The University of Akron Wayne College and CAMO team up for CAMOCon

The Principles of Social Media class at The University of Akron Wayne College is completing an experiential learning project in partnership with the Central American Medical Outreach (CAMO), located in Orrville. The Principles of Social Media class, taught by Dr. Amber Ferris, assistant professor and distinguished student program coordinator, has two goals, to increase the social media presence and engagement for CAMO and to help fundraise.

Using the hashtag #zips4CAMO, students are excited to see how many followers they can get. The class meets twice a week, but uses one day a week as their lab. During lab, Helene Moncman, executive director of CAMO, and Michael Fraser, founder of Avalanche Media Works company and CAMO volunteer work with the students. "It's so important to show the students how social media marketing really works,” said Fraser. “There are no short cuts, it's all about relationship building."

To help support the mission of CAMO, the Principles of Social Media class will be hosting an on-campus fundraiser, CAMOCon on Tuesday, November 21 from 5 to 7 pm in the Student Life Building, located at 1901 Smucker Road in Orrville. CAMOCon includes many fun activities for people of all ages, including team and individual events. Team costumes are encouraged and prizes will be awarded. The class goal is to raise $1,000, with one hundred percent of the proceeds earned going towards CAMO. Sponsorships are available to those interested. “It is always exciting when our youth take an active role in supporting a cause,” stated Moncman. “These students have been enthusiastic and excited about the mission of CAMO. The students have been actively engaged in raising awareness thru all social media platforms and all of their hard work will culminate in this event that will be a great FUNraiser. I hope the community will come out and support these kids and learn more about CAMO at the same time. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with this team,” continued Moncman.

To be a sponsor or to participate in the event, please visit facebook.com/CAMORoos, or contact Dr. Ferris at 330.972.8710 or aferris@uakron.edu.

This experiential learning project is made possible through a $500 grant from The University of Akron’s EX[L] Center, Experiential Learning Center for Entrepreneurship and Civic Engagement. The mission of the EX[L] Center is to help students emerge as civically-engaged, adaptable leaders, ready to join in the enterprise of building strong and sustainable communities by promoting hands-on, community-based, problem-centered learning. One of the ways the EX[L] Center seeks to address this mission is to develop new community partnerships that bring UA students and local business and non-profit change-makers together.

The University of Akron Wayne College is an educational and cultural hub for Wayne County and the surrounding region. Student success is achieved through excellent teaching with an emphasis on individualized attention. Students are prepared for further educational pursuits, career success, and lifelong learning. Programming and support services are extended to our Regional Academic Centers, including The University of Akron Millersburg, Medina and Lakewood. To learn more, please visit wayne.uakron.edu.