to whom it may concern:

hello everyone,

i know that i've been negligent in my blog posts, thus far, but i'm trying to make it up to you somehow.

my name is austin seaborn, and i am a sophomore here at drury university. i am a double major in international political studies and german. i am very excited to be working with planned parenthood this year in summit park leadership community, because i feel like it is an organization that has the potential to be a great resource to all of us in the drury community. the seven others and i are working to eliminate stereotypes and really introduce our friends and classmates to all of the wonderful services planned parenthood offers. but i'm going to be totally selfish and make this blog post all about me.

as previously stated, i am a double major in international polisci and german. with this i plan on moving to germany after school to pursue my dream in foreign diplomacy. i want to go to law school or to john's hopkins school of advanced international studies. my dream job is to be the united states ambassador to germany. i am extremely outgoing (too outgoing sometimes) but i am really passionate about meeting new people, and i love what i do. i am extremely involved on campus is several organizations. my pride and joy being student government association. i was recently elected by my peers to the position of vice president of student affairs. this position affords me many opportunities to serve my friends and peers and help shape a better future for all of us here at drury.

i chose to take part in summit park mainly because it's an excellent opportunity to get to know not only all of the other houses here in summit, but to build a great relationship with a local non-profit organization, like planned parenthood. these types of relationships are what will benefit me not necessarily today, but as i mature into an independent adult. it's opportunities like this that truly create a leader. i firmly believe in starting at the bottom and working your way up. i hope to get to know not only the people of planned parenthood, the springfield community, and my fellow summit partners; i also hope to learn more about myself. i want to find something i'm passionate about and go at it 200% this is a personal goal.

thank you for your support in every way.

best wishes,

austin

Juno It's Hump Day?

Hey toots! I see you’ve come across this blog, Panthers for Planned Parenthood; if you haven’t read anything previous, you probably have a few questions as to what we’re about.

First off, my name is Laura Harmon. Here at Drury University, I’m majoring in architecture and art history. I suppose you’re surprised I’m not majoring in feminism.

Segway.

Quite honestly, my interest in the Summit Park Leadership Community didn’t originate with the excitement of leadership opportunities and community involvement; it began with a classy little house just off campus, eight friends, and free laundry. But Summit has become so much more than this. Working in conjunction with Planned Parenthood means removing the social taboo associated with sexual health. I’m sure when you think of Planned Parenthood, you think abortion, but we’re staying clear of those messy political issues, which by the way, aren’t even provided in Springfield. Oh, the side effects of living in the “bible belt”...

Personally, I’ve never been all that comfortable with discussing, let alone preaching about sexual health. I think that my involvement in Panthers for Planned Parenthood will not only benefit the Drury community but will allow me to become more comfortable with being educated about sexual health and related issues.

Segway.

As my fellow homies, yes, they are my housemates, have previously mentioned, we had our first event last week. On Wednesday, the fifteen of September, we set up a station outside of the commons to spread awareness of Ovarian Cancer. We handed out flyers and encouraged everyone to wear our teal ribbons; and we drew them in with cookies. The ribbons were gone by 12:30, so I’d say the event was quite the success.

Last night we had our first official meeting with our lovely staff advisor, Dr. Erin Kenny. In planning upcoming events, we hope to garner even more support from the student body. We’ve decided to have a screening of the film Juno, hopefully on Wednesday 10 November, to inform about teen pregnancy. Yes, copious amounts of Twizzlers and SunnyD will be provided, along with some other undecided food selections. Brady and I proposed calling the event “Juno It’s Hump Day?” but the rest of the group doesn’t agree.

We’ve also started thinking about the social event we’re to host for the other members of Summit in February. Kenny suggested ballroom dancing, which could be quite fun. Classy dancing and possibly red velvet cupcakes…

Get excited,

Laura Jean

My TEAL Experience

One week ago today Panthers for Planned Parenthood passed out cookies and teal ribbons for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week. As Elyse mentioned earlier it went surprisingly well. I honestly did not expect to have the response that we did. Facing a big crowd like the lunch line in the FSC commons can be daunting but they were very receptive. I am not a shy person by any means but I guess I was afraid we would be bothering people when they just wanted to eat their lunches. But several people wanted to know why we were standing there with a whole bunch of teal and others wanted to know more about ovarian cancer. Although most of the guys were only interested in cookies, some women took handouts on the symptoms and almost everyone we asked took a ribbon. In all we passed out 75 regular ribbons and awesome sequined ribbons. I felt like even though our first event was super simple it was still effective, which is what really matters. I’m glad that we are off to such a good start and look forward to working with Planned Parenthood!

