By Adam Connelly

Senior Logan Yotter has seen first hand how service learning can enhance a student’s collegiate experience. He is involved with Kaely’s Kindness, an organization in Buffalo that helps out with teen girls’ that have cancer. Logan, who will be graduating in Spring 2020, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and is involved with various events on campus, including Student Athletics Advisors Committee and men’s cross country, continues to stay involved with the organization. He is planning on being a The Scribe sat down with him to talk about Kaely’s Kindness and service learning.

The Scribe: How did you get involved with Kaely’s Kindness?

 Logan Yotter: About freshman year I was in a biology class and for one of the extra credit projects was to do service learning projects. If we did that we can get half of our credit through that. You know I wanted to try something new being a freshman here, so one of the options listed was to do something large like a 5k. I was like okay, you know I’m a runner so I decided to go through that and then that’s how I basically got it all started.

TS: What is the purpose of Kaely’s Kindness?

 LY: The main purpose why I started, like I said, was for the extra credit. But then I got more into this I found out like what the foundation was about helping teen girls with cancer.  I started working with people that created 5k’s and raising a lot of awareness and money for the foundation.

TS: How many years have you been helping out for?

 LY: Well it’s in my Senior year right now so three years total, but I actually am passing it off to the foundation this year. So I’ll keep working with them, but I also be helping out.

TS: How do you feel accomplished in helping outside the community?

 LY: You know it’s quite a big responsibility, and I really didn’t think much of it from the start. Looking back on it, you see the community impact all the way around raising almost $7,000 that can go a long way.

Kaely’s Kindness has not set a date for this year’s 5k race. Check their website for updates on the race and other fundraising events.

by Dylan Timmell

Over the fall semester, Hilbert College opened a new café called 78 West, bringing much excitement to the students and faculty. Hilbert’s president, Dr. Michael Brophy, went throughout the campus asking faculty what they believe would be great revision ideas for the campus. Food service director, Jessica Lively came up with the idea to have students congregate around food and involvement which was approved. The project started over the summer and was completed shortly after classes started. It has been a big change for both the campus and Lively who now oversees the campus dining hall and the café.

The Scribe: How long did the project and construction take to complete the café?

Jessica Lively: I would say the project and construction was about a month long. They had to change stuff in that backroom and then build that wall on the outside where the door goes behind which was probably about a month.

TS: Do you know who was involved in the idea of the café?

JL: Honestly, I’ve been trying to get something else here for the students. So that Dr. Brophy came and asked everybody on campus, what this campus needed that was my top things that we needed somewhere else for students to be able to eat and drink.

TS: Do you know why they named it 78 West Café?

JL: So, originally it was supposed to be 43 North which is the latitude of Buffalo. But, there is a brewery somewhere that’s 43 North so they didn’t let us use that. The longitude then is 78 West. It is the same café name we use at Daemen.

TS: Who works at the café? Is it mostly kitchen staff?

JL: Yeah, so we hired two baristas to work there Adrian and Hillary. Adrian had worked with us previously a couple of years ago and we hired Hillary as a fresh new employee so I have to help out over there. So yes, it is our staff.

TS: Is it possible students will ever be able to work alongside the kitchen staff?

JL: Yup, We hire students (in the kitchen) so it will be the same thing there. If there are more people and more staff then yes, we would hire over there.

TS: Some students have been asking about Hawk bucks, how they can be purchased and if you can use a credit card?

JL: You can do hawk bucks a couple of ways. So if you go to the link through Hilbert’s website go to living on campus, then dining and then there’s a link to our website. You can purchase Hawk bucks there or you can do it at the dining hall with cash, credit card, a check, and if parents call us we can charge them over the phone. It’s pretty simple and then as soon as we get that, funds transacted, we can add them here on the computer.

TS: What are a few items on the café that they offer?

JL: Every kind of drink that you can get at Starbucks or Spot. Iced and hot, frozen drinks and then hopefully this week we will have a cooler case that is coming that will also display salads and wraps. We got some fun pudding and desert parfaits, yogurt and granola parfaits coming and then right now currently there’s muffins and cookies there. Every day were going to do some chocolate dipped pretzels and a couple other gluten free deserts we got that we have in mind that we want to try also.

TS: What seems to be the top three popular items on the list?

JL: I would say probably the frozen hawk mocha is the number one drink, I noted when I was over there earlier this week that vanilla latte is, and probably the big cookies. Everyone wants those big cookies over there.

TS: Do you think this would help with the student involvement and engagement?

JL: Yeah, we’re trying to work on a plan where students can use the café for their events for the Agape Latte; We’re trying to figure out how we can use that instead of setting up deserts and an iced coffee bar there. So we’re still working on that so hopefully that we can get that to be used for events.

by Scott Peet

Hawk Radio is seeing a lot of exciting changes this year. Entering its ninth school year under the guidance of Dr. Don Vincent there is a renewed energy amongst the staff. A new and improved studio has brought interest back to the station and a cast of fresh voices will be taking to the air.

