for Joanne Frye and Elena Sokol. The former Chairs of WOMN/WGSS include (left to right) Heather Fitz Gibbon, Nancy Grace, Joanne Frye, Susan Figge, Barb Burnell, Carolyn Durham, Mary Addis, and Linda Hults. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Christa Craven Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Heather Fitz Gibbon Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright [hyperlink: https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en] Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource digital image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context WOMNWGSS_Chairs_2009.jpg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant ||||osm The Wooster Inn, Wooster, Ohio, USA https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/85bcb1a17102884e868a1085389bfd5f.jpg b6b5c262be38f4463adf05030a3ae4b0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Photograph of Natalie Friedman Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wooster Index Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Description An account of the resource This is a photograph of an alum of 2008 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wooster Index Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Natalie Friedman https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/55950882d5db8f121e0cfd8a76be6cdb.mp3 ec927aeaff2fef2757c0eddf87895169 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Campus and Community Activism Description An account of the resource This collection contains oral histories, pictures, statements and other historical works that document the history of the College of Wooster and the Wooster community's communal activism. Items come from different leaders in the community and other individuals who have participated in and documented Wooster's activist history. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Feminist Pedagogy in Action Students, Fall Semester 2018-2019 as follows: Harris-Ridker, Matthew Remtulla, Amrin Bonhomme, Isabel Malzeke, Hailey White, Andrew Lang, Abigail Vogt, Anna Day, Morgan Kouyaté, Alicea Stewart, Emery Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Unpublished Language A language of the resource eng Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Abigail Lang Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Kate Abruzzino Location The location of the interview College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:10:41 Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Kate Abruzzino Interview Edited by Abigail Lang for clarity [00:00:00] Abigail Lang: Hello this is Abigail Lang and I am here today on November 27th, 201[8] with Kate Abruzzino. Hello. [00:00:12] Kate Abruzzino: Hi. [00:00:13] AL: Would you tell us what local organization you are a part of? [00:00:17] KA: I am part of the Prism of Wayne County support group. It’s a support and community networking for [the] LGBTQIA community. [00:00:31] AL: And could you tell me about the organization and what it does? [00:00:36] KC: Well, we are a local group. We’re not a non-profit, we don’t have any particular status. We haven’t, you know, applied for any status as far as 501c3 or anything like that. We’re grassroots, started with local community members that just were really hoping to rebuild community and have a place where people could come and make friends and connections and have a time to gather together. Cause we used to have that here in Wayne County back in 80s and 90s and then it kindof fell apart. And at that time it was mostly kindof like a partying group that would get together for like drinking and socializing, but a lot of alcohol involved and we were really hoping to have a space that was alcohol-free. So that was part of it as well. [00:01:34] AL: And what is your role within the organization? [00:01:37] KA: So I am part of the leadership team. We have five leadership members that help plan out events and organize get-togethers and run our Facebook page and so I am one of them and I am one of the original organizers of the group. [00:01:57] AL: Kay, and you spoke a little bit about this but, could you tell me more about the history of the organization? [00:02:02] KA: Sure. We started planning this group back in June of 2016 and thinking about what we wanted to do with it and then we had our first meeting shortly after that and started having it every month and we were originally at Local Roots in Wooster and then we outgrew that space and so now since March I believe, February or March 2018, we’ve been at the St. James Episcopal Church. They’ve opened a space for us so that’s been really great. [00:02:44] AL: And has your organization ever worked with groups on the-- at the College of Wooster? What projects and how did the collaborations go? [00:02:53] KA: We have not worked with the college of Wooster… extensively, but what we have done is come over for the events that welcome students back to campus and come and talk about our support group and that’s the extent of it really at this point. Some of our members have come over to try to support activities and events like the Pride that happens at the campus, to be there and be present. [00:03:24] AL: And I know you were present at the opening of the college’s Queer Space room, at the information session. [00:03:30] KA: Yeah, we were. [00:03:34] AL: But, has the organization collaborated with any other local organizations? [00:03:40] KA: We are connected with other support groups and one of those is in… Richland County and so we do some connecting with them and support their Pride that happens in Richland County. And then Out Support in Medina. We connect with them and share