Summer Newsletter, June 2021

A Message from Pam Fitzgerald, Senior Academic Advisor, and Curriculum Specialist

It was about this time almost 14 years ago that Jim and Sherry Tewksbury took a gamble and hired me as an Academic Coordinator. I say gamble because apart from several years of volunteering with adults and children with disabilities in recreational settings, I had not had any experience in the field of education, apart from a three-month stint as a substitute teacher in a K/1 classroom. Before starting as an Academic Coordinator, I spent several weeks traveling around the state with Jim Tewksbury, meeting participants from the Northeast Kingdom. I will never forget those memorable trips riding in Jim’s old Volvo.

My journey as an Academic Coordinator began in southern Vermont, but I have coordinated campuses throughout the state. Starting a new campus was daunting but also exciting, and along with campus participants, we figured out “just what the heck Global Campuses was,” as George from GC Springfield so aptly put it. Together, the participants in Springfield and at other campuses around the state have figured out just what the heck Global Campuses is and continue to be successful.

Things have certainly changed since my first years as an Academic Coordinator. New colleagues, additional campuses, new and exciting changes to the Teaching Methods curriculum, and our Academic Year themes inspire participants to teach classes on topics they might not have otherwise considered. However, what has not changed is the participants' passion for teaching, learning, and their ownership and nurturing of "their" campuses. The Global Campuses team retains its commitment to supporting participants as they prepare for and teach their classes, take on leadership roles as committee members and during Campus Seminar, and engage in community service projects.

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Kimberly and Karen Wolk, two longtime members of the Global Campus Family. As you’ll see from their story below, Global Campuses Foundation has had and continues to have a meaningful impact on many. One of Jim and Sherry Tewksbury’s favorite sayings is, “The journey is just as important as the destination.” It has been an amazing journey so far, and I look forward to what is next for Global Campuses Foundation. 

A Global Campuses Foundation Story

Global Campus Shiremont participant, Kimberly Wolk, and her mom, Karen Wolk, tell their story about how joining Global Campuses Foundation (GCF) enhanced Kim's life in many ways.

On a sunny day in late April, GCF’s Academic Coordinator, Pam Fitzgerald, set out for a planned in-person interview with Kim, a founding Global Campus Shiremont participant, and her mom, Karen, at an outdoor picnic area at Hypertherm in Lebanon, NH.  Below are excerpts from the interview.

Pam: Do you want to share when you first learned about Global Campuses?
Kim: It was 2010 when I learned about it.
Karen:  I saw a notice in the paper, in the Valley News, that Global Campuses was starting a campus and I was curious. I don’t remember what was in the article, but I remember I was looking for friends for Kim in the Upper Valley. So, I went to a meeting and then there was a second meeting and I brought Kim to the second meeting and then after that Kim said, “This is good”. Kim took over from there.
Kim: In the beginning, I used my background in veterinary technology and I taught a class on how to take care of your pet and I actually brought my cat to the class. That was the very first class I did. When we started our campus, it was a two-week trial, we call it Soft Term.  It was for a short period, not a whole semester. So that was the first one I did, and I brought my cat.
Karen: A short time after Kim started participating in Global Campus weekly meetings, there was a Global Campus gathering where participants were promoting Global Campus to others in the community and different people stood up and gave a little synopsis of what they had done.  At one point in the presentation, Kim had made small cards with a synopsis of the semester about what she had been doing and she had it organized and spoke to the audience about it.  Her presentation blew my mind because prior to joining GCF, organization of facts and ideas was not her strong point.  Obviously through her short time with GCF Kim learned how to do that, and she had the confidence to stand up and present.  It made me feel good to know she had gained a skill and confidence.
Pam:  Can you share how Global Campus has made a difference in your life?
Kim: I was lost, I was alone, I had just moved here, and I left all my friends behind and I was with mom. I relied on mom and sort of hung around with the people she met. Her peers. So then I moved into a condo in VT closer to where I was working at the time and I was alone, no connections of my peers, and then Global Campuses came along and there were people that I could be around and be with. They were happy to see me every week, and then I met one of my peer’s mother and she invited me to come to their Christmas party at Sunrise Farm (now Visions), I went to the Christmas Party and I got a whole bunch of friends and then 3 years later I am living at Visions. Living alone was not working, I was depressed and lonely before joining Global Campuses. And then I think Visions was the right fit and has given me connections. Three years after that, a job opportunity came along from that and now I am here working at Hypertherm.
Karen:  Yes, the whole social aspect was really, really important because Kim had no friends here.  She was uprooted from Long Island to the Upper Valley, and it was really hard to make friends.  She did not have a social network and then she started making her own connections through Global Campuses.
Pam: Quite a journey.
Karen: That’s the kind of story that says what GCF is.

Time for Congratulations, Condolences, and Support Across the Miles

GCF’s Academic Model embraces meaning and purpose in the lives of everyone. The joys and the pains, the dreams, and the struggles; all opportunities to learn and teach. The sharing of experiences with one’s colleagues in a campus community of peers provides the caring and support, and sense of belonging that is essential to well-being. In 2020, the annual direct site visit to GCF Thailand did not take place. Zoom sessions and e-mails became the lifeline for the ongoing connection between New England and Chiang Mai. Recent Zoom updates highlight the ups and downs of life. Like the news of Pui becoming a young mother upon the birth of her beautiful boy, and of the sudden stroke and eventual death of Nang’s dearly beloved mother. News of Ka’s successful completion of her Master’s degree program, after five years of diligent study and determined advocacy, also echoed across the miles. Unfortunately, we also learned that Thailand’s impressive COVID-19 record in 2020 dramatically shifted to a surge in cases and deaths without a coincident increase of available vaccines. This recently hit home when Dang, who owns her beauty salon, learned that one of her patrons tested positive. Now, Dang’s extended Global Campus family waits with bated breath for her quarantine outcome. Yes, life events are ever-changing. They give us all the chance to hold up one another - even from halfway around the world. We send our positive thoughts your way, GCF Thailand!

(Pui, GC Mae Wang; Nang, GC Sankampang; Ka, GC Chiangmai; Dang, GC Chomtong)

Seeking New Board Members!

Would you like to help make a difference in the lives of hundreds of Global Campus participants in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Thailand? We seek new board members who share our commitment to GC’s inclusive, innovative education model for adults who experience disability. To find out more, email Steve Tavella, Executive Director. His email is executivedirector@globalcampuses.org, or call him directly at 802-424-7717. Previous board experience is not required.

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