The Scribe sat down to talk with Vincent about the changes and what he hopes to see happen this year.

The Scribe: What’s new for Hawk Radio this year?

 Doctor Vincent: We have a new feature that we are going to start. We’re going to call it faculty favorites.  We’re going to highlight a favorite song from a faculty member on Fridays where we will air the song four times at 9AM, noon, 3PM and 6PM. And we’re going to pre-record a segment with the faculty member where they explain the significance of the song. I thought it would be a fun way to get the faculty engaged in  (Hawk Radio) and maybe students would be interested in what songs faculty like. I will probably extend it to also staff and administration.

TS: What are the benefits of the new location?

 DV: Our new location is going to be in Franciscan Hall which is part of this new movement for the college to get more students engaged in that building. We’re going to be housed in the same area of student activities and also there’s the new video arcade. We feel like this new location will put us at the center of student action. I think that’s exciting. Though I like where we are now, we’re kind of closed off from the campus and it’s something that seems exclusive to communication students and we really don’t want it to be that. It’s something that belongs to the whole campus, so I think that this new location puts us at the center of campus in our coolest building.

TS: Who is invited to join?

 DV: Everybody. Absolutely everybody. We get a lot of interest from comm students, but anybody that has any interest in talking, or if you have a musical taste that you want to share with people, we would love to have you. There are really no restrictions on what people can do on the air, as long as it’s relatively appropriate. It’s an opportunity for students to express themselves and express their creativity, so anybody that wants to do their own show, they can certainly do that. Or if they just want to be involved in the marketing of the station, we definitely need people that are interested in helping us make the station more prevalent. We want to get people listening to it, so if people can come up with ideas for contests or events we can do that will get people engaged that would be great, or if people just want to do some behind the scenes production work too. Even beyond students, faculty and staff, they can all get involved.

TS: What does the station need to improve quality and outreach?

 DV: We really need more people.  More students involved. Right now we’ve got three or four students that are really actively involved and engaged, and I think we could use a handful more of those. As the faculty advisor, I would love to be able to step away from it a little bit more and make it more of a student run station than it currently is. I think we need more voices, more people and more ideas.

 TS: What type of content would you like to have on the air?

 DV: One thing I would really like to do is have some sort of news, maybe like a magazine show. It’s probably not practical to do like a daily news show, although I suppose that’s possible if we had journalism students or maybe even political science students that would be interested in doing a daily update that would be great. Maybe some sort of audio version of The Scribe, I think would be neat, so that the articles that students are writing for journalism classes, turning those into audio pieces. I would like to perhaps broadcast some live sporting events. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve done some men’s basketball games. I would like to do some men’s and women’s basketball, some of the outdoor events, soccer, baseball softball, stuff like that.

TS: Do you have a favorite Hawk Radio show from over the years?

 DV: One I liked a lot was a show that was done by a student named Garrett Derkovitz which was called Old But Gold. It highlighted music from the 1950’s and it seems like a genre that college students might not be interested in. I think he presented it in a really cool way and it was a tight show. He delivered the information about the song quickly, and immediately got back into the song. It was a really well produced show.

 For those who would like to listen in on all of the shows this year, an official schedule of hosts and times is soon to come. Stay tuned for more event information as they will be hosting several throughout the year including a twenty-four hour broadcast on College Radio Day beginning Thursday, October 3^rd at 3 p.m. This event will serve as a house warming party for the new studio with entertainment, games and prizes throughout the night. Hawk Radio programming is available to be heard around the clock on your computer or phone, and they encourage you to visit the URL hawkradio.hilbert.edu. Just click on the link to open it in your browser and help support the station as it continues to grow.

by Melissa Shepard

Cindy Battista knew she had a calling for hospitality and had the drive to make it happen. After hearing a heart-warming story from a colleague, she knew exactly what she had to do. And that was when she started Grace Guest House, a place for families to stay in times of need to relax and get the rest and assistance they need. Before Battista started Grace Guest House, she worked for National Fuel for 30 years, starting as a secretary then eventually getting into management. She went to ECC and got her Associates degree, then went to Buffalo State where she got her bachelor’s degree. She was going to go to law school at the University of Buffalo, but got the opportunity to work at National Fuel, so she took a different path. Grace Guest House serves families in need, whether they need a place to stay when they are receiving treatment, visiting loved ones in the hospital, or anything generally medical related. To cover the cost of their stay, there is a suggested donation amount. Some people can’t always afford to pay for a place to stay, and Grace Guest House understands that. They’re there to serve you during times of hardship. The scribe sat down with Battista to discuss her work.

The Scribe: What inspired you to start the Grace House?