resources. And then also there was a support group, that’s since kindof fallen apart, but in Westfield Center. And so we’ve tried to collaborate with other small support groups, you know, in other counties and they’re all very rural, so it’s been great connecting. [00:04:22] AL: And presently does the organization have a working relationship with any other local organizations? [00:04:29] KA: Well, we do sortof accidentally because I actually work for OneEighty, which is our local domestic violence/rape crisis [center]. And so part of my work in that professional role is doing outreach to underserved populations. So, often, you know, we are working on projects together, because of my work. [00:04:54] AL: And does the organization have any upcoming events? [00:04:59] KA: We have the regular meeting every month and so our next one is actually coming up in December. It’s always the first Wednesday of every month. We hold them at 6 o’clock where, you know, people kindof get together at 6 and socialize a little bit. At 6, its really 6:15. And then at 6:30 the meeting actually starts. So our next one is for the holiday times. A lot of folks don’t have family so we all get together. We do a carry-in and we have a white elephant gift exchange. So that’s our next one. [00:05:35] AL: And would Prism like to be involved with any other local organizations or the college in the future? In particular initiatives in mind? [00:05:44] KA: Well, we would be very interested in connecting with the college. One thing that we’ve talked about is that a lot of community members from like Wayne County and Holmes County-- a lot of our community members really aren’t, you know, up on the latest terminology, you know? They’re really struggling because we have all different ages, all different identities. We have people that are struggling with like, just the glossary terms, the basics of our own, you know, community. So, [an] education aspect I think would be really important for our support group. But then we’re very interested-- many of our members are interested in being part of maybe a panel to help educate professionals around Wayne County. We see a huge issue if law enforcement’s involved or, you know, medical staff trying to help people, especially folks that are transgender. We feel like it’d be very important to come together for something like that, a collaboration. [00:07:01] AL: And I know this is Prism’s… Prism is LGBT friendly in goal, but are there any ways in which Prism uses queer of feminist perspectives in its efforts or other ways to support the LGBT+ community? [00:07:19] KA: Hopefully in all efforts. (laughs) I feel like we’re just constantly educating ourselves because again we do come from very different backgrounds, so, you know, we try to be openminded and careful when we connect with others. But, you know, we always just keep learning. Yeah. [00:07:45] AL: How does Prism make an impact in the greater Wooster community? [00:07:51] KA: Man, I-- what’s been really wonderful is that we do have the Facebook presence, we don’t have a website, but each month we, I guess I didn’t mention this, but each month we do help distribute the Prizm with a ’z’, the magazine that comes from Columbus. So each month we help distribute that magazine. We get 300 to share with community members her in Wayne County and we try to get them out to other counties, surrounding counties, and that’s been really great because as our members go around and deliver these magazines, even the folks that don’t choose or aren’t able to come to our meetings, they just talk about how just having the group has made a huge impact for them and they get a lot of support from the other members on Facebook. We have a private forum where people-- where the members can like talk to each other and so the general public can’t see that, unless they’re, you know, a member. So that’s been great, people being able to give each other support, especially right now in the political climate it’s been really wonderful. [00:09:07] AL: And what are some of the obstacles or challenges that Prism is currently facing? [00:09:13] KA: I feel like challenges [are] just basically how to get the word out. You know, we try to get information out to community members, but since we have a very broken community here, we have little pockets of supportive places in Wayne County, but you know, what we know is there is alot of community members, but they’re not all connected in the LGBTQ community. So constantly we’re finding new people that just had no idea we exist. So, you know, its just the effort of connecting with professionals that might be able to help spread the word or figuring out ways to get the message out. [00:09:59] AL: And finally, is there anything else you would like to mention? [00:10:03] KA: Hmm… really couldn’t think of anything extra things… It’s just, you know, what, what our support group has realized is just how important it is for people in our particular community to have the support, have the camaraderie and have a way to meet others that are also, you know, struggling and so it’s been really great. Yeah, so. [00:10:37] AL: Alright, thank you for coming. [00:10:40] KA: You’re welcome. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Kate Abruzzino Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lang, Abigail Abruzzino, Kate Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018-11-27 Language A language of the resource eng Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights; Gay rights; Diversity in the workplace; Community organization Description An account of the resource This interview takes place with Kate Abruzzino. Kate Abruzzino is part of the leadership team and one of the founding members of Wayne County's LGBT+ support group, Prism. Topics include the creation and aims of the group and inter-community connections. