Purple Goes to Page

over the mountain and through the woods

Healthy Families received an JMU Innovative Diversity Efforts Award (IDEA) Grant to provide engaged learning opportunities in neighboring rural communities where many JMU students have never visited. College students can often become immersed in the immediate community and have no awareness of the struggles of others in their back yard.
"Over the Mountain and through the Woods" will provide transportation from JMU to Page and Shenandoah Counties to serve as elementary school lunch buddies/mentors, help with food pantry and thrift store client needs, assist in activities at a non-profit child care preschool, and other rural initiatives that will provide insight and opportunity for reflection regarding the challenges faced by those living in rural poverty. The program will increase cultural humility, empathy, and understanding.

Lunch Buddies Program

The Lunch Buddies program pairs Page County students with JMU students, who serve as mentors. JMU students engage with Page County students in the lunchroom, in the classroom, and even at recess. The opportunity also allows JMU students to get out of Harrisonburg and learn more about the surrounding communities.

"This experience has honestly given me a greater sense of self-worth. When people usually think of community service they think of giving themselves, but when I go, I am the one who is learning so much from these kids and this opportunity. Doing Lunch Buddies just really helps to put things into perspective for me."

-Madeleine Levesque

"As a JMU student and citizen of Page County, I have new found hope for the vast resources JMU can provide to help rural communities outside of Harrisonburg. Much focus is placed on helping the communities in Harrisonburg, but the surrounding counties also need help. As a JMU student I would urge other students to take advantage of an opportunity like this because it will allow you to gain a deeper connection with the areas surrounding Harrisonburg."

-Linzy Cumbia

INTERNSHIPS

Healthy Families provides a wide variety of opportunities for all students, not just health professions or social work. Healthy Families has hosted students from writing, rhetoric and technical communication, media arts and design, and sociology to name a few. The nature of your internship with Healthy Families can be tailored to your interests and the experiences you would like to have! Learn more about internships here.

"My internship with Healthy Families gave me a variety of experiences I would not have found elsewhere. As a journalism student, my internship was initially geared toward interviewing families, but over the semester, I did so much more. I updated the website using my user experience skills. I gave a testimony of my time with Healthy Families to the Madison Trust board, which was a great public speaking and networking experience. I also met a few of the families currently in the program and learned more about the resources Healthy Families uses, which really opened my eyes. My experience with Healthy Families was well-rounded. I brought journalism skills to a social work setting and learned so much."

-Sara Banton, SMAD Journalism

JMU students and Healthy Families partner to serve citizens of Page and allow students to learn from hands-on experiences in home visiting and community engagement. One Healthy Families 'graduate' said she wants to go to JMU when she gets big--just like the 'big kids' that came to visit her with Healthy Families. She even had her picture take with the Duke Dog!

This video tells the story of young family that was enrolled in, and graduated from, Healthy Families. JMU students help create various types of media to share the many ways Healthy Families makes a difference in the lives of participants.