OTM Award

Month and Year: April 2009

Nominee’s School: UNC Wilmington
Region: SAACURH
Category: Educational Program of the Month
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Program Title: Free Rice
Person in Charge: Seahawk Village Area Chapter Nominator: Krystal Rucker
Address: 601 S. College Road Address: 601 S. College Road
Phone: (336) 601-8532 Phone: (336) 601-8532
E-Mail: knr3874@uncw.edu E-Mail: knr3874@uncw.edu
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On-Campus Population: 3,100
Chapter Size: 31
Target Population for Program: Attendance:
Number of People to Organize: 7
Time Needed to Organize: 2 Weeks
Date of Program: April 1-15, 2009 Cost of Program: $75
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Program Description:

Free Rice took place on Wednesday April 1st 2009 through Wednesday April 15th 2009
in the Seahawk Village. This online based, passive program, was organized through the
Seahawk Village Area Chapter and was designed to not only provide meals to a variety of
starving countries, but to also educate the residents of the Seahawk Village about
diversity and other cultures.

On the morning of April 1st, 2009, the residents of the Seahawk Village woke up to
flyers, “door deck’s” and emails, all of which were titled “Free Rice.” Within the body of
those advertisements, residents were given detailed instructions as to how to participate
in the program. Residents were instructed to visit FreeRice.com and simply begin
answering the questions on the home page. With each correct answer, FreeRice.com
automatically donated10 free rice grains to help feed those in need, in countries such as
Bangladesh, Uganda and Nepal. On the homepage, players were given the opportunity to
choose from a variety of subjects to answer from, including art, chemistry, English and
math.

After the residents finished playing, they were encouraged to print off the page that
displayed the total number of rice grains they donated, and place it in the “Free Rice”
envelopes on the doors of their Resident Assistants. At the end of the weeklong program,
the Seahawk Village Area Chapter collected all of the envelopes and counted the number
of rice grains. The building with the most amount of donated rice grains was rewarded a
pizza party. After the pizza party, the Seahawk Village Area Chapter released an area-
wide email, congratulating the residents on a job well done. The email included the
winner of the rice grain contest and the total number of donated rice grains by the Village.
Also included in the email, was a summary of the FreeRice.com organization, the
purpose of their website, and a synopsis of each country the organization strives to
improve. The email addressed the issues that each country faces, the history of the culture
and other interesting facts pertaining to the diversity of each culture.

Word Count: 343

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Program Origin:

Free Rice originated in the Seahawk Village by an Area Chapter member, after visiting
the Freerice.com website.

Word Count: 17
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Goals of Program:

The goal of the Free Rice program was to not only provide meals to a variety of starving
countries, but to also educate the residents of the Seahawk Village about diversity and
other cultures. The goal of the program was to also promote awareness of other cultures
by providing information about them as well as promote cultural understanding by
recognizing and contributing to the needs of those cultures.

Word Count: 68
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Positive and Lasting Effects of Program:

As a result of the Free Rice program, the Seahawk Village was able to donate 103,380
rice grains towards the FreeRice.com organization. Because this program had a large
amount of participates and a comparative amount of rice grains were donated, the
Seahawk Village Area Chapter hopes the Free Rice program will become an annual
program that is looked forward to by the Village residents every year.

Word Count: 66
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Short Evaluation of Program:

Based on the amount of rice grains that were donated, the number of participates, as well
as the quality of information that was shared and learned, we, as the Seahawk Village
Area Chapter, are proud to have exceeded any expectations we had for the Free Rice
program. We define success by the response from the people in whom we plan, organize
and facilitate programs for the Seahawk Village residents. Based on the amount of
positive feedback given to us by those residents, we feel confident in saying the Free Rice
program was truly a success.

Word Count: 95
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How Could the Program Be Adapted to Other Campuses?

The Free Rice program can be easily adapted to other campuses. Step one: choose a web-
based organization, which specializes in positively contributing to the needs of other
cultures. Step two: advertise the program by posting instructions on flyers, and emails
with a link to the organization’s homepage. This makes accessing the website more
convenient and desirable for the participants. Step three: have the participants record or
print their progress and collect their records at the end of the program. Step four: tally the
results and reward those who donated the most. Step five: Email information about the
organization, the people, and the cultural that participates help support. Include historic
facts and relevant information about the cultural to help spread awareness and
understanding.

Word Count: 122