“Mike Burns and his Community & College Partnership Program (C2P2) is a significant resource for facilitating our academic collaborative partnerships. C2P2, most recently connected the Overbrook Environmental Education Center to Perdue University who worked with our center to codesign a solar generated irrigation system for our community-based green house. It was an absolute pleasure to be connected with a university partner who shared our mission of providing environmental and climate solutions to communities who need the most.”
Jerome Shabazz,Executive Director Overbrook Environmental Education Center
To whom it may concern,
I wanted to share the tremendous support we have received from Mike Burns & his organization C2P2 in regard to fighting to protect the largest fresh waters resource in The Bahamas located on the largest island in The Bahamas.
Andros is home to the largest pine forest, largest marine nursery system in The Bahamas, largest flats and bonefish population in the world. C2P2 has been a tremendous support in a number of key ways in our fight to prevent a 5000-acre limestone mining proposal. C2P2 assisted in bringing together a group of scientists from the US and Canada as well.
As President of The Bahamas Sportfishing & Conservation Association, we look forward to a continued positive working relationship with C2P2 and Mike Burns in the protection of these precious resources of The Bahamas that are of global importance.
Regards
Prescott Smith, President of The Bahamas Sportfishing & Conservation Association
Dear Mike Burns,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to express my utmost support for the Collaborative Community Partnership Project (C2P2) and commend your dedication and leadership in driving innovation and sustainable energy development.
The initiatives undertaken through C2P2 have demonstrated your unwavering commitment to empowering communities and students alike. By generating actionable solutions, you have effectively addressed the pressing need for sustainable energy in remote Alaskan villages. The successful implementation of projects in these underserved areas has undoubtedly brought about significant positive change.
I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the transformative impact of C2P2’s endeavors. The provision of crucial resources and support to these communities has not only improved their quality of life but has also opened doors to new opportunities. The educational advancements, enhanced communication networks, and economic growth that have emerged from these initiatives are truly remarkable.
Your collaborative approach to problem-solving and engagement with local stakeholders has been instrumental in the success of these projects. By involving the community in decision-making processes, C2P2 has not only ensured the sustainability of the implemented solutions but has also fostered a sense of ownership and pride within the villages.
I wholeheartedly support C2P2’s continued efforts in sustainable energy development and urge you to persevere in your mission. Your dedication and vision serve as an inspiration to others, showcasing the profound impact that can be achieved through collaboration and innovation.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is any way I can further support the incredible work of C2P2. I look forward to hearing about future milestones and celebrating the positive changes you will undoubtedly continue to bring to the communities you serve.
Thank you for your commitment to making a lasting difference.
Vide Kroto
Executive Director
Tebughna Foundation
At the start of my senior workshop, I knew I would be allowed the opportunity to apply the academic knowledge I had gained over the past four years of university. However, I was not expecting the opportunity to expand my set of skills, challenge my beliefs on sustainability that had been learned from a textbook, and most importantly, connect with a community that worked alongside us with determination, hope, and passion. My experience with the Jackson communities this semester reminded me that love for one’s community is powerful enough to enact change for the better. I will always be thankful for the kindness and faith that the community members in Jackson, Mississippi showed our team throughout the project.
Anne Delgadillo, student, Columbia University
Hello Michael,
I hope this email finds you well and in good spirits!
The experience in Fulton, MO was a necessary and a spectacular trip to experience as a low-income senior student at UCSB. If I asked myself a year ago that this opportunity would be available, I wouldn’t have believed it. The opportunity to meet city managers who we were virtually working with, and travel on site to a location that we are researching made a tremendous difference in our understanding of the project. With the knowledge we had before without visiting, we would have recommended ineffective technology to mitigate the erosion. Now, after viewing what needs to be done, as well as understanding the perspective of people who manage these areas has helped me as an academic to view projects and environmental issues much differently.
Thank you very much for the experience of traveling there as well as covering the expenses, which would have been impossible for me to acquire. I’m very appreciative of learning many life lessons from your lived experience as well!
If there are any opportunities of working, training or interning for you again, I will gladly accept.
Best of luck,
Mariam Ziauddin, Student UCSB
Hello Mike,
When I first started collaborating with C2P2 I was excited to investigate creative solutions to levee erosion, but after my trip to Missouri I feel deeply honored to be entrusted with this project. In addition to a much deeper understanding of the issue at hand, the trip also provided me with a true appreciation for all of the hardworking people in the city of Fulton who go beyond their job requirements for the well-being of their town. I was inspired by their dedication and ability to perform many different roles for the city at once. They took time out of their busy schedules to walk us through the entire watershed and explain their flooding issues to us in depth. Now, as I research levee strengthening strategies, I can’t help but see the faces of each of the people I interacted with in Fulton and try to form recommendations that will help them for many years to come. Being able to hike down into the creek bed, take our own measurements, and discuss the problem while standing within it was an experience that could never be replicated remotely. My trip to Fulton and work with C2P2 has been one of the highlights of my undergraduate experience and I feel so fortunate to have been able to go.
