For Immediate Release August 24, 2005

For More Information Contact: Rich Schneider, 317-278-4564 rcschnei@iupui.edu

Passion for Helping Others Runs Deep in Sam Jones Scholars

INDIANAPOLIS - Angela Demien's passion for helping others is as large as she is petite.

A Sam H. Jones Community Service Scholar, Demien is an IUPUI sophomore majoring in pre-med, linguistics and literature who will help teach the science curriculum to kindergartners at George Washington School at least four hours a week during the school year.

The Sam H. Jones Community Service Scholarship Program at IUPUI supports the involvement of some 115 students in service, leadership and social advocacy. Community Service Scholars like Demien receive a $3,500 Community Service Scholarship.

The scholarship is important, Demien said, "but it is a lot more than the money it puts in my pocket."

A dedicated volunteer since she was in elementary school, Demien said she was concerned that when she started college that she would become so focused on her academic work that she would lose sight of the reason she wants to become a doctor: helping others.

Thanks to the Sam Jones scholarship program, she said, that hasn't happened. As Demien puts it, she is "growing my mind, while growing my heart."

Giving back to the community is important to Alexandra Czok, too. A freshman from Cologne, Germany, Czok tutored seventh and eighth grade students at home and volunteered in programs that served children and people with disabilities during the summer.

Her volunteer actions were uncommon among young people in a country where many simply wait to serve a mandatory stint in the military or national service program.

She is eager to share her experiences and European viewpoint on community service with fellow students.

Sam Jones is an icon for community service in Indianapolis. Jones was a dedicated public servant who provided dynamic leadership as the chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Urban League for thirty-six years. Jones worked tirelessly to build bridges between all races and genders in all sectors of the community, and he advocated for social change to assure equal access to education, housing and healthcare.

The Sam H. Jones Community Service Scholarship program provides several scholarships, including:

Freshman Service Scholarships ($2500)
Community Service Scholarships ($3500)
Community Service Associate Scholarships ($3500)
Service Learning Assistant Scholarships ($750 - $3,000)
America Reads/America Counts Team Leader Scholarships ($1500-$2500)

The scholarship program is funded through campus scholarship funds and contributions of private donors. ###