TEAL APPEAL!

Hey everyone! As mentioned in my last blog, you are all aware it is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Panthers for Planned Parenthood had our very first (and successful) event today. We were stationed outside the Commons in the FSC with free cookies, teal ribbons, and information on Ovarian Cancer from 12 to 1 pm. The results were tremendous! We had many people come up to our desk and ask about the risks and signs of Ovarian Cancer. We ran out of ribbons very quickly and many people were extremely supportive to our cause. I'm looking forward to more events that will come later in the semester. Don't forget to wear your teal this month!

Here is a helpful website that talks all about the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ovarian-cancer/DS00293/DSECTION=symptoms

Elyse

Cookie Review

The cookies were really good.

We are handing out some that I didn't eat tomorrow. I will be there. I will hand out cookies to you, possibly. God willing.

TEAL FOREVER

///

Oh, hello. I didn't see you there.

I suppose we're introducing ourselves here. In that case, call me Kevin Rogan. That is coincidentally my name. I intend to be a major in Architecture and Art History both because I like my extraneous and altogether unnecessary degrees in pairs and would like to collect suffixes. Though it should be mentioned that I'd rather be a theoretical architect. Whether this means I'd rather design theatrical concepts of buildings or be an architect in theory I am not sure on yet. Though when we all get down to those proverbial 'brass tacks' I suppose it doesn't actually have any bearing on anything at all whatsoever, unless you think breathing heavily into gale-force winds is actually a profound event.

Anyway.

Segway.

I'm thrilled to be a part of Planned Parenthood on the Drury University campus because I feel as if we're truly espousing an organization that is often pigeon-holed into merely offering abortive services. This isn't the case! We'll be all about Drury preaching safe-sex practices and general reproductive health, along with handing out materials helpful to those designs and creating campaigns to promote awareness. Tomorrow I shall return to post things about our upcoming ovarian cancer campaign which is already highly visible in a variety of teal typefaces below this post on this very page but I will do it anyway.

In the Beginning

Hello everyone, I'm Brady Nelson. I'm a sophomore majoring in marketing with a minor in music. I look forward to the events of this year from volunteering with Planned Parenthood educating the community about the services they offer to living with seven of my closest friends. I chose to be a part of this because I am interested in making a positive impact on the community. I expect to gain valuable experience in volunteering with our organization. I'm sure we will all gain insight in regards to current issues through dealing with Planned Parenthood and through our own discussions involving our varying political and religious opinions. I'm happy to be a part of the Summit Community and am excited to get involved.

Teal Time

Symptoms of the SILENT KILLER

- Bloating

- Pelvic or abdominal pain

- Urinary urgency or frequency

- Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly

Women who have these symptoms almost daily for more than a few weeks should see their doctor, preferably a gynecologist.

need a gynecologist: Planned Parenthood does exams as well as referrals.

There is currently no early detection test for women with ovarian cancer. Regular pelvic exams and tests to not cover testing for ovarian cancer.

Know your risk

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

The ovarian cancer community’s color is TEAL.

In order to educate Drury on the deadliest cancer of the reproductive system and the leading cause of cancer death among women WEAR TEAL!

If you don’t have a teal shirt: paint your fingernails and toes teal

If you are still lacking teal the members of Panthers for Planned Parenthood will be handing out teal ribbons at the FSC during lunch on Wednesday.

Looks like a fun week!

See you there

- Amanda

Making the Difference.

My name is Amanda Combs and I am a sophomore advertising major. I am also involved in the Drury orchestra as well as the Drury/ Springfield Civic Orchestra.