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Unpublished Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource College of Wooster Libraries, Feminist Pedagogy in Action Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Presented with permission from Kate Abruzzino<br /><br /><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mp3 Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Kate Abruzzino Interview. mp3 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant College of Wooster; Wooster, Ohio; Wayne County, Ohio; Richland County, Ohio; Medina, Ohio; Westfield Center, Ohio; Holmes County, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/09c76fb89da42a9ab5cd637eb2e5b423.mp3 1cc047278abc06155624889d09b613a0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Campus and Community Activism Description An account of the resource This collection contains oral histories, pictures, statements and other historical works that document the history of the College of Wooster and the Wooster community's communal activism. Items come from different leaders in the community and other individuals who have participated in and documented Wooster's activist history. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Feminist Pedagogy in Action Students, Fall Semester 2018-2019 as follows: Harris-Ridker, Matthew Remtulla, Amrin Bonhomme, Isabel Malzeke, Hailey White, Andrew Lang, Abigail Vogt, Anna Day, Morgan Kouyaté, Alicea Stewart, Emery Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Unpublished Language A language of the resource eng Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Abigail Lang Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed John Clay Location The location of the interview College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound John Clay Interview Edited by Abigail Lang for clarity [00:00:00] Abigail Lang: Hello, this is Abigail Lang. It is November 8, 2018 and I am here interviewing John Clay as part of the Campus and Community collaboration project. Hello, John. [00:00:13] John Clay: Hi, Abby. [00:00:15] AL: My first question today is what local organization are you part of? [00:00:19] JC: I am with the Wooster-Orrville NAACP Unit #3208. [00:00:25] AL: Alright, could you tell me a little bit about that organization? And what it does? [00:00:30] JC: Yes, the NAACP here in Wayne County is a civil rights organization… That is open to anyone. We fight for people who have civil rights issues. [00:00:51] AL: Okay, and what is your role in the organization? [00:00:55] JC: I am the current president. [00:00:57] AL: Could you tell me about the history of the--this chapter of the organization? [00:01:03] JC: Well, this local NAACP started sometime in the mid-sixties. I’m not exactly sure of that date. The first president was Jack Harris and [the organization] has been in existence since that time. [00:01:18] AL: Okay, and has your group ever worked with groups at the College [of Wooster]? If so what projects and how did the collaborations go? [00:01:27] JC: Yes, we have worked with the College. That’s been something we have been trying to do more of. This past year we were stakeholders in the AMRE [Applied Methods Research Experience] Project and it was concerning returning citizens to Wayne County. Two wonderful students helped us put together a database so that we have access to the names of felon friendly companies, companies that will hire felons. There was more work done in that, but that’s it in a nutshell. [00:02:00] AL: Has the organization collaborated with other local organizations in the past? [00:02:05] JC: Absolutely. We worked with the Concerned Citizens Committee during the time of the KKK recruitment here in Wayne County. The NAACP actually led that drive, led that committee. We… helped organize the rally downtown on the square in August 2017 I believe it was. Just to let the KKK, or I should say the ‘Invisible Empire’ know, that hate was not welcome here in our community. [00:02:40] AL: And presently does the organization have any working relationships with other local organizations? [00:02:46] JC: Well, I guess I should say that yes we-- presently, we are working with the Wooster city school systems. We helped spearhead a diversity taskforce for the Wooster city school systems to try to hire [a] more diverse certificate [of] teachers into the school system. We also have taken a good hard look at curriculum, hiring, and retention. We have also helped collaborate with the diversity task-force on the classroom climate. We’ve worked with the Wayne County commissioners on a Tuskegee airmen exhibit that was here this past May. We are working with the group, and I don’t have a lot of details cause it’s still in the fledgling state, to help erect a monument for Charles Follis, who is a Wooster College, past Wooster College student, and the first professional black American football player. [00:03:52] AL: And so you already mentioned that, but does the organization have any more upcoming events? [00:04:01] JC: Yes, we just had our, Freedom Fund rally, which went on just as the college students were coming back to school, so we really didn’t get a lot of participation from the College, but it was a grand event. We had over 200 people in attendance at Kittredge Hall. We also are preparing for our annual Martin Luther King [Jr.] Day celebration and we have collaborated with the College for their MLK celebration that goes on here. And currently that’s what we have going on. We still have to do our planning