AUSTIN, Texas – The Moritz Center for Societal Impact (MCSI), housed within the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin (SHS), recently announced $100,000 in funding to the recipients of its inaugural Good Neighbors Program awards.
The awards, which provide 10 prizes of $10,000 to expand collaborative efforts with academic and community partners, will implement programs that are informed by therapeutic interventions, the arts and humanities, or similar community efforts.
“We are delighted that the programs will enhance the quality of life of our community neighbors,” said Jeanette Davidson, the inaugural director of MCSI. “These programs will heavily impact children and youth, students, our aging neighbors, and families of veterans who have faithfully served this country, among others.”
The Good Neighbors Program is the most recent wave of award funding presented by the Moritz Center, which celebrates its one-year anniversary in June. Founded and envisioned by Allan Cole, dean of SHS, and named for the John David and Leslie B. Moritz family, MCSI aligns interdisciplinary efforts in research and scholarship, curriculum and instruction, and community partnerships to solve critical social problems and improve people’s lives. It is the 10th and most recent research institute and scholarly center housed within SHS.
Prior to the Good Neighbors Program, MCSI awarded their Project for Societal Impact awards, which funded six projects with up to $25,000 to pursue research and community partnership in social issues including health and behavioral health, disability, housing, children and families, ethics, and aging.
“This has been a wonderful first year for MCSI,” Davidson said. “These programs exemplify the spirit originally intended by the Moritz family and of Dean Allan Cole to maximize our institute’s impact. The positive reach and work being done with these programs will change lives dramatically.”
The next call for proposals from MCSI will occur in Fall 2024. Public events for discussion and showcasing the impact of all of this year’s MCSI awards will also be announced later this year.
The full list of MCSI’s Good Neighbor Program awardees is below:
- Smart Art for Kids: Kid Koala’s The Storyville Mosquito: A Theatrical Cinema Experience
- Catherine Heemann, Doctoral candidate, Texas Performing Arts, University of Texas, Austin
- Anna Langdell, Texas Performing Arts
Working in partnership with Austin Independent School District
- DESIGNING LEARNING TOOLS FOR AN INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITY GARDEN
- Alexandra Catterall MFA, School of Design and Creative Technologies, University of Texas, Austin
- Alyson Beaton MFA, Highland Community
Students
- Chiatra Alankar, MFA Design candidate
- Ceren Ozgen, MFA Design candidate
- Rose White, MFA Design candidate
Working in partnership with Highland Community, N. Central Austin
- Storytelling Through Music: A Novel Approach to Improve Well-being Among Homeless Service Providers
- Carolyn Phillips, PhD, RN, AOCNP, School of Nursing, University of Texas, Austin
- Whitney Thurman, PhD, RN; School of Nursing, University of Texas, Austin
- Emily Seales, LCSW-S, Austin Community
Working in partnership with Homeless Service Providers (Registered Nurses and Social Workers) in Austin/Travis County
- Advancing Veteran Suicide Prevention by Equipping Spouses and Family Members with Training and Support through the Veteran Spouse Network
- Hannah K. O’Brien, MSSW, Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
- Elisa Borah, PhD, Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
Working in partnership with Austin Community College Military Family Network; Veteran and Military Affiliated Services at the University of Texas, Austin; Russell A. Steindam Department of Military Science at the University of Texas, Austin, and Central Texas Veteran Services Coalition
- Inclusive String Education: UT String Project Community Outreach Project
- Laurie Pierce Scott, PhD, College of Fine Arts, University of Texas, Austin
- Eva VanHouten, MA, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Working in partnership with Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- Teambuilding Workshops and Retreats for Social Service Agencies
- Max Ray Williams, MA, Ed.M., Blanton Museum of Art, Austin Texas
Working in partnership with AGE of Central Texas, SAFE, and other social service agencies in the Austin area
- Development of a Narrative Medicine Curriculum for Parents and Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity and their Healthcare Team: A Pilot Project
- Rahel Berhane, MD, Children’s Comprehensive Care Clinic
- Maria Monge, MD, Dell Medical School
- Rachel Vandermeer, MD, Children’s Comprehensive Care Clinic
- Sherry Santa – Children’s Comprehensive Care Clinic
- Krista Gregory, MDiv, Center for Resiliency
- Cara Coleman, JD, Blue Bird Consulting
- Kate Robinson, MFA, Resources to Results
Working in partnership with Family Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity and Disability (CMCD)
- Creating Dementia-friendly Neighborhoods to Combat Loneliness and Social Isolation
- Xiaoyi Zeng, MSW, MPH, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
- Yuanjin Zhou, PhD, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
- Lailea Noel, PhD, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
Working in partnership with Older People living with Dementia (OPWD)
- Longhorns Mentoring Program
- Octavious Bishop, MSSW, PhD, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
- Laura Dosanjh, Doctoral candidate, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
- Robert Bachicha, LMSW, Community in Schools of Central Texas
Working in partnership with XY-Zone and Austin Independent School District (AISD)
- Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing Spark Program
- Tymothy Belseth, MA, Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing Sparks Program, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
- Shannon Mann-Butler, MSSW, MBA,AC, Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing Sparks Program, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin
Working in partnership with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
CONTACT SECONDARY CONTACTS
Jeanette Davidson, Ph.D., ACSW Erin Swearingen
(512) 471-5457 (512) 913-4910
Jeanette.davidson@austin.utexas.edu erin.swearingen@austin.utexas.edu
JD Moore
(512) 781-1458