The Huntsville Community Drumline

Visits Auburn University

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), in conjunction with the Center for Educational Outreach and Engagement (CEOE) and the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for Arts and Humanities, invited the community to “Live Life Loud” with the Huntsville Community Drumline during the OLLI Brown Bag series on February 28. The Huntsville Community Drumline was founded in 2010 by Angela Walker, a retired teacher for Huntsville City Schools when she saw the need for affordable non-academic, non-sports related after school youth program. This successful program has developed more than 5,000 youth, providing them with opportunities to learn a craft that could lead to scholarships. In 2020, they launched a free percussion class called “Gran Masters” designed to help adults over 60 improve brain function and increase socialization after the pandemic.

While at Auburn University, the programs 5^th-9^th grade “Stickmasters” had the opportunity to tour Pebble Hill before performing at the OLLI Brown Bag Series and teaching the OLLI members how to drum. Afterwards, CEOE arranged for the students to meet with professors and percussionists in the AU Department of Music to talk about a path to college through music. Outreach Ambassadors provided students with a tour of campus.

The Auburn University Outreach community came together to show how these students could use the hard work they’re doing now to master music to shape their future. For more information about OLLI at Auburn click Here! For more information about the Center for Educational Outreach and Engagement, Click Here!

Budding Partnerships with Children's Harbor

When a camp designed to strengthen families of seriously ill children expresses interest in managing its duck population, better serving children with autism, and overseeing its fruit orchard, the first place they naturally turn is Auburn University. Situated on 66 acres of majestic lakeside property, Children’s Harbor provides refuge, respite, and resources to families of children with conditions such as asthma, hemophilia, cancer, and physical and sensory impairments. Thanks to a generous donation of an additional 39 acres, the camp has the capacity to expand not only geographically but also programmatically. As the visionary CEO of Children’s Harbor, Cat Outzen recognized the breadth of possibilities at their fingertips. Linda Gibson-Young, nursing faculty and Asthma Camp director, facilitated a meeting between Outzen and Auburn University Outreach in the hopes of developing a mutually beneficial relationship.

Since this meeting in April 2023, University Outreach has guided two faculty trips to Children’s Harbor and continues to sponsor campus-based convenings to maintain this momentum. One outstanding outcome of this partnership is Children’s Harbor’s willingness to provide housing to education interns serving as our first cohort of Rural Health Fellows in the fall of 2024. When asked what she needed in return for their generosity, Outzen perfectly articulated the spirit of partnership: “There will be times when arrangements benefit one party more than the other, and some are equally beneficial. We are committed to embracing these opportunities and continue building on them.”

Over these short months, much has already been accomplished, and even more plans are brewing on the horizon:

• The College of Veterinary Medicine is considering possibilities for camper service dog training.

• Children’s Harbor is providing a placement for 12 master’s level interns in nutritional sciences this summer. Camp counselor positions will be available for nutrition sciences undergraduates.

• Architecture faculty secured the topographical survey of the property expansion to prepare for an experimental planning course.

• Extension faculty are supporting camp staff in caring for their fruit orchard.

• Wildlife faculty added a Children's Harbor site to iNaturalist so campers can begin logging wildlife observations.

Endless possibilities exist for partnering with Children’s Harbor. For more information, contact Hollie Cost, assistant vice president for University Outreach and Public Service, hollie.cost@auburn.edu.