meeting for the year and we have elections going on right now so that’s taking up quite a lot of time an energy. [00:04:51] AL: And I know that’s been another source of collaboration between the college and the NAACP in particular with the MLK day panel[s], the lectures, and... yeah, just with the MLK day panels. [00:05:07] JC: I have actually spoke[n] at the opening ceremony two years ago. [00:05:14] AL: And-- [00:05:15] JC: Oh, we’ve also had college singers and the group I’m trying to think… golden? [00:05:23] AL: Shades of Gold? [00:05:24] JC: Shades of Gold, helped with our community choir two years ago at our MLK celebration. [00:05:30] AL: And can you speak at all to any history of collaboration with the Wooster College Campus chapter of the NAACP? [00:05:46] JC: Actually, I really can’t. Due to the fact that I’m the president of the adult branch and I have no jurisdiction, for lack of a better word, over that. I do think about how we can engage young people and drum up some interest in the NAACP, but currently no, I have no other information. [00:06:15] AL: Alright and would you like to be involved with any other local organizations at the College in the future? Do you have any particular initiatives in mind? [00:06:29] JC: Well, currently… we are still trying to sort out the data we received from the AMRE project last year. I don’t have a current initiative, but it’s still early and we like working with the college. We like building solid relationships in our community. And the college is obviously, is a big part of the community. [00:06:54] AL: Of course, and is there any conscious effort to make the NAACP a more LGBT+ friendly space or is there any particular queer or feminist perspective that it includes in the efforts or ways that they support the LGBT community? [00:07:15] JC: The Wooster-Orrville NAACP is a civil rights organization. We will help and defend to the best of our ability anyone who comes to us with their-- after they have had their civil rights violated. We currently have several LGBT members that belong to the Wooster-Orrville NAACP. And to that regard they put their input in just as any other human being would. And it’s taken that way, not with any animosity or remorse towards their lifestyle or their sexual orientation. It-- personally, that’s none of our business and we don’t focus on that. But anyone that comes to us, we’ll help them. Little green men can come to us and (both laugh) we’ll help try to preserve their civil rights if it’s all possible. [00:08:12] AL: Course, And what-- How does the organization make an impact in the greater Wooster community? [00:08:21] JC: Well, Wooster is-- has a lot of diversity in it currently. We try our best to build those solid relationships to be out in the public and seen and known that we’re here an willing to help. We try to engage people to join our organization and help in that social justice fight, which is ongoing. [00:08:49] AL: And what are some obstacles or challenges that your organization is currently facing? [00:09:00] JC: Since I wrote this down, I’m gonna say it. (laughs) We’ve-- I’ve had big struggles in engaging our mayor to stand up for civil rights and to support us. Also, it’s been difficult, it’s been a challenge engaging our youth in our community to become involved in civil rights. I’m not sure… I’m at a loss on how to do that so I’m open to suggestions. Also, you know, one of the obstacles is the stereotypical, conventional thinking that people have, that we have to have a label, you know? Abby, you’re white and I’m black and people feel that they need to call each other that. The challenge that I’ve tried to address is that we are all human beings and until we can get to that point, I think there’s always gonna be a struggle and racial indifference. So, that’s been a big challenge also. And you know, there are people that are older in our organization that grew up in a specific way. And trying to convince people to be open to change is always a huge obstacle. [00:10:17] AL: And is there anything else that you would like to mention about the NAACP? [00:10:23] JC: I am close to wrapping up my first two year term as president and am going to go forward and try to do it again for another couple of years, another two year term. Since the 2016 election for our unit and other elections at that time our membership grew, probably by, almost half. We grew immensely, we now have over 100 members in our unit and the goal is, and it’s an open-ended goal-- is to have as many people help increase our membership numbers as possible. And as I said, and that includes anyone. [00:11:12] AL: I don’t think I have anymore questions for today. Thank you for coming and speaking with us. [00:11:19] JC: You’re welcome Abby, it was my pleasure. Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:11:22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with John Clay Description An account of the resource This interview is with John Clay, the 2016-2018 President of the Wooster-Orrville branch of the NAACP. Topics of conversation include the work of the local NAACP chapter and local, regional, and at large civil rights concerns. