Joining a collection of nonprofits and community volunteers making change in the community, C.A.M.P. Bayview received one of the United Way of Dane County 2018 Community Volunteer Awards.
Award recipients, of which there are four groups and seven individuals, receive $1,000 to support the volunteer service they do in the community.
“Winning the award means a lot to our organization,” Bayview Foundation Youth Programs Coordinator Lisa King said. “We are so thankful to have been nominated for this award because we were able to be recognized among so many other great organizations in the Madison area that are also doing amazing work.”
C.A.M.P. Bayview, which stands for College Advancement Mentorship Program, started as a Wisconsin Idea Fellowship project funded by the Morgridge Center for Public Service, when UW-Madison undergraduate Michelle Tong and Oona-Ifé Olaiya were inspired to create a program specifically for college and career readiness.
Tong and Olaiya helped facilitate a variety of programming for the students to develop professional experiences. This included workshops that taught students crucial life skills—such as constructing resumes, honing professional self-presentation, and crafting college applications—as well as college campus tours, career exploration, and goal setting.
“One of the goals of C.A.M.P. Bayview is to expose our youth to new educational and career opportunities, so we hope to expand our field trip and off-site learning opportunities for the kids,” King said.
While C.A.M.P Bayview initially received funding through a Wisconsin Idea Fellowship, King hopes to keep the program sustainable through partnerships with programs including Badger Volunteers, the UW Writing Center, Galin Education and various funding sources.
“This year we were able to expand the breadth of our program by taking students to Chicago for college campus tours, as well as other UW and Madison area events,” King said. “This prize money will help us support a new round of high school age students who can benefit from these programs just as their older peers have.”