LER Gives Back
Lundy Community Service Projects
Named in honor of Orlando "Lundy" Martocchio, Professor Martocchio's grandfather, the Lundy Scholarship Fund has been established to provide scholarship support for first generation college students who have been admitted to LER. This scholarship is established in the spirit of Mr. Martocchio's belief and commitment to education and his generosity to those in need.
An additional feature of the gift involves Lundy Scholars and interested faculty, staff, and students contributing at least one day of community service each year. This year's activities included serving meals at the Champaign TIMES Center and supporting an event benefiting youth ages 13-18 at the Salvation Army, totaling 100 hours of service.
"I am inspired by Simon and Garfunkel’s song when I say that LER Students, Staff, and Faculty came together to build a bridge over troubled water that will span years to come. The sense of community we are building around humanity itself has enriched our lives in unimagined ways.”-Professor Martocchio
"I am thrilled to integrate community/public service into our LER family. We are a relatively privileged group of people, and we've all received help and assistance at one time or another. Now, it's time for us to pay it forward."
"The opportunity to work with our fellow LER classmates and faculty and give back to the community around us was priceless. We did more than merely count community service hours to reach a quota. Rather, we all worked together to focus on the people who need the most help. Serving food at the TIMES Center and realizing how grateful the men were for our service and time was extremely fulfilling."
Next Fall, the LER students plan to continue the "Spirit of Lundy" community service project through continuing their volunteering at the TIMES center and through working with children and families in need to provide holiday gifts (such as winter clothing and toys). The Lundy Community Service projects are student led and inspired through the generous donations of Professor Martocchio who had the inspiration of the goal of the lundy project. Additionally, for Fall 2009 the Lundy board is planning on organizing a School-wide holiday gift wrapping party as a Fall end-of-the semester event for the LER community. The Lundy Committee is comprised of Lundy Scholars, board members of the student organizations and students inspired and interested in becoming involved in the "Spirit of Lundy" projects. The "Spirit of Lundy" is a continuous community service initiative in LER that is student driven.
Vijay Kalagara
International Scholarship
Vijay Kalagara, MHRIR ’07, understood the value of his LER experience -- access to opportunity. For that reason, Vijay pledged $1 a day, matched by his employer, to provide greater access to future International LER students. The Vijay Kalagara International Student Book Scholarship will provide financial support to international students who need it most. Vijay recalls “In my first semester, the money I spent on textbooks was equivalent to my senior-year college tuition in India.” In Fall 2009, two International students will be awarded a $250 scholarship through the generosity of Vijay’s gift. Download Application
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LER and Shell team up to donate to Ronald Mcdonald house
LER and Shell were able to work together to make a donation of $645.00 on behalf of the University of Illinois and Shell to the Ronald McDonald House of Central Illinois. Shell handed out signature cards to the students and $5 was donated for each card returned (129 total). Students are currently collecting pop tabs to also help benefit the Ronald McDonald House.
LIRA Annual Relay for Life Team
Each year a group of LER students host numerous events (Spooghetti Dinner, bake sales, hot dog slaes, canning) and sells merchandise to raise money for their Relay for Life team. The 2009 team raised just about $1600 for the cause and joined together to walk on March 13th.