shana stine: investing her heart in kenya
Shana Stine
Liberal Studies BA '09
During the summer before Shana Stine (at right) came to UIS, back in 2005, she received a post card from the Office of Housing on campus: “Are you interested in living on a service and leadership wing of the residence hall?”
Having spent the last year as an FFA (Future Farmers of America) state officer and planning to go into politics, Shana thought a service and leadership wing sounded great.
The decision took her to places she never anticipated.
Buoyed by people with a shared interest in making a 
difference, Shana decided to forgo politics and pursue a different kind of service. Today she is majoring in Liberal Studies with a concentration in religion and social justice. She plans to go to graduate school in creative ministry.
Over 500 Hours...and Counting
While at UIS, she wanted to be of service to 
Springfield so she tallied over 500 hours at organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters. She also spent time building a home for a family in Mexico with UIS student organization, Christian Student Fellowship. Most recently, she has been volunteering at the Springfield Overflow Shelter, involving the students from her residence hall floor where she was the RA.
And then, after her sophomore year, she had a chance to go to Kenya with Fadhili Helpers (fadhili means mercy in Swahili).
She was placed at a small orphanage, the Gathiga Children’s Hope Home in Gathiga, Kenya. As you probably know, many of Kenya’s children have been orphaned by AIDS. The children captured her heart, and she spent hours playing games and singing with 
them.
Not the One She Expected
One little boy, Joel, always had a smile—how he loved to jump rope! Shana was shocked to discover that he was one of the two children at the orphanage who was HIV positive.
Joel shattered her idea of what it meant to be HIV-positive.
After her month in Kenya ended, Shana could not leave the experience—or Joel—behind. She decided to do what she could for the children by starting an organization to raise money to meet some of their most pressing needs.
She named her organization “Jump for Joel,” in honor of Joel.
How has it been going? You can check it out for yourself by going to www.jumpforjoel.org. There you’ll find pictures of Joel and the other children and an accounting of the funds Shana and her organization have raised—over $30,000 so far—and what the money has been used for.
Her fundraising goals have included a roof for the sleeping rooms , a cooker to replace open-fire cooking, a second toilet for the 96 children, and a stone wall around the compound to keep everyone safe.
From Kenya to Springfield--Still Making A Difference
Recently, as the resident assistant and coordinator for that same special residence hall wing for freshmen interested in community service, Shana took a group of UIS students to the Springfield Overflow Shelter.
You can read about her work at the Shelter in the following Illinois Times article.
And in the summer of 2008, she took a whole group of students back with her to Gathiga to work at the orphanage. You can hear about that trip through a Jump for Joel podcast.
More Service in the Future
In the best tradition of UIS’ commitment to civic engagement, Shana will continue her work with Jump for Joel, adding a greater educational and service focus. "In particular," she says, "we'd like to partner with more local schools and youth organizations."
YOU Can Help Students Like Shana
That's what we call a ripple effect around here. Your gifts helping students like Shana and then coming back full circle to help the people who live in your communities.
Your gifts can help other students like Shana Stine make a difference both here in Springfield and throughout the world. Please give generously.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact our office directly by calling 217.206.6058.
Thank you!