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lang, Abigail Clay, John Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Unpublished Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018-11-08 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource College of Wooster Libraries, Feminist Pedagogy in Action Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Presented with permission from John Clay<br /><br /><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mp3 Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context John Clay Interview.mp3 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant College of Wooster; Wooster, Ohio; Wayne County, Ohio; Wooster-Orrville Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights; Civil rights movements; Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement; Educational change; Diversity in the workplace Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Morgan Day Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Joe Szeker Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Joe Szeker Interview Edited for clarity by Morgan Day Morgan Day: Hi, my name is Morgan Day and I am here with Joe Szeker who is director of operations at People to People Ministries. I just got a tour from Joe showing me all of the operations that they have going on here at People to People Ministries. So, my first question is, could you tell me about People to People Ministries?… A little about the history and an overview of what you guys do. Joe Szeker: Sure, People to People Ministries was created in 1978 by a council of twelve churches to help churches better meet the needs, and emergency needs of people in our community. People unfortunately like to go to different churches for the same need. So, part of that was to make sure that the churches weren’t being abused and using their funds unwisely. So, a lot of what we do is make sure that we provide for people that really have the need. MD: Mm-hmm, thank you, and what is your role within People to People? JS: As the director of operations I make sure everything functions properly. I make sure we are taking care of the needs of people that we do-- We have changed a few things, just trying to make things internally better. How we function-- you went through the clothing room-- it is a lot more friendlier to shop. We are making things a lot easier for our volunteers as far as tracking things, and accounting for things not only that we get in, but things that we give out. So, we want to be a good-- we want to use the resources we get very wisely and help people to understand that we truly cherish what they give us, and we want to make sure we give it out appropriately. So, that’s a lot of what I do. I’m a fundraiser, that’s a part of my job as well, and reaching into the community and talking with other agencies so we don’t duplicate effort. That’s a really big thing, Wayne County really works together all the agencies, we all get together and communicate very well with each other which is very important, and we all try to use what resources we have to the best of our ability. MD: That’s great. Where does most of your fundraising come from? JS: Our funds come a lot from churches and organizations like that. MD: Do you still just have the twelve churches? JS: No, there is a myriad of churches throughout Wayne County that provide some sort of support for us. Where we went down and saw the food, we are in the midst of our food drive. So, we’ll have not only our churches but other organizations and businesses that will show up with food, they’ve been doing the food drive for us. So, the Rotary is a big huge one. Oh, and then there’s a big basketball tournament at the College of Wooster. You come and bring a couple of cans of food for us and then you get into the game for free. So, that’s really kind of nice and has been going on for quite a while and we get a lot of food through that, so it’s very helpful. MD: Oh, very cool. JS; Yep! MD: And that leads perfectly to my next question, which that sounds like one collaboration point between the college and People to People, but have there been other projects or collaborations with groups from the college and People to People? JS: Definitely. I met Nate Addington and we connected, we actually have a college professor from the College of Wooster that did a class for first time students that can come, and they actually participate in what we do every day, they are interacting with them. So, it is an accredited through the college, that we have the kids come and see what we do and interact with clients, so they can learn better what poverty is and how better to help people when they go back to their own communities. So, we have that collaboration. There’s quite a few things that we do with the College of Wooster. We’ve connected with them to get other items for our clients as well, so, in the summer when students leave, they leave some things behind, so we are able to get some of those things. The college students at the end of the year they turn in their college cards and they go purchase things for us, I showed you all the personal products... MD: Oh, yeah… JS: So, as Christmas break rolls around they left over money from the students cards, they’ll go and purchase personal products and bring them here for us. So, there’s a good collaboration now between the College of Wooster and People to People. MD: Mm-hmm, very cool. Well you also touched on this a little bit, but what other organizations does People to People work with? JS: We work with all of the social service agencies. We work with One-Eighty, with Community Action, with Red Cross, Salvation Army. We work with many that are government funded and many that are faith based and many that are business oriented as well. So, we try to share what we can, we all share um, individuals information, so again so we don’t duplicate effort. We only do so many different things, One-Eighty does different things, Community Action does different things, so when individuals come to us with a need we can effectively send them to the right places to get help. So, the more that we coordinate the better it is for the people our community. MD: Yeah, it sounds like you