IVCC students transform book discussion into community action

A professor’s 2024 campus book discussion at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby has inspired a communitywide service project, according to an IVCC news release.

Nora Villarreal, an English professor, launched the project in her English composition class, believing that the project could help students relate what they learn in the classroom to life outside the classroom.

“I knew ‘Parable of the Sower’ was a perfect chance to connect our reading, writing and research to the real world,” Villarreal said in the release. “The 1993 book by Octavia Butler presents a dystopian world whose problems mirror many current issues, such as poverty, hunger, natural disasters, and climate change. In my class, we connect the novel to our academic research and writing by focusing on a need it presents that reflects a need of our local community.”

Students identified and researched a community issue, then went to work in small groups to develop a project to address the need, according to the release. Ultimately, they folded their experiences into a research paper that advocated for a sustainable solution.

In the past three semesters, 140 students completed projects that paired them with the campus food pantry, animal rescue organizations and homeless shelters and led them to advocate for suicide prevention, poverty and crime reduction efforts, child welfare issues and student mental health awareness, according to the release. Projects ranged from volunteering and donating to compiling resources and creating awareness campaigns.

One group alone raised more than $300 for a local animal shelter, and another gathered more than 400 books in a book drive benefiting a child welfare organization, according to the release. One student crocheted items to donate and invited residents at a care center, where she works, to contribute, too.

Villarreal said she can see the impact on her students each semester.

“Whether the project asked them to break out of their shell, become aware of a community need, or challenged their preconceived notions, students emerge from the experience feeling empowered and inspired, with more faith in their own resilience, skills, and ability to have a positive impact on their world,” she said. “It has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my career.”

Villarreal said students who complete the program intend to stay involved and aware and some continue actively volunteering.

She was so pleased with her students’ reactions that she made the book a requirement for the course.

Villarreal is hoping to expand the opportunities for her student volunteers. The next class starts this fall, and she is inviting community groups to contact her with potential projects.