It's hard to believe that Coe Cares! has been around for more than three and a half years, with this being our 45th newsletter. The result of an idea hatched after the Kaiser Permanente Run/Walk Challenge in September of 2011, the first issue was sent out in February 2012 with the goal of providing connections between the individuals that make up each school in the College while also finding ways to make a difference in the lives of our employees, the Georgia Tech community, and the neighborhoods in which we work and live.
The specific mission of COE Cares! is to:
- Provide health and wellness information
- Promote and provide volunteer and service opportunities
- Encourage connections within COE and to the greater Atlanta community so that individuals are healthy, relationships are strengthened, and horizons are expanded.
The CoE Cares! committee is made up of representatives from each of our eight schools and the dean's office. They are:
Alyssa Barnes (MSE)
Anita Carter (AE)
Lisa Cox (ISyE)
Dimetra Diggs-Butler (ME)
Linda Dillon (ECE)
LaJauna Ellis (Dean's Office)
Lori Federico (ChBE)
Peggy Hand (ECE)
Crystal Hanson (CEE)
Lynda House (Dean's Office)
Patricia Jordan (BME)
Shirey Manchester (MSE)
Kelly Rockwell (BME)
Yvonne Smith (ISyE)
Stacie Speights (ISyE)
As a relatively new member of the committee Anita Carter (AE) brings a lot of enthusiasm and an eagerness to help. Asked why she volunteered she said:
"I joined CoE Cares because I love being involved, and I love volunteering. CoE Cares is involved in a lot of the "happenings" around campus, and I like being a part of it. I love doing good things for other people, and this is a way that I am able to do something good while representing the School of Aerospace Engineering."
Kelly Rockwell (BME) was also happy to talk about her experience as a member of the CoE Cares! team, adding:
"I thoroughly enjoy my time on the CoE Cares committee because of the small but meaningful differences we are making to the GaTech community and our surrounding area with such events as pet supply drives, drawing attention to our fantastic staff through profiles, and many other monthly projects. I would recommend others to join and participate because of its convenience, we are so busy with work and our home life that having these meetings on campus during the work week fits into my nonstop life. Plus the group of people involved are wonderful individuals with very positive attitudes."
Over the past three and a half years the CoE Cares! community has come together in a variety of ways- collecting items for a range of organizations, volunteering with charities, raising awareness about various issues, and getting to know each other through the CoE Cares Spotlights and events.
Here is a look back at some of the ways you've helped us make a difference in the community:
- Fresh Fruit Fridays
- Box Tops for Education Challenge
- Recognition of our CoE veterans
- The signing of more than 400 holiday cards for active duty members of the Armed Forces
- Three KP Run/Walk Challenges and three bed races for the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta
- Participation in Red Cross blood drives
- Handing out fruit to grad students during orientation
- Collecting food for local food banks
- Collecting supplies for the Humane Society
- Staffing the Georgia Tech hydration station during the Publix Marathon
- Introduce a Child to Engineering days
- Winning the Presidents Walk Challenge
- Volunteered with Habitat for Humanity
- Served meals at homeless shelters
And much, much more. We've also talked about everything from breast cancer, to bad tech habits, to healthy eating, to finding ways to relax and stay rested. If you have ideas for themes, stories, profiles or activities that we haven't covered please submit them to coe-cares@gatech.edu. Our hard-working committee is always looking for new ideas.