have a good network going. JS: We really do, Wayne County has a great, great network of participants that work together. MD: Yeah, do you have any upcoming events? I know you told me about some of them but, JS: Yep! We are in the midst of Thanksgiving so we are giving out complete dinners that include the turkey, we don’t make it but we box it up and give it to people. There’s probably close to 300 families that we’ll serve next year, and they will come next week to get their stuff. Our board members and other volunteers will come and box them up Friday and Monday. Friday this week and Monday next week and then we will give them away next Tuesday. And then we’ve also been signing people up for our Christmas Toy project where children come, we probably have five or six hundred children signed up for it, many families that come to get Christmas items for their children for Christmas. During the summer we have the back to school project where children get school supplies. We touch base with all the schools and found out what they are requiring their kids to have. And we get those, a lot of that we get donated, we get money donated to help purchase those things, and we come and give the school supplies and clothing at this project as well. MD: Great yeah! That’s a lot. It sounds like you’re busy all year. JS: We get to recoup from like January to like March (laughs). MD: [laughs] Okay, that’s good, so like a couple months. JS: And then it starts all over again. MD: How much, are the families you serve mostly in like Wooster proper or is it all over Wayne county? JS: It’s all over but the majority of them end up in Wooster proper. MD: Okay. JS: We try to get a lot of information. Orville does a lot through the Salvation Army so they hit Rittman and some of the ones that are North East. North Western ones we try to reach through different organizations to get them here to make sure that we serve everyone in Wayne County. But a lot do come from Wooster proper. MD: Makes sense... what, this-- what are some ways that local organizations or ways the College can help in the future and do you have initiatives in mind? Or do you already feel like you have a pretty good… JS: Well, we always invite all students to come. It’s really interesting that we are a walk away from the College of Wooster. MD: Right. JS: And we encourage them any given time. We have a fraternity, Nate was really instrumental in getting some of the, some of the, orientation changed to where this year we had bus loads on new coming in students that went to all of the organizations around so they can see what they do to see if they want to help with volunteering and helping us out. A big part of what we need is volunteers, and when students are here we get a different perspective, like we were talking before a lot of our volunteers are older, so a lot of their choice for clothing that they put out might not be what a college student would put out. MD: [laughs] Right. JS: So, it’s very helpful to have a younger perspective on things. Plus you, usually young people will bring other young people. And we want to instill and make sure you know that you can kind of have a good time it’s not just coming to work but you’re coming and you can talk and work at the same time, and you help people. So, provision of items that the college already does with the purchase of personal products at the end of each semester. Having volunteers and having different kinds of events where we can aware of what goes on, you know, just a couple blocks away from the school they’re attending. MD: Mm-hmm, that makes sense. Do you make a conscious effort make this area a LGBT friendly space? JS: We serve anybody and we have no criteria that we will not serve anybody for. If you are in need of food and clothing, you will always get food and clothing. If you need financial assistance, you’ll always get financial assistance. There is no restrictions on what anyone does socially with their life. MD: Very cool. And how do you think that People to People Ministries makes an impact on the greater Wooster community? JS: I think we make an impact in people’s lives. I mean we give material items. I personally am very interested in understanding poverty and understanding the people that are in poverty and really making people feel like they have worth. Part of a ministry is that we believe that God created all people equally and we all have a purpose under Him to help other people. So, we try to help people understand that they have a purpose, you are here for a reason, you’re not a mistake, you’re not here to be poor, but you have a value that you can help somebody else with. So, that’s kind of a message that we try to give to everybody, not just provide stuff , but provide hope and provide some way to life people up above poverty, that’s a real goal of mine, and a lot of our staff here. Actually, all of our staff here. MD: Right yeah. Makes sense. What are some of the main obstacles and challenges your organization is currently facing? JS: Monetary donations, down, everybody is down everywhere, a lot of our churches are down. Volunteers is another one. So, money to do what we do, and people to come help us do what we do. That’s always the challenge. I think it is age old. MD: Right. Why do you think funds are down? JS: I think people in general are struggling. It’s starting to get better, we are starting to have more work in our community. But when people are unsettled, in any climate, they are more apt to hold on what they have and not to give it out and I think we are kind of in a period like that. MD: Mm-hmm, okay that makes sense. Is there anything else you would like to mention about People to