Rebecca Mueller/Winonan
Student members of the Warriors Leadership, Education, and Development, or L.E.A.D. program presented opportunities earlier this month for students and faculty to show their appreciation for any member of the Winona State University community that has made a difference in their lives.
The group held the event in front of the gazebo on Main Campus in hopes of reaching as many students and faculty members as possible.
“We want to reach as many people as we can,” said Kacy Kuscienko, a member of the Advancing Warriors class in the Warriors L.E.A.D. program.
During the Operation Appreciation event, people could choose from three stations that surrounded the gazebo. The first was a pair of posters on which students could sign and write messages of thanks.
“These are going to get hung up, hopefully in Kryzsko,” said Nicole Huset, a member of the Advancing Warriors. The posters are a way for students to share their appreciation with the entire Winona State community.
The second station was a whiteboard and set of colored dry erase markers. Students could pose for a picture holding the whiteboard with their personal message of thanks. Participants could tag the recipients once the pictures were posted on the WSU: Operation Appreciation Facebook page at the end of the day the pictures were taken.
The third station was a set of thank you cards that students could address to any student or faculty member with a mailbox on-campus. The cards were to be delivered over Thanksgiving Break. Participants could also hand-deliver their thank you cards to people who live off-campus.
As an incentive to participate, anyone who took part in at least one of the stations could help themselves to a cup of hot chocolate.
“We got funding through NRHH,” Huset said. One purpose of the National Residence Hall Honorary, or NRHH, is to recognize students and faculty at Winona State who make a difference, a goal that the Advancing Warriors class shares. The organization provided funding to help make the Advancing Warriors’ project a success.
Kuscienko and Huset are two of 12 total students in the Advancing Warriors class. Tracy Rahim, the Associate Director of Student Activities and Leadership, teaches the class.
Everyone in the Warriors L.E.A.D. program was involved in organization, from gathering supplies to running the event.
“I would estimate 150 people participated in the three-day event,” Kuscienko said. “The event truly got members of the Winona State community to realize they have others on campus that they appreciate and in turn hope to have others who appreciate them.”
She feels that the event was a success and has made a positive impact in the Winona State community.
Operation Appreciation has not stopped with the end of the three-day event. The group’s mission continues on the WSU: Operation Appreciation Facebook page, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/WsuOperationAppreciation.
“We’re hoping the Facebook page also turns into a place where people can write out their appreciation to anyone on campus throughout the year,” said Kuscienko.
The page is designed to allow students, faculty, and alumni to show their appreciation at any time.
Contact Rebecca at [email protected]
