Month: October 2018

BuckeyeThon 2019 Sign-Up

The TOPS Program has created a BuckeyeThon team for the 2019 Dance Marathon! This annual dance marathon raises money to support the Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and is always an exciting and impactful event to be a part of. To learn more about BuckeyeThon, click here.

To get a glimpse of the excitement of BuckeyeThon, watch the video below:

Credit: BuckeyeThon OSU

Students are eligible to sign up to dance at the event. If you are not a student, consider showing your support by donating to their team’s fundraising efforts!

How to sign up to join the TOPS BuckeyeThon team:

  1. Visit https://buckeyethon.osu.edu/.
  2. Click on “Register” – if you are a returning participant, log in first.
  3. Search “TOPS.”
  4. Click “Join Team.”
  5. Choose “Team Member” when registering.

How to donate to the TOPS BuckeyeThon team:

  1. Visit https://buckeyethon.osu.edu/.
  2. Click on “Support an Individual.”
  3. Click “Search for a Team” and search “TOPS.”
  4. Click “Donate Now.”

How to donate to individuals on the TOPS BuckeyeThon team:

  1. Visit https://buckeyethon.osu.edu/.
  2. Click on “Support an Individual.”
  3. Search for the team member by name.
  4. Click on the participant’s name and use the “Donate” button on the top right of the student’s fundraising page.

World Mental Health Day 2018 – October 10th

Credit: askideas.com

As we all try to navigate this world that is filled with multiple different types of stressors, we need to take mental health more seriously than most of us do. We constantly battle the effects of human rights violations, wars and violence in the home, schools, and businesses. World Mental Health Day is a day dedicated to bringing the stigma of weakness that comes along with taking care of your mental health to an end. The World Federation for Mental Health said it perfectly, “Suicide and substance abuse numbers have been steadily rising, LGBTQ youth are feeling alone and persecuted for being true to themselves and young adults are at the age when serious mental illnesses can occur and yet they are taught little to nothing about mental illness and wellbeing.” (WFMH, 2018) We need to come together and bring awareness to this ongoing issue in today’s society.

According to The Tribune, some tips on how to care for your mental health during college are:

  1. Develop a support network. Form a group of close friends. Stay in contact with your family. Get to know your advisors and instructors. The more people you know at your college, the more connected you’ll feel.
  2. Be active. Exercise is important for your mental outlook and helps ward off depression. Take a break from your studies and get moving on a regular basis. Shoot for 2+ hours every week.
  3. Eat well. Choose a wide variety of healthy, nutritious foods. Eat regularly to keep up your energy. Limit all-you-can-eat cafeterias and late-night raids to get pizza. Do, however, consume enough food to feel and perform your best.
  4. Get enough sleep. Sleep is vital to your mental well-being. Go to bed at a reasonable hour. Wake up at roughly the same time every day. Keep your room dark and quiet at night.
  5. Avoid substance abuse. It’s easy to overdo when you’re a student. But excessive drug and alcohol use puts you in grave physical and mental danger. If you can’t get a grip on your actions, team up with someone who can.
  6. Seek professional help. You’re not alone. Lots of people can help. Talk to a trusted adult about your concerns. Or visit Student Services. Don’t rely on the advice of friends. Sometimes you need more.

To read more on this, go to: Tips for college students to maintain mental health | The Tribune & World Mental Health Day 2018 – World Federation for Mental Health

Buck-I-SERV Trip Information

Buck-I-SERV information for Spring Break 2019 is now available! Join your classmates on a week-long service trip in Chicago, Illinois. You’ll be volunteering at the Association House of Chicago, which serves almost 20,000 children each year. You can find out more information about the volunteer site here.

TOPS students are invited to attend. If you volunteer with TOPS and are interested in joining the trip, please reach out to Shannon Prince via e-mail. The cost will be around $350 each, which includes transportation, gas, housing, some meals, and service supplies. An additional $50 should be budgeted for meals and other expenses on the trip.

This is an awesome opportunity to serve the Chicago community, explore the Windy City, and continue to get to know other students in the TOPS Program! Information about how to sign up will be available in the next few weeks.

Click here to view flyer

Have questions? Contact Shannon Prince at Shannon.Prince@osumc.edu

 

Student Spotlight: Matthew

This week’s student spotlight is Matthew, a first-year in the TOPS program! Matthew is very excited to help out at his new job at Au Bon Pain, which he started this earlier this week. He also really enjoys his food science class and getting to work with his educational coach. One of his favorite memories in the TOPS program so far is going to University Hall for his TOPS class each week. His favorite involvement on campus is going to the Shake It! and hip-hop fitness classes with friends. Matthew explained that he enjoys learning the dance moves and incorporating fun facial expressions. On campus, one of Matthew’s favorite spots is Kennedy Commons, which he thinks has great hamburgers, fries, and brownies. In fact, he said that if he could only eat one food for the rest of his life, he would choose hamburgers. In his free time, he enjoys listening to polka music on the radio.

The TOPS staff thinks Matthew is extremely friendly, is always willing to engage in new experiences, and extends kindness to everyone he meets.

September Information Session Recap

Last week, we had our first TOPS Program information session for prospective students. We were so excited about the great turnout and enjoyed hearing about a current TOPS student’s experience in the program.

Are you interested learning more about TOPS? See the flyer below for future information session dates. We would love to meet you!

Information Session Dates

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! The Office of Disability Employment Policy in the Department of Labor puts on this annual campaign, which “celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates about the value of a workforce inclusive of their skills and talents” (National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2018, n.d.).

How did NDEAM begin?

NDEAM began in 1945. The campaign was established by President Truman after World War II as many individuals with disabilities returned home and needed work (National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2018, n.d.).

Hiring Individuals with Disabilities

There are countless benefits to hiring individuals with disabilities, such as:

    • Creating “an inclusive and diverse workplace culture” (Lindsay, S., Cagliostro, E., Albarico, M. et al., 2018, p.17)
    • Higher customer loyalty & satisfaction (Lindsay, S., Cagliostro, E., Albarico, M. et al., 2018, p.17)
    • Increased profits & cost-effectiveness (Lindsay, S., Cagliostro, E., Albarico, M. et al., 2018, p.15)
    • Higher retention & less turnover (Lindsay, S., Cagliostro, E., Albarico, M. et al., 2018, p.15)
    • Playing a role in ensuring individuals with disabilities have equal access to the workforce!

Are you an employer wondering how you can engage in NDEAM? Click here.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Office of Disability Employment Policy

 

Sources:

Lindsay, S., Cagliostro, E., Albarico, M. et al. J Occupational Rehabilitation (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-018-9756-z

National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2018. (n.d.). In Office of Disability Employment Policy. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/ndeam/