By : Rachel French, Faith Editor
As many students are aware, there have been a few new faculty members hired this year. These individuals include Dr. King, Ms. Shubert, Ms. Tindale, and Ms. Butler. Amy Butler is the new director of Faith Based Service Learning and Barron’s Residence Director. maybe don’t include the other new faculty by name if the article will only focus on Butler
Butler is a woman of God with a passion for Judson College, the Perry County area, and service-based learning in general. She is also a Judson alumna, Class of 2009. Graduating with a major in psychology and a minor in religious studies, Butler was extremely active in the Judson College community. In addition to being on both equestrian teams, she also served as the community service representative on SGA and was an RA in Kirtley Hall. Butler was so passionate about service-based learning that she assisted Dean Jones when the Dean was the Director of Faith Based Service Learning. Butler laughed as she explained that, “I ended up becoming Dean Jones’ helper and spent a lot of time hanging out in her office helping her.”
After graduating Judson College, Butler continued her education at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, earning a master’s degree in social work. She also attended seminary school and earned her master’s degree in divinity. After finishing her educational pursuits, Butler traveled to Uganda and worked with refugees for a year and a half. Butler came back home to Mother Judson in July to breathe new life into the Faith Based Service Learning program.
According to Butler, all service projects Judson College participates in are set up through Faith Based Service Learning. She emphasized that the purpose of the program is to help students find their passion, connect it with their major, and discover how they can help the community around them with what they are learning in their studies.
One example of integrating your major, passion, and career goals is art major who loves kids being set up in a partnership with a local school in or near Marion to teach an art class. Another example Butler spoke of was equine students taking horses down to the local nursing home for the residents to enjoy. “This makes the senior citizens’ day while also improving the community of Marion,” Butler explained.
Additionally, Judson and Francis Marion, the K-12 school nearby, have a special relationship. Many of the education majors at Judson complete their field experience at Francis Marion. Sarah Green, the Community and History Beat editor, has completed around 60 hours and clinical experience. Francis Marion principal, Kathy Trimble, explained how important Matters is to her, saying, “did an awesome job filling in the gaps in our school’s aesthetic, and it means a lot to me that they put in the time and effort to help us.”
While every community has its troubles, Judson’s own Marion, and Alabama in general, really need help. Butler shared several shocking statistics. “It’s shocking how in need Marion and the greater Perry County area are.” Sadly, Alabama is the fourth poorest state in the country. Perry County is the county with the highest poverty rate in Alabama. An unbelievable 46.9% of people who live in the area do not have access to electricity or running water. This is why events such as Marion Matters matter, pardon the pun.
If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a part of the Faith Based Service Learning program, please contact Amy Butler.
Contact information:
Phone Number: 334-683-5163
E-Mail: abutler@judson.edu