
Not everyone who graduates spends their first year chasing a paycheck – some choose to give back to their community instead. For those students, The Elon Service Fellows program is an opportunity to expand their horizons while honoring Alamance County.
Former university president, Leo Lambert, established a program in 2014 to serve Alamance County. The Service Fellowship is aimed at recent alumni in an effort to aid their community. Today, Laurie Judge is head of the program.
The Service Fellows program was inspired by the Service Year Alliance, which allows recent graduates to give back to their communities nationally. The primary difference between the two programs is their target location – focusing on local rather than national.
The Alamance Community Assessment, conducted by Impact Alamance, Alamance Regional Medical Center, the United Way of Alamance County, Healthy Alamance and the Health Department, works to identify focus areas around the county that would benefit from assistance.
“They [Healthy Alamance] identified areas of concern in areas that needed focus. Access to health care, education and economic development in this county were the three legs to a stool that were identified,” said Judge.
The Service Fellowship is able to maintain stability through partnerships with organizations within Alamance County such as the Health Department, Healthy Alamance, Impact Alamance and the City of Burlington’s Economic Development.
The application process consists of an online form and an in-person interview. About 20 applications are submitted annually in competition for six slots. “We look for initiative,” said Judge. “The Fellows are brought on and they hit the ground running from day one. They all are doing really important work.”
While immersed in Alamance County, the Fellows deal with issues that require quick and effective solutions and are encouraged to identify areas that could benefit from their assistance. Dedication to the program is evident through 12 months of 40 hour weeks for the graduates.
The Service Fellows program has ambitious goals, including a plan to double the program by 2030. Many who have served as a fellow stay in Alamance county. “It’s really kind of a sweet spot,” Judge said. “We’re looking for things that they want to stay in Alamance County– continue the work they’ve been doing, because they really become ingrained in the community.”