16 Mar 2012 Morrilton student honored in White House ceremony

Julia Lyon of Morrilton, an Honors student at the University of Arkansas, was recently recognized at the White House for her role as volunteer and chairman of the university’s Full Circle Campus Food Pantry. The community service program was one of five winners in the White House Campus Champions of Change Challenge.

“Young people have always been at the forefront of movements of change. I am so proud of these students and their campuses for their innovative work to improve communities all across America,” said President Barack Obama. “I hope their brilliant example will inspire Americans of all ages to come together to support an America that’s built to last.”

Lyon took part in a ceremony and panel discussion that was seen on the White House website.

She and three other student volunteers from the food pantry also visited with Arkansas Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman and toured the White House during their visit to Washington, D.C.

Lyon shared her experiences in D.C. on Twitter and can be followed at @UAVAC.

She also blogged and posted information and photos at http://wordpress.uark.edu/vacint/.

“What an incredible opportunity to present the Full Circle program to universities and colleges across the nation. I hope that other campuses will be able to take our program and adapt it to their own campuses,” said Lyon.

The pantry opened in February 2011 by students involved with the university’s Volunteer Action Center with the goal of providing a dignified and discreet way for any member of the University of Arkansas community who needed food to get it. In the first year of operation the pantry has served more than 2,500 people.

Last fall, the White House announced the launch of the Campus Champions of Change Challenge. After reviewing a record number of entries, Full Circle was among 15 finalists announced in late February, and the public chose the top five projects through online voting.

Supporters of the student volunteers who staff the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry cast 57,142 online votes for the food pantry over the course of eight days. Full Circle finished a close second to a program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, which received 59,852 votes. Service programs at Grinnell College, UCLA and the University of Chicago were the other three finalists.

“Thanks to everyone who has supported the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry. We never dreamed we would be invited to the White House as a result of this program,” said Lyon. “We certainly could not have achieved this without everyone voting as they did.”

The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.

In addition to being invited to the White House, these Campus Champions of Change will have the opportunity to work with mtvU and MTV Act to create short features about their projects that will air on mtvU and be featured on MTV.com.