If you watch closely, you just might catch the work of a Heidelberg communication and media class at a movie theatre near you.
Last semester, Dr. Robin Heaton鈥檚 class of 11 students engaged in service learning as part of their final capstone project. The class partnered with the local non-profit organization CASA 鈥 short for Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA recruits, trains and supervises volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in juvenile court.
Heaton鈥檚 class was tasked with two projects. The first was to design and create videos for the purposes of attracting new volunteers or training current volunteers. The students created four videos of varying length from 15 seconds to five minutes.
鈥淒on鈥檛 be surprised if you see the 15-second video the next time you visit a local movie theatre,鈥 Heaton said.
The second project focused on creating a 鈥渉ow to鈥 guide to help CASA better utilize their social media accounts. In their 鈥淏eginners Guide to Social Media,鈥 the tech-savvy students compiled a handbook about how to best use social media. Additionally, they created four months鈥 worth of canned messages, brochures and promotions CASA can use to attract attention and volunteers.
鈥淲orking with CASA gave the communication and media students invaluable experience working with an actual client, similar to what they will do in their chosen careers,鈥 Heaton said, who was pleased with the outcome and their final project. 鈥淭heir work and efforts were exceptional.鈥
The students presented their projects to CASA Executive Director Tracie Cress and Communication & Fundraising Coordinator Michelle Miller.
The tri-county program CASA program annually serves more than 200 children in Seneca, Sandusky and Wyandot counties. The students agreed the importance of CASA鈥檚 mission gave them additional motivation to do their best work. Class members included Jennifer Kovarik, Lajanae Morman, Trace Reynolds, Jakob Kress, Victor Rizzo, Erica Leber, Bret Finck, Taylor Arbogast, Sarah Semer, Kaylea Bowers and Christian 鈥淜iki鈥 Alvarado.
Anyone interested in becoming a CASA volunteer should call (419) 448-1442 or visit CASA鈥檚 website for more information.