John Strauss

Served as a Big Brother in South Bend, Indiana. Those were life-changing experiences that taught me a lot about the struggles of some single-parent families and the importance of adult mentors in the lives of children.

Years later, each of the boys contacted me to say they were doing well. They said the program helped them a great deal, they wanted me to know they were doing great, and they wanted to know how I was.

I recommend this program to others as a great way to serve our… Show more

Served as a Big Brother in South Bend, Indiana. Those were life-changing experiences that taught me a lot about the struggles of some single-parent families and the importance of adult mentors in the lives of children.

Years later, each of the boys contacted me to say they were doing well. They said the program helped them a great deal, they wanted me to know they were doing great, and they wanted to know how I was.

I recommend this program to others as a great way to serve our communities and make a difference in the lives of young people. Show less

I volunteered with this group while a parishioner at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Evansville, Indiana.

When people came to the parish seeking assistance of some kind, it was our job to visit their homes, assess their needs and come back to make recommendations about how best to help them.

This was a remarkable experience because I learned what desperate straits people can find themselves in, and what a difference that help from the community can make.

This work deepened… Show more

I volunteered with this group while a parishioner at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Evansville, Indiana.

When people came to the parish seeking assistance of some kind, it was our job to visit their homes, assess their needs and come back to make recommendations about how best to help them.

This was a remarkable experience because I learned what desperate straits people can find themselves in, and what a difference that help from the community can make.

This work deepened my sense of compassion for people in need and strengthened my determination to find other ways to serve. I later focused my attention on seniors and k-12 volunteerism, and made sure my children accompanied me on some of those efforts so they could see the importance of service to their communities. Show less

I partnered with an assisted-living facility and nursing home, Miller Senior Living Community of Indianapolis, Indiana, to provide social support for residents.

We established an email account to which friends and family of the residents could send letters. My young daughter Katie and I would then deliver printouts of the email to the residents, take down any replies they wanted to send and pass those back to the friends and family.

We also began bringing our golden retriever… Show more

I partnered with an assisted-living facility and nursing home, Miller Senior Living Community of Indianapolis, Indiana, to provide social support for residents.

We established an email account to which friends and family of the residents could send letters. My young daughter Katie and I would then deliver printouts of the email to the residents, take down any replies they wanted to send and pass those back to the friends and family.

We also began bringing our golden retriever, Zeke, to visit the residents.

We made many friends, the residents and facility administrators were very grateful, and it was a tremendous service-learning example for Katie, who was about 7 years old when we started. Show less

I've given half a dozen presentations on video shooting and editing, backpack journalism and digital news workflows for our state's newspaper trade group.

Those include a session in which our students helped train three dozen reporters and editors in shooting and editing video on iPhones.

While a reporter in Indianapolis I was asked to serve on the professional advisory group for Ball State's Department of Journalism.

I learned about the program's goals and ambitions, came to understand the concerns of student media leaders and eventually was asked to join the faculty and become adviser to the Ball State Daily News.

I worked with teachers Terri Nowak and Brian Hayes at this high school, visiting weekly to work with students in writing and video production.

The experience helped me understand the school, where my two daughters later attended, and eventually led me to become a journalism instructor at Ball State University.

An unforgettable moment happened at the end of my fourth year as a volunteer. Mrs. Nowak asked me to attend the annual journalism banquet. I hesitated, but she really… Show more

I worked with teachers Terri Nowak and Brian Hayes at this high school, visiting weekly to work with students in writing and video production.

The experience helped me understand the school, where my two daughters later attended, and eventually led me to become a journalism instructor at Ball State University.

An unforgettable moment happened at the end of my fourth year as a volunteer. Mrs. Nowak asked me to attend the annual journalism banquet. I hesitated, but she really wanted me to come.

I should mention that when I first began as a volunteer, I was a little put off by the casual attitude of some of the students. Eventually I learned how to work with them, however, and we had some good experiences.

That night at the journalism banquet, the students - most of whom I had been working with for years and some of whom I had previously had reservations about - presented me with an award and thanked me for working with them. They were so gracious.

They surrounded me and gave me a group hug, which was an incredibly emotional moment. I'll never forget my time at Lawrence North and would recommend that others find a way to volunteer in their schools. Show less