EACH YEAR, JMU'S COMMINTY SERVICE-LEARNING DEPARTMENT PLACES NEARLY 1,500 STUDENT VOLUNTEERS IN APPROXIMATELY 100 COMMUNITY AGENCIES IN THE HARRISONBURG AREA.   "And many more students serve in the community on their own and through clubs and organizations," says CS-L director Rich Harris. CS-L is a partnership formed among JMU students, faculty and staff members and the surrounding communities to cultivate social responsibility.

CS-L is a campus reality now because of student volunteer pioneers like Patricia Rodriguez ('62), who laid the groundwork. From serving breakfast in D-Hall to distributing mail in the campus post office between classes, Rodriguez' volunteer trail has led her to the president's office of American Mothers Inc.

Nearly 10 years ago, Rodriguez was asked to prepare a portfolio for nomination as Delaware's 1995 Mother of the Year. The modest candidate resisted, but after many persuasive conversations she agreed. She then found herself standing in the Delaware governor's mansion to accept the award.

American Mothers Inc. does much more than sponsor Mother of the Year contests. For more than 60 years, AMI has been the official sponsor of Mother's Day. The organization's formal mission statement promises to "strengthen the moral and spiritual foundation of the home and family." AMI focuses on "improving the quality of lives for mothers and their children in America through dynamic programs like Mother Mentoring, the AMI Fight Against Pornography, Creating Safer Schools and literacy programs," Rodriguez explains.

Rodriguez worked her way up from AMI's second vice president to president, overseeing the 4,000-member organization. She visits the national office in Washington, D.C., each week and spends many hours traveling to various states to facilitate AMI outreach programs. Rodriguez's goals for her three-year term include training other leaders, reinstating the AMI Magazine and increasing state association memberships. "The time and education inspirationally given to me by the professional educators at Madison College has been an asset in preparing me for all of the roles of my life," says Rodriguez. "Volunteerism is the passion for helping others, but it also is a product of training ourselves how to focus our time and energies within the scope of our field of work. ... I'm so glad there is an organized student volunteer program like CS-L. That makes me even more proud of JMU."

-- Lisa Freedman ('05)