Cindy Battista: Grace House was inspired ultimately by a colleague’s son’s motorcycle crash down in North Carolina, so that was the ultimate inspiration. The original inspiration was a calling that I had to do something in my community. I knew it would be something in hospitality, but I didn’t have clarity on what kind of hospitality it was. When my daughter was a student in Boston in college, I thought maybe I’m supposed to house starving artists because I knew she would be one, one day. Ha-ha. I had actually looked at this space thinking, oh, this might be great for that and the church next door could be a practice place, but it didn’t resonate. It didn’t feel right. I kept thinking and thinking and put it on the back burner until that one conversation with my colleague when he came back from North Carolina and sort of abruptly said when I thought a conversation was over, “Cindy, you have to hear about the house we stayed in”. They drove down not thinking about not where they were going to stay. Their son was pronounced dead three times, and this house they stayed in was a blessing to them. They had transportation like we do as well as food and lodging. It was him sharing that for what is ultimately now Grace Guest House.

TS: Your colleague’s story is eye opening. I’m glad he was so fortunate to have a place to stay. I think it’s important to feel at home and as comforted as possible during times of hardship. When did Grace Guest House first open its doors?

CB: We opened in November 2017. We had our first family stay with us that month. To date, we’ve served over 300 families.

TS: Wow! It must be interesting to meet all sorts of people and get to know them in their stories, but to also know that you are helping them and making a difference in their lives. What keeps you motivated when you face obstacles?

CB: Most of the obstacles came from 2013 to 2017 during the formative years. I would often hang my head and wonder why I thought I could do this. Then within a week or two someone would show up with that thing that I needed and help me get back up and keep going.

TS: Did you ever doubt that you were going to be able to keep things going?”

CB: I had powerful people in the city tell me this would never take up off the ground, which had me question my abilities and myself. But, now, when I see the number of families we served now and think that if I gave up where would these families had stayed. What would they have done? They might have stayed and slept in the waiting room or stayed home or not been able to get their cancer treatment or maybe they couldn’t afford a place to stay. If I had given up and taken the easy road to just not doing it, what would have these people done. I don’t know. I’m sure they would have gone somewhere, but the fact that they were able to stay here and to be embraced by our mission, embraced by the people who work here, and get a break is just humbling.

TS: That is so humbling. It’s an amazing thing that you started and are able to help so many families during their times of need. It’s a blessing. So, coming to the Grace House from National Fuel, where did you know to start?

CB: It was tough. When you experience a calling, I want to say it was from God, you can’t just forget about it. It drives you and motivates you. It’s just there. And how do you do it? I’m a self-starter. You just do it. I went home that night and started my search. I knew I needed to secure my domain, Facebook, anything to secure it all. Nothing about my experience or work experience prepared me to start a business or be an entrepreneur, yet everything did. Everything fed into allowing me to get to where I am, but not directly, it was more indirect through experiences. Life experiences and tools indirectly led all right up to it. I learned about hospitality from my husband’s family who are from Italy.

TS: That’s amazing. It’s inspiring to hear you say you had a calling and made it happen. How many people can say they’ve done that? As far as the grace house? How do you keep it running since it’s based off donations?

CB: Our program revenue is not nearly enough to sustain us. We’re staffed 24/7 which is a very big expense especially with minimum wage going up and continuing to rise. We try to stay ahead of that. We reach out to the community. We are supported by grants from foundations, big companies who understand what we’re doing and who make pledges as well as individuals who do that.

TS: I saw you have events coming up. Would you share more about those too?

CB: We have two events. We have Soiree on Seneca, which is a primary source of revenue for this time of the year. We raise money through ticket sales, the event itself, basket raffles, 50/50s. That will sustain us for a couple months. In the spring we hold the Light of Grace Breakfast. It’s a free breakfast to attend. It’s like the state of the union, except it’s the state of Grace. It’s a great way for people to hear the stories of the guests we served and see what we are up to. Then at the end it allows people the opportunity to make a recurring gift or donation if they desire.

TS: I can definitely see how things can start to get expensive. I hope the word about Grace Guest House and your mission continues to spread to the community and beyond. What kinds of exciting things are happening here? Are there any new changes?

CB: We just added a resident manager and that in itself is an interesting story. He came to us originally as a guest from the ECMC burn trauma unit. He was local, but his house burned down and when he was ready to be released he had no place to stay. The hospital called us and told us about his situation. They asked if we would allow him to stay with us.

TS: That is amazing. All of the new changes sound so exciting. Any final thoughts, you want the community to know about Grace? What can the community do to help you make a difference?

CB: In a big way we’re making this impact, but very quietly. The impact on these families, Melissa, they come from everywhere, all over the country. It’s amazing.. Also, if they want to do fundraising for us, that’s amazing. Maybe if they’re having a garage sale and want to donate the proceeds, we’re grateful. We would be so grateful. Sending a check or getting friends together and contributing a small amount helps too. It’s expensive to operate a house like this. Donations of products are always welcome. Fresh items are always needed. If you live in the neighborhood and could call us, and say hey, you need milk or yogurt? That sort of stuff, that’s expensive. It’s a home. Whatever you buy on your list for home, we probably need it here too. If you pick up one for you and pick up a second something for us, it helps. If people wanted to make meals and bring them in, especially freezable things, that makes things easier for us too. Getting word out about this into the community helps. Thank you so much, Melissa.

The community can contact us to volunteer or call the house at (716) 829-7240.