UConn Student, Program Win State Community Service Awards

Undergraduate Colin Carlson and the HuskyTHON dance marathon have won Connecticut Department of Higher Education Community Service Awards.

Undergraduate Colin Carlson and the HuskyTHON dance marathon have won Connecticut Department of Higher Education Community Service Awards. They were selected from among 69 nominations from 26 Connecticut colleges.

Award-winners are selected based on their ability to design projects that distinctly serve a community, incorporate originality and unique approaches to community service, substantially raise student participation, and address community problems.

Carlson received an individual student award for his work with the Cool Coventry Club, which he founded. The club’s mission is to make and keep Coventry ‘a cool’ town by reducing its carbon footprint. Carlson created a 53-page manual for teachers about creating climate campaigns, which he distributed to nearly 650 schools in Connecticut, and to educators in 17 other states and four other countries.

HuskyTHON is an event in which students participate in fundraising efforts that culminate in an 18-hour dance marathon. The event raises money for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. In 2010, it raised more than $150,000 and involved more than 1,000 students. HuskyTHON received a student group award.

Other UConn nominees were law student Jessica Stein, for her work with the Hartford Homeless Experience Legal Protection Project; education major Julia Leonard, Special Olympics; junior Thomas McGee, UConn Community Service Days program; Sherry-Ann Brown, student director for the FaithCare Wellness Center at the School of Medicine; faculty member Jennifer Bruening, HuskySport; Julia Yakovich, Office of Service Learning; the UConn Community Service Days Program; Engineers without Borders – USA; and the Waterbury Campus’ Brass City Dash 5K Road Race.