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Redbird Impact Spring 2019 cover textless showing two people painting a mural in a tunnel
Masterpiece: New ISU program inspires children through the visual arts.

Volume 2 • Number 1 • Spring 2019

Bloomington-Normal youth paint a mural last summer as part of an Illinois Art Station led project along the Constitution Trail.

Illinois Art Station: New program inspires children through art

Illinois Art Station is a new program aiming to provide children and youth in McLean County opportunities to grow and learn through visual art experiences.

Students began construction of the home at the beginning of the fall semester.

Habitat for Humanity student chapter: Building monuments to civic engagement

Carol Jones owes her home to her own fortitude and a group of college students.

Cadet Matthew Higgerson, a sophomore, works on a finger-painting project with first graders at Fox Creek Elementary.

ROTC: Answering the call of tutoring

The United States Army is known for coming to the aid of people in need all around the world. At Illinois State University, a small group of soldiers-in-training saw a need—albeit on a much smaller scale than the military is accustomed to—in a local classroom and answered the call.

ISU students are working with Psychology Professor Valerie Farmer-Dougan to transform rescue dogs into foster pets.

Pet saviors: Students transform streetwise rescue dogs into foster pets

Illinois State University Professor Valerie Farmer-Dougan and her students assist the animal rescue organization Pet Central Helps by transforming streetwise dogs into foster pets.

Noah Tang (right) and Jeanna Campbell were among the ISU students who helped start the food pantry.

Food Pantry seeks to solve student hunger problem

When listing the struggles facing college students, people tend to think of homesickness or studying stress—many never consider hunger.

Volunteer Paulina Wietocha has been sewing for years; her grandmother was a seamstress in Poland.

Office of Sustainability speaks for the trees—figuratively

The Lorax would have been preaching to the choir at Illinois State University. The hero of Dr. Suess’ eponymously titled children’s fable, who “speaks for the trees” and who fought in vain to stop the Once-ler’s destruction of his beloved Truffulas, may have even found a new home in the Fell Arboretum, with its thousands of trees representing 154 species. Either way, his message in support of sustainability would have definitely struck a chord with Missy Nergard.

Two women carrying a bench

Lifelong engagement through Alumni Association

To align with the value of civic engagement, Illinois State’s Alumni Association’s Redbird Engagement and Development (RED) Committee has been tasked with providing leadership and direction for alumni to continue the lifelong responsibility of being informed and engaged global citizens through meaningful opportunities.

Illinois State University students create gifts with their Holiday Helper children.

Give back at Illinois State

Check out the following community engagement opportunities open to Illinois State students, faculty, and staff.