2024 Jenzabar Impact Awards Winners Receive $35,000 in Funding to Further Support Community Health and Development
July 16 2024 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Bay Path University, University of Sioux Falls,
and Edgewood College Took Home Top Honors and Grants in Awards
Program’s Inaugural Year
Jenzabar, Inc., a leading technology innovator in higher
education, today announced the winners of its inaugural Jenzabar
Impact Awards, an initiative pledged to provide grants to
institutions with individuals, departments, or programs that have
gone above and beyond in making an impact on their students and/or
communities. The 2024 Jenzabar Impact Awards will distribute
$35,000 USD to the top three winning institutions and their
programs: Bay Path University in Massachusetts, University of Sioux
Falls in South Dakota, and Edgewood College in Wisconsin.
The winner of the 2024 Jenzabar Impact Awards is Bay Path
University’s growing Wildcat Pantry program, which will receive
$20,000 in support. Tanya Coles-Daily, the university’s Assistant
Director of Health and Wellness, started the program after
confidential sessions with students who indicated persistent
struggles to pay for basic necessities and obtain healthy,
nutritious food. Beginning as a safe, anonymous way for students to
access non-perishable items through a food pantry, the program has
since grown to include fresh perishable foods like fruits and
vegetables as well as professional clothing and hygiene products.
The Wildcat Pantry also organizes quarterly farmers markets and
sponsors the university’s “Fresh Check Day,” a campus-wide event
dedicated to mental health and self-harm prevention.
Within weeks of kicking off the program, Tanya was coordinating
donations of personal care products and non-perishable food from
alumni, organizing student volunteers to staff the pantry, and
developing informational sessions around healthy eating and
exercise. Thanks to a partnership that Tanya initiated with the
Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Wildcat Pantry is now a
designated food distribution center for locally sourced food. This
partnership has also brought local chefs to campus to hold cooking
demonstrations and educational sessions about reading nutritional
labels on pantry items.
University of Sioux Fall’s Basic Needs Program won second place
in the 2024 Jenzabar Impact Awards and will receive $10,000 of
financial support. The Basic Needs Program is a way for the
university to address concerns such as food insecurity, housing
instability, and transportation challenges throughout the
community. The program includes several distinct initiatives,
including the Cougar Cupboard Food Pantry, which provides students
with anonymous access to nutritious food items; the Aunt Flow
Program, which ensures access to feminine hygiene products without
additional costs; the Bike Share Program, which provides students
with access to bicycles for commuting to campus; the Community
Garden initiative, which encourages sustainable living and provides
students with hands-on learning about gardening; Cooper’s Career
Closet, which offers professional attire for students who may not
have access to suitable clothing for interviews, internships, and
more; Emergency Student Housing services, which provide safe
accommodations during times of crisis; Financial Literacy Training,
which empowers individuals to learn about personal finances and
make more informed financial decisions; and the Sioux Area Metro
Free Bus Ridership program, which partners with Sioux Area Metro to
provide students with free bus passes for commuting.
Edgewood College’s Cutting Edge Program won third place in the
2024 Jenzabar Impact Awards and will receive $5,000 in funding. The
Cutting Edge Program piloted in 2008, becoming the first inclusive
higher education program in Wisconsin that offered a fully
integrated higher education experience for adult learners with
intellectual challenges and other developmental disabilities like
Down syndrome, autism, traumatic brain injuries, and cerebral
palsy. Since then, the program has continued to grow and now also
offers pre-college and alumni programming. The goal of the college
program is to offer participants student-centered, individualized
advising and peer mentorship with graduate and undergraduate
students, while offering the full college experience to help
individuals develop the skills and self-determination necessary to
thrive.
“Equity, accessibility, support, and mental health are pivotal
tenets of growth and success, and we are honored to support the
monumental efforts that many of our client institutions are
tackling to make an impact on their students and their
communities,” said Bob Maginn, CEO at Jenzabar. “All of the
submissions to the inaugural Jenzabar Impact Awards demonstrate the
passion that fuels higher education. We are so excited about this
program and we look forward to continuing to support institutions
that promote mental, physical, and emotional health for their
communities.”
About Jenzabar
Created out of a passion for education and a vision for
technology, Jenzabar offers disruptive, innovative software
solutions and services that empower students’ success and help
higher education institutions meet the demands of the modern
student. Over 1,350 higher educational campuses harness Jenzabar
solutions for improved performance across campus and a more
personalized and connected experience for the student. For further
information, please visit www.jenzabar.com or on Twitter @Jenzabar
or on LinkedIn.
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Jenzabar Media Contact Gail Scibelli fama PR for Jenzabar
jenzabar@famapr.com