Hesston College will host Carol F. Lewis, president of Communities in Schools (CIS) of Georgia, for the Melva Kauffman Lecture series entitled “Be the Change.” A free seminar will be at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center on the Hesston College campus. The seminar will focus on stories of how CIS is making a difference in the lives of children through achieving the CIS basics.
As president, Lewis helps lead the CIS of Georgia and local affiliates as they strengthen capacity to work in partnership with school districts to reduce the dropout rate among at-risk kids in Georgia.
CIS believes every child needs and deserves the five basics:
- A personal, one-on-one relationship with a caring adult
- A safe place to learn and grow
- A healthy start and a healthy future
- A marketable skill to use upon graduation
- A chance to give back to peers and community
Lewis, a graduate of Mercer University, believes that in order to solve our many world problems we have to work to redirect resources to where they are most needed.
Lewis will also present at a campus forum at 11 a.m., Friday, Feb. 26, in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary, about how college students can use their unique gifts to support the CIS mission. Forum is free and open to the public.
Melva Kauffman, a 1936 graduate of Hesston Academy and a 1939 graduate of Hesston College, was an English and education instructor at Hesston College from 1944 to 1977. Following her death in October 2003, her family established a lecture series that would continue Kauffman’s lifelong interests in learning and the humanities.