Isabelli, Eshleman receive Servant Leadership Awards
FOR RELEASE: Sunday, May 22, 2005
Huntington, Ind. "Two Huntington College students recently received the Huntington College Servant Leadership Award, in partnership with the Barney II and Moore Foundations. Lisa Isabelli and Rusty Eshleman received the award which recognizes students who have demonstrated leadership in the area of community and ministry service. Students were nominated by staff, faculty, and peers and had to be juniors with a 2.5 grade point average or above to be eligible. Two $1000 awards were granted from which recipients were asked to designate $250 to the charity of their choice.
We're grateful to the Barney Foundation for giving Huntington College the opportunity to recognize two outstanding students who have displayed leadership qualities through their many acts of service, said Joanne Miller, Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service Advisor. Leadership is all about serving others and these two students have been wonderful examples of servant leadership to our campus and the surrounding community.
Isabelli is a recreation management major from Shorewood, Ill. She has chosen to donate $250 to the Huntington County Boys and Girls Club. At Huntington College, Isabelli has served with the Boys and Girls Club as Program Assistant and as a volunteer at Kids Kampus. She has been a cabin leader and program assistant at Camp Living Waters in Michigan and a children's church, Vacation Bible School and high school youth group volunteer at Grace Bible Church in Illinois. In addition, Isabelli is a member of the Huntington College track and field team and the yearbook staff.
Eshleman is a music major from St. Thomas, Pa. He has chosen to donate $250 to Mission Year, specifically to Jenni and Jason Shaffer who are serving with the organization. Jenni Shaffer is a former Resident Director at HC. At Huntington College, Rusty has served with the Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service during work days and as a philosophy tutor. He has also been a member of worship ensembles Joyful Noise and Preeminence, as well as the 2003 summer tour of Cotton Patch Gospel. Eshleman is a staff photographer for the college newspaper.
Founded in 1992, the Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service has become an integral part of Huntington College campus life. During the 2003-04 school year, the Joe Mertz Center documented more than 13,000 hours of volunteer service contributed by students, faculty and staff.
Huntington College's Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service is a student-directed organization that mobilizes the campus community for Christian service. The Joe Mertz Center aims to involve students in the local community, instill a lifelong tendency toward service, and promote the idea that one person can make a difference. The Joe Mertz Center has been listed as an exemplary program in the John Templeton Foundation Honor Roll of Character-Building Colleges.
Huntington College is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Following a decade of growth and development, Huntington College will become Huntington University in mid-2005. U.S.News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best Midwestern colleges. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington College is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. Huntington is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and was named one of the 50 best Christian places to work by Christianity Today magazine.
