Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Walk Against Hunger


Do not forget to register or donate to this year's CROP WALK. Exercise and fight hunger! What a fantastic way to spend a Sunday!










Volunteer Spotlight: Nan Gaylen


Nan Gaylen
In 2001 Nan Gaylen moved from the small, remote town of Gunnison, Colorado to Champaign-Urbana with her husband and three daughters. But if you ask her she'll tell you that it wasn't until very recently that she actually started
living here.

Originally from Michigan, Nan pursued rigorous studies at Principia College, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Miami before eventually earning her PhD in Educational Administration from Northwestern University. Nan found herself back in the Midwest after being offered a full-time position as a professor at Milliken University in Decatur.

Urbana also proved to be an amazing place to raise her three daughters, whose thirst for Dance, Foreign Languages, and the Arts meshed well with the school district's curriculum and the C-U community. Nan lived in Decatur part-time, travelling back to Urbana every weekend to see her family. And though it was tough, she admits that none of it would've been possible without the support of her husband Matthew, who was able to keep an eye on the girls while working from home as a software technician.

With Milliken Nan believed to have found a rewarding place to grow within her chosen field. She would later accept a position as the Director and Chair of the School of Education-a role she would occupy for ten years. Last spring, however, frustrated with the back and forth commutes and ready for a new professional challenge, Nan decided to resign from her position.

"Once the girls were all gone it was starting to get depressing [and] after ten years it's time to let somebody else do it," she explains. Though Nan initially had plans to find a new job in a new city, what happened next surprised her.

 "Last July I thought, 'let's just find a job somewhere I can move. Just pack it up and I'll find something.' By December, after spending a semester here I thought 'this is such a great community...I don't want to leave!' "

That's when Nan started really exploring all that the C-U has to offer. Close friends recommended she volunteer with the Wesley Food Pantry at Parkland, knowing that the daytime hours would work well with her new schedule. She finds that it's a great way to stay engaged and to give back to the community while meeting new people and having fun. Nan also began attending food distributions at the Evening Pantry during the volunteer panic of Winter Break season.

Nan is brimming with enthusiasm at the prospect of beginning something new. She hopes to soon be able to find exciting and meaningful work related to youth and community development. "I'm gonna find something here. I know there's something here for me," she says.

Though currently unemployed, Nan's thirst for knowledge has never faltered. She is conducting her own personal research on how African-American women succeed in their education and how to increase their success in the STEM and Medical Health fields. Nan hopes that her research--which includes a thorough literature review as well as an understanding of the existing community partnerships and potential funding sources--might be useful in her future career endeavors. "This is something I'm excited about and it's starting to formulate into this project."

When she's not at the pantry or buried in a book, Nan enjoys taking high-energy group fitness courses at the YMCA and preparing vegetarian vegetable tarts for her and her husband.

Nan, thank you for your volunteer service!