Uncw Otm Award Program Educational Free Rice

OTM Award Month and Year: April 2009 Nominee’s School: UNC Wilmington Region: SAACURH Category: Educational Program of the Month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Title: Free Rice Person in Charge: Seahawk Village Area Chapter Nominator: Krystal Rucker Address: 601 S. College Road Address: 601 S. College Road Phone: (336) 601-8532 Phone: (336) 601-8532 E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On-Campus Population: 3,100 Chapter Size: 31 Target Population for Program: Attendance: Number of People to Organize: 7 Time Needed to Organize: 2 Weeks Date of Program: April 1-15, 2009 Cost of Program: $75 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Description: Free Rice took place on Wednesday April 1st 2009 through Wednesday April 15th 2009 in the Seahawk Village. This online based, passive program, was organized through the Seahawk Village Area Chapter and was designed to not only provide meals to a variety of starving countries, but to also educate the residents of the Seahawk Village about diversity and other cultures. On the morning of April 1st, 2009, the residents of the Seahawk Village woke up to flyers, “door deck’s” and emails, all of which were titled “Free Rice.” Within the body of those advertisements, residents were given detailed instructions as to how to participate in the program. Residents were instructed to visit FreeRice.com and simply begin answering the questions on the home page. With each correct answer, FreeRice.com automatically donated10 free rice grains to help feed those in need, in countries such as Bangladesh, Uganda and Nepal. On the homepage, players were given the opportunity to choose from a variety of subjects to answer from, including art, chemistry, English and math. After the residents finished playing, they were encouraged to print off the page that displayed the total number of rice grains they donated, and place it in the “Free Rice” envelopes on the doors of their Resident Assistants. At the end of the weeklong program, the Seahawk Village Area Chapter collected all of the envelopes and counted the number of rice grains. The building with the most amount of donated rice grains was rewarded a

pizza party. After the pizza party, the Seahawk Village Area Chapter released an areawide email, congratulating the residents on a job well done. The email included the winner of the rice grain contest and the total number of donated rice grains by the Village. Also included in the email, was a summary of the FreeRice.com organization, the purpose of their website, and a synopsis of each country the organization strives to improve. The email addressed the issues that each country faces, the history of the culture and other interesting facts pertaining to the diversity of each culture. Word Count: 343 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Origin: Free Rice originated in the Seahawk Village by an Area Chapter member, after visiting the Freerice.com website. Word Count: 17 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Goals of Program: The goal of the Free Rice program was to not only provide meals to a variety of starving countries, but to also educate the residents of the Seahawk Village about diversity and other cultures. The goal of the program was to also promote awareness of other cultures by providing information about them as well as promote cultural understanding by recognizing and contributing to the needs of those cultures. Word Count: 68 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Positive and Lasting Effects of Program: As a result of the Free Rice program, the Seahawk Village was able to donate 103,380 rice grains towards the FreeRice.com organization. Because this program had a large amount of participates and a comparative amount of rice grains were donated, the Seahawk Village Area Chapter hopes the Free Rice program will become an annual program that is looked forward to by the Village residents every year. Word Count: 66 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Short Evaluation of Program: Based on the amount of rice grains that were donated, the number of participates, as well as the quality of information that was shared and learned, we, as the Seahawk Village Area Chapter, are proud to have exceeded any expectations we had for the Free Rice

program. We define success by the response from the people in whom we plan, organize and facilitate programs for the Seahawk Village residents. Based on the amount of positive feedback given to us by those residents, we feel confident in saying the Free Rice program was truly a success. Word Count: 95 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How Could the Program Be Adapted to Other Campuses? The Free Rice program can be easily adapted to other campuses. Step one: choose a webbased organization, which specializes in positively contributing to the needs of other cultures. Step two: advertise the program by posting instructions on flyers, and emails with a link to the organization’s homepage. This makes accessing the website more convenient and desirable for the participants. Step three: have the participants record or print their progress and collect their records at the end of the program. Step four: tally the results and reward those who donated the most. Step five: Email information about the organization, the people, and the cultural that participates help support. Include historic facts and relevant information about the cultural to help spread awareness and understanding. Word Count: 122