Best,
Sydney Hanning, Student UCSB
Dear Michael,
On behalf of Sparta’s City Council members and the citizens of our community, I want to thank you and C2P2 for your continued interest in our community. Participation in your program has greatly benefitted our city and the people we serve.
In April 2020 you connected me with the wonderful folks who administer Drexel University’s (Philadelphia) engineering program/curriculum. Under your guidance, a couple of three-way conference calls with Drexel engineering department administrator Mira Olson resulted in an agreement to use the City of Sparta’s dilapidated wastewater system as a year-long project for four students who were in their last year of studies. Those students—Hung Nguyen, John Gillich, Yan Li and Selene Presley, known as Atlas Engineering Group—were tutored by Dr. Joe Martin. They were a GREAT team!!!
When taking office in December 2019, I inherited dilapidated water and wastewater systems that had suffered through years of neglect. Documents about the system were scarce and we really didn’t know where to start. Advice given me emphasized, ?to plan for rehabilitating the system, the first step had to be engineering?. With few dollars to work with, you and C2P2 came to our rescue with the plan to partner with Drexel University. We needed the engineering work and Drexel’s students needed a project to complete their studies. Despite all the roadblocks faced by COVID-19 issues, we all worked together for about nine months to complete the project. The Drexel engineering team met virtually with me by Zoom on a bi-weekly basis throughout the school year (September to June). They would ask questions about our wastewater system and I would try to provide answers. I sent the team what I could find regarding surveys, drawings, original engineering plans (some were about 50 years old), customer usage lists, etc. They took those shabby documents and put together an amazing engineering report.
During a Zoom call on June 2nd, Team Atlas Engineering Group walked me through a powerpoint presentation of their completed project. WOW!!! It was great. They covered everything that is needed to rehabilitate/refurbish our wastewater system. Much needs to be done to get our system up-to-date. In April our wastewater supervisor of 35 years retired. I hired two experienced and certified wastewater employees to operate our treatment facility. They have taken the Team Atlas Engineering Group’s project presentation and are already at work following the report’s recommendations. We will be able to fund about 30% of the needed work presented in the Team Atlas report. Other major improvements will require federal and state funding help. We are busy preparing funding applications to request help with those major needs.
Our county is federally designated “Tier One”, with a large percentage “minority” population, so we qualify for assistance from federal and state programs. Now that we have an engineering plan in hand, we know what to ask for in our application for funding assistance. I have invited the Team Atlas students to be our guests and visit Sparta in the future to see how their hard work will have greatly benefitted the people of our town.
Michael, you know you are also always welcome to visit us again. Since we first met several years ago, you have given attention to our town. I can’t thank you enough for your friendship, your sincere interest in our community and foreseeing how much C2P2 could help Sparta and Hancock County. God bless you and your program.
Please contact me if you have any questions about the Drexel students’ project and when I can ever assist you. I owe you some serious favors!!!!
With kindest regards and loads of appreciation,
R. Allen Haywood
Mayor of Sparta
P. O. Box H
Sparta, GA 31087
Michael,
I wanted to thank you for your help with our recent grant proposal. I do not often feel that I am fighting a losing battle, but finding a way to put a portion of our CARES allocation into the hands of a non-profit for use for Senior and community support was one I had pretty much figured I would lose. Your help in connecting me with someone who knew how to submit a proposal for a Pass-Through Entity was invaluable. As with many small cities in Georgia, we didn’t have the resources to provide for everything in response to COVID that we needed to provide, so the CARES allocations from the Governor meant we could do more to see to the needs of our residents. As we don’t often deal with the receipt and disbursement of Federal Funds, gathering together the information I needed to make sure the Council and the recipient understood what would be needed to be successful was extremely daunting, particularly considering the workload we were already dealing with, and with a very small staff. I have no doubt that I could never have gotten everything ready without your help in finding someone who could guide me through the process. Thank you so much! Your help will allow us to see to our Seniors, help small businesses on the verge of closure, and protect our community from food insecurity in the coming days in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
May this task you have set yourself and all your future endeavors be blessed. Lisa B Johnson
Lisa Johnson
City Clerk
City of Fargo
P.O. Box 387
Fargo, GA 31631
912-637-5597 (ofc)
912-637-5151 (fax)