The students in ENGL 378 may have only expected to earn a passing grade for doing their assignments, but they also won a grant to help the homeless.

The students in Technical Writing and Grant Proposals — primarily English, communication, and business marketing majors — admitted to dreading the subject when they first came to class. Yet as they began to realize that technical writing is all around us as we order take-out, assemble furniture, play games, or take a COVID test; they dived into the process of learning to write clearly and concisely.

The last month of the course was dedicated to applying for a grant. The class heard from specialists who had won million-dollar grants and those who reviewed proposals on behalf of charitable foundations.

“We spent two class periods just trying to plan for what we wanted to write the proposal for,” said Lacey Stecker, a communication major. After brainstorming local needs and researching organizations that provide grants, they chose to apply for funds to expand the work of nursing and physician assistant students in providing foot care at the Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach in Lincoln.

Started in 1993, the foot clinic — now run jointly by Union’s nursing and PA programs — has served Lincoln’s homeless population by providing foot care, socks and shoes for people who need it. Each month, students and faculty spend several hours at Matt Talbot healing and pampering feet and even painting nails for those who want it.

The writing class researched the project with faculty members who were involved with the foot clinic such as nursing professors Elysia Ockenga and Shy Martinez, along with former PA professor Tim Kuntz. Then they began the task of carefully crafting their proposal.

To the students’ delight, the Lincoln Community Foundation awarded a grant of $5,000 which will enable the nursing and PA students to purchase enough socks, shoes and other supplies to nearly double the number of clients served this school year. The class also learned their research and writing skills can change lives.

“Whenever possible, I craft assignments to have impact and benefit beyond the classroom,” said Lori Peckham who teaches the course. “Students write for real publications and apply for real funds so that, in the process of learning, they are already making a difference.”

(Technical Writing and Grant Proposal students Enoch Alcala, Lacey Stecker and Jacob Sanchez pictured above).