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An Orlando, Florida high school teacher who does double duty as the coordinator of the service-learning academy at Timber Creek High School (TCHS), Wendy Doromal recently received a Spirit of Service Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service for her commitment to service learning. Doromal received the award during the National Youth Leadership Council’s recent National Service-Learning Conference in Minneapolis.
In congratulating Doromal, David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation, commented, “Wendy Doromal not only gives of her own time and talents, she also leads and inspires other students and educators in her community and beyond to tackle some of America’s toughest social problems.” The Corporation’s programs include Learn and Serve America, a major funder of service-learning programs nationwide.
In addition to her duties at TCHS, Doromal is the service-learning coordinator for the Orange County School District, the nation’s seventh largest. Doromal created the TCHS service-learning academy as well as both of the coordinator positions. Her responsibilities include conducting and organizing trainings and conferences for teachers and students, overseeing a district-wide student service-learning mini-grant program, conducting site visits of service-learning programs throughout the county, and writing grants for service-learning, which have been awarded $325,000 so far. As a direct result of her efforts, the number of service-learning projects in Orange County has increased from seven to nearly 150 a year. Almost all of the 150 schools in the district have a service-learning contact trained by Doromal, and tens of thousands of Orange County students participate in service-learning.
Examples of student service-learning projects in 2006-07 include Spanish language poison prevention books, videos on preventing bullying, recycling books, creating community gardens, and public service announcements on topics ranging from homelessness to drug awareness. More than 125,000 people were served by student service-learning projects in 2006-07, and 210,000 are projected to be served in 2007-08.
The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for more than 2 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
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