People ministries? JS: Other than that we are here to help people and we want to be a part of not only our faith-based community but just our community to understand that what we know is that we are, we have a purpose here, and we want to provide hope, not just stuff. And I think that’s really important because if we provide hope toward our community, then our community can somehow find a way to help themselves and generate a positive attitude which is huge in a community it’s like any sport team. We always use the sports team analogies. When you gain momentum, better things start to happen and we try to use that analogy with people come out of here not feeling like they’re a number. MD: Right. JS: Unfortunately, they come in and grab a number and they go through intake. But we try to diffuse the whole process of unhumanizing people and let them know that we’re here. We put music on in the lobby. We have places for kids to play and things like that, so we really try get people to know that God loves them and we love them too. MD: That’s awesome. I guess I do have one more question. There has been lots of news about the opioid crisis in Ohio… JS: Wait, can you say that again? MD: The opioid crisis. JS: Yes, yep. MD: I was wondering if that’s something you see… JS: Well we sadly see affect often because that’s the way that a lot of people get to be in need. So, it’s a huge, huge, huge thing. People to People personally, we just try to be supportive when those people come out of jail or out of prison and try to help them with the material needs that they have. And again try to encourage them that there are places that they can seek help. One-Eighty we do, we always try to guide people in the direction of finding ways to get help. It’s a big thing that we care about people. MD: Right, okay, awesome. Well thank you so much for the interview. JS: You are very welcome. MD: And good luck with your Thanksgiving project and everything. JS: Thank you, thank you! Sorry my phone went off. [laughs] MD: [laughs] Oh no worries! Location The location of the interview Wooster, Ohio Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Joe Szeker Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Unpublished Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource mp3 Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Morgan Day Joe Szeker Subject The topic of the resource Community organization; Economic assistance, Domestic; Community development Description An account of the resource This is an interview with Joe Szeker, director of a local organization, People to People ministries. People to People is a network of churches in the area of Wayne County, Ohio that provides network and community services. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018-11 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource College of Wooster Libraries Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Presented with permission from Joe Szeker<br /><br /><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Joe_Szeker_Interview Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Wooster, Ohio; Wayne County, Ohio https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/92cd520385008b6c3bd235764654aaf7.jpg a95cb3abf9809c959ff481eb6345d70b Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data drawing Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Together: Raised Hands with Kauke Hall (College of Wooster) & Wooster City Courthouse Description An account of the resource Multicultural raised fists (circulated from Refinery29 for use at the Women's March 2017), superimposed with Kauke Hall and the Wooster City Courthouse in the background. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sofie Dittmann Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-01-17 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Wooster Subject The topic of the resource Feminism; College of Wooster; Women's March on Washington (2017); Community and college Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In Copyright</a> https://woosterdigital.org/wgssatwoo/files/original/38d116dd1d519045c3b308db1d4ffff6.jpg ee18fbaacb22e96f7a7d424b53ede381 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Campus and Community Activism Description An account of the resource This collection contains oral histories, pictures, statements and other historical works that document the history of the College of Wooster and the Wooster community's communal activism. Items come from different leaders in the community and other individuals who have participated in and documented Wooster's activist history. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Feminist Pedagogy in Action Students, Fall Semester 2018-2019 as follows: Harris-Ridker, Matthew Remtulla, Amrin Bonhomme, Isabel Malzeke, Hailey White, Andrew Lang, Abigail Vogt, Anna Day, Morgan Kouyaté, Alicea Stewart, Emery Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Unpublished Language A language of the resource eng Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource College holds celebration to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Abby Lang Subject The topic of the resource Martin Luther King, Jr., Day; Activism, Student Description An account of the resource This is a newspaper clipping of the College of Wooster's MLK Day celebration. This celebration sought to link MLK Jr.'s dialogues on inequality to present day inequities experienced by Wooster residents. Activities and discussion were held throughout the week. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Emily Alward Language A language of the resource ENG Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Wooster, OH;