Northwestern University Athletics
Online Voting for 'BTN LiveBIG' Scholarship Now Open
1/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | General
Jan. 16, 2012
CHICAGO -- BTN announced Monday five Northwestern University student finalists for the BTN LiveBIGScholarship for Outstanding Service. Fan voting will determine one winner from each university who will receive the $1,000 scholarship for their service to others. Fans can learn more about each finalist and vote online for the most inspiring story at www.BTNLiveBIG.com. Voting closes Friday, Jan. 27.
"From Evanston to Sudan, these Northwestern students are making the world a better place," said Erin Harvego, BTN Vice President of Marketing. "From distributing movie libraries to children's hospitals; selling challah bread to raise awareness about issues in Darfur; to working in the Evanston community to combat poverty; to confronting disability-related issues, these students are showing what it means to `live big.' I encourage all Wildcats fans to go online and read their stories and help us choose who should be awarded the BTN LiveBIG Scholarship for Outstanding Service from Northwestern."
One winner from each Big Ten university will be announced online on Sunday, Feb. 26. Below, the five Northwestern finalists describe how they "live big" in their community:
- Marni Barta: "As the co-founder of Kid Flicks, over the last nine years I have distributed `movie libraries' of 100 assorted films to Children's Hospitals and Pediatric Departments throughout the U.S. Before leaving for Madrid mid-September, where I am currently studying abroad for the semester, I sent out several movie libraries. From Spain I have applied for grants and promoted the cause to ensure continued donations."
- Nora Cohen: "Since the spring of 2010, NU Challah for Hunger has been making an impact on campus, producing and selling 80 loaves of challah bread. Not only do we bake and sell challah, but we raise awareness about issues in Darfur and about poverty and hunger in Evanston. Over the course of a year and a half, we have baked over 1,000 loaves of bread and raised thousands of dollars for the American Jewish World Service's Sudan Relief and Advocacy Fund and for Soup at Six, a local Soup Kitchen. In addition to baking and selling bread, we have gotten students to sign petitions to end violence in Darfur."
- Valerie Green: "At LIFT, I work one-on-one with Evanston community members to combat poverty in the neighborhoods surrounding Northwestern. Whether assisting someone with a resume or filing a tax return, my work at LIFT expands opportunity one individual at a time."
- Nicole Hendrix: "My volunteer work this fall allows me to `live big' by analyzing large issues and working with a diverse population within my community. Generally, I confront disability-related issues as an executive co-chair of Northwestern to Benefit Special Olympics. More specifically, I coach, attend life skills classes and organize programming."
- Laura Venn: "This fall I have been involved in numerous service projects through my service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. I volunteered with the Boy Scouts, assisting them in their `Cubmobile' races. I also volunteered at Northwestern's annual Project Pumpkin, an annual Halloween festival for children and teenagers in the Chicagoland area. In addition, I have worked over 20 hours this quarter on my own service project, The Bracelet Project, which I founded four years ago."
About 'BTN LiveBIG': The network's original series, BTN LiveBIG debuted last fall to celebrate, promote and encourage community service. Hosted by former Michigan football standout Dhani Jones, the inspirational program highlights Big Ten alumni, students and supporters who exemplify what it means to "live big" through their service to others. The series profiles luminaries such as Indiana's Jane Pauley, Minnesota's Tony Dungy, Nebraska's Tom Osborne, Wisconsin's Devin Harris and many others. Viewers can learn more about these inspirational stories and others at www.BTNLiveBIG.com, the virtual hub for the program. Online, viewers can also discover ways they can act, serve and inspire through BTN LiveBIG's 25 partner service organizations.
About BTN: A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 800 events, all in HD, the 24/7 network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. Events include football, men's and women's basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; studio shows; coaches' shows; and classic games.
The network televises and streams more Olympic sporting events and women's sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities. The groundbreaking Student U initiative provides real-world experience for students interested in careers in sports television. The network is available to more than 80 million homes across the United States and Canada, and currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Rogers Cable (Canada), Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information, go to www.BTN.com
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