This year I am living in the Drury Summit Leadership housing development working in partnership with Planned Parenthood. We call ourselves Panthers for Planned Parenthood. As a freshman living in Sunderland last year I had my own room and shared a bathroom with one other girl (which happened to be Stephanie). Looking into my housing options I became really interested in the Summit housing development because it was a chance to become involved in the Springfield community. Our summit house chose to work in partnership with Planned Parenthood in order to educate the Drury campus on sexual health. There are many risks involved with sexual practices as well as general sexual health that many college aged students are not fully aware of and sometimes ignore. We hope to prevent the spread of sexual diseases and promote testing for preventable illnesses, as well as helping students identify their risk for hereditary illnesses with unknown causes.

I hope to gain a sense of purpose from our Summit project. Planned Parenthood is often associated with the social stigma that their sole purpose is for abortions. The Planned Parenthoods in the Springfield area do not even perform abortion services. I hope to help Plan Parenthood gain a more respectable title on the Drury campus as well as promote Drury students to gain a comfortable nature in regards to knowing facilities they can go to in order to receive the care that they may require.

In September our house plans on spreading awareness of ovarian cancer around campus by painting the campus teal. We will tie teal ribbons to trees as well as handing them out to students. In September we would love for everyone to bring out their favorite teal attire to support Ovarian Cancer Awareness.

Know your risk.

Amanda

The Beginnings!

My name is Elyse Coulter, and I am a second year Architecture and Art History major. I enjoy working with others and doing various activities to benefit my community.

Our job as a Summit group this year working with Planned Parenthood will be to get Drury students involved in practicing safe sex as well as promoting getting tested. Each person in the group will benefit from the other member’s views and ideas. How we were raised varies greatly throughout the group. This will add an interesting approach to each issue that arises. We can learn from others the various skill sets we each possess, and how to implement them in our everyday activities. I personally think I will grow in the way I communicate with others. The project will strengthen my ability to speak to a large crowd as well as recruit volunteers for Planned Parenthood events throughout the year. But what I'm most excited for is our project statement. We will be stamping out the stigma attached with Planned Parenthood and urging our peers to get tested and use protection. I'm looking forward to working with the community and campus in spreading awareness on Planned Parenthood.

September is Ovarian Awareness month, and currently we are mulling over the idea of working with teal ribbons and other ways to spread awareness for Ovarian Campus. We have many great activities planned throughout the year on campus, and I'll make sure to keep you posted on whats coming up. Stay safe.

Elyse

Let Me Introduce Myself

My name is Stephanie Hayes and I am a sophomore at Drury University. I am a Chemistry and Biology major with a Theatre minor. But these facts are just the basics of me as a student. As a person I am dedicated to improving my community and I know that this will be possible through Drury Summit Park Leadership Community. I wanted to live in Summit Park not only to live with my friends but to be working for a bigger and better purpose. I feel that working in conjunction with Planned Parenthood will be beneficial for not only myself but for everyone in our group and the community as whole. My opinions, pro-choice or not, will hopefully be strengthened or even possibly changed. However it is important to realize that this is not the only aspect there is to Planned Parenthood. I will be glad to use my strengths and the resources that Drury University provides me with to help erase the stigma that Planned Parenthood’s only real purpose is abortion. As a part of Panthers for Planned Parenthood I hope to spread awareness of the resources that Planned Parenthood offers in the forms of education and testing. Also I am excited to help educate our campus about the serious effects of being sexually irresponsible and to possibly help prevent some of those effects. Ovarian Cancer Awareness week is coming up so we will see what we can pull together to help raise awareness. I’m excited to get started!

-Stephanie

Welcome!

Hello hello.

Tonight was our first Panthers for Planned Parenthood meeting. We created this excellent blog!!!

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and we plan on getting turquoise ribbon from Hobby Lobby and creating ribbons for awareness. We also found out that there is an organization that paints toenails turquoise for ovarian awareness and we thought this might be a creative and fun way to get other Drury females to join us in our pursuit to spread awareness about Ovarian Cancer. We might aim to do a toe-nail polish party with a gynecologist answering anonymous questions that girls may have. If we can't get this to work out as planned we will hopefully still find a way to incorporate turquoise toes into our curricular.

In other news: we recently discovered that there is a condom called "proper attire" condoms which the proceeds go to planned parenthood. Hopefully we will be able to purchase these from a local planned parenthood to pass out on the Drury campus to promote safe sexual practices!

September is shaping up to be a busy month! See you all around

- Amanda