A free fitness event for intellectually and developmentally challenged individuals will be the first of four community service projects intended to be led or assisted by Butler County Community College students through early July and supported by portions of a $20,000 private grant.

The college in November was selected to receive the financial award funded by the Allstate Foundation and managed by the Center for Expanding Leadership Opportunities, a nonprofit organization among whose goals is to advance youth-led, youth-driven community service.

In addition to Stronger Together – the fitness event for intellectually and developmentally challenged individuals – the grant will fund a donation drive to support parents in need, a community organic garden and a free junior fire cadet program, according to college employees who are supervising the projects.

Improving the quality of life in the communities the college serves has consistently been a goal in BC3 strategic plans.

“These students are doing something that will immediately help the local community,” said Dr. Case Willoughby, BC3’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management. “That is important on its own. But the potential is that BC3 students who are involved in this will start to see themselves as people who can make a positive impact in their community.”

Melissa Philson is a BC3 associate professor and coordinator of projects to be funded by the grant.

“These projects will continue to support the motto that BC3 is the community’s college,” Philson said. “I hope that the students’ involvement will enhance their understanding of others’ needs and how important it is to be engaged.”

BC3 student-athletes will help Legacy Fitness Butler to conduct Stronger Together from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. March 14 in BC3’s Field House, said project supervisors Dr. Diana Campbell, a BC3 faculty member, and Jennifer Smith, the college’s assistant director of student life for athletics.

The event is limited to 50 individuals who are at least 14 years of age, said Katie Werner, chief operating officer, Legacy Fitness Butler. Stronger Together will feature activities intended to improve hand-eye coordination, strength, agility and movement.

Stronger Together will promote inclusivity and belonging, Campbell said, and provide an environment in which BC3 student-athletes can assist individuals in learning skills.

“If I have the opportunity to help someone else, I am going to take that opportunity,” said Cole Rodgers, 22, of Saxonburg, a general studies student at BC3 and a player on the college’s men’s basketball team.

“I have the opportunity. These individuals are fighting their own battles, and to see them cope with or overcome those battles is inspiring.”

Up to nine other student-athletes will assist at Stronger Together, including Sara Soltis, 20, a player on BC3’s women’s basketball team.

“As a registered nursing major, I really love to help people,” Soltis said. “All of these projects have one common goal, and that is to help the community. I think that is so special, and it feels great to be a part of it.”

Registrations are required and will be accepted until March 14. Register by emailing Campbell at dianacampbell@bc3.edu or Werner at legacyfitnessbutler@gmail.com

Participants in Stronger Together will receive a free T-shirt on a first-come, first-served basis, Campbell said.

Students in BC3’s social awareness club will collect baby items from 9 a.m. to noon April 6 in the lobby of the college’s Succop Theater, said Ashley Hanks, the club’s co-adviser, a BC3 faculty member and the project’s supervisor.

Items such as unscented baby wipes, collapsible laundry baskets, crib mattresses and sheets, diapers and clothing will be donated to Matrona, a Cabot-based family resource center that supports new parents and families with young children, Hanks said.

Raffle tickets for an iPad and for gift cards ranging from $50 to $100 will be distributed to donors and to those who win baby-shower games, Hanks said.

Ethan Huffman, 23, of Butler, is a BC3 networking and cybersecurity student and president of the social awareness club.

“From my experience with volunteering, I have noticed that there are an incredible number of opportunities to help at the local level that will improve your life,” Huffman said, “and the lives of others in the community.

“This is an awesome opportunity to help and to see people succeed.”

Students in BC3’s introduction to social work, and family violence across the lifespan courses will join individuals in recovery programs in creating a community organic garden near Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Butler Township, said Tracy Hack, a BC3 faculty member and the project’s supervisor.

The community organic garden may represent the first time the BC3 students will work side-by-side with an individual in recovery, Hack said.

Kiari Cox, 20, is a psychology student at BC3 and among those who will plant eggplant, lettuce, peppers, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini, among other vegetables, in early May.

“We’re learning that there is a lot of malnourishment and that people do not get the food that they need,” Cox said. “These projects will help students to increase their understanding of what the world is like and how we can make it better together.”

Vegetables will be available to those who tended to the garden and to others in recovery, with surplus possibly being provided for free distribution at the Butler City Farmers’ Market, Hack said.

BC3 students with emergency services experience are being sought to lead a 40-hour junior fire cadet program offered to 14- to 18-year-olds and intended to inspire teens to pursue a career in firefighting, said Derek Thompson, a BC3 emergency medical services specialist and the project’s supervisor.

The Karns City Area Fire Cadet Program will be held from July 8-12 at the Chicora Independent Hose Company and at BC3’s Public Safety Training Facility, Thompson said.

Up to 30 junior fire cadets will learn about engine company, ladder truck and pump operations, and forcible entry, and from state police, arson detection, Thompson said.

Junior fire cadets can register by emailing Thompson at derek.thompson@bc3.edu or the Chicora Independent Hose Company at chicoravfd@gmail.com

BC3 will also fund with the grant free classes in April for up to 15 intellectually and developmentally challenged individuals at Legacy Fitness Butler, and the purchase of approximately $900 in equipment that will allow individuals at the nonprofit organization to gain agility, lift feet and move within obstacles, Werner said.

Additional equipment purchased includes resistance bands, specialized jump ropes and medicine balls.

BC3 will also plan other projects supported by portions of the Allstate Foundation grant.