By Brecken Mumford | Contributor
Taylor will be hosting its annual Honors Conference tomorrow-this year's theme is Care: Vulnerable Children and Viable Communities.
The Honors Guild and Village Tree are planning the conference together this year in order to support the Village Tree and other initiatives such as the Orphans and Vulnerable Children minor.
The first keynote speaker, Pastor Johnny Carr, will begin the conference in Odle at 9:30 a.m. Carr was a full-time minister and served as the first national director of church partnership at Bethany Christian Services, one of the leading adoption and orphan care agencies in the U.S.
"I will be sharing from my heart this weekend," Carr said. "Since I have taken some time off of full-time orphan care and adoption work it has given me time to reflect and gather some thoughts about my last eight years of working full time in that area."
This first session will be followed by coffee and donuts. Those who miss the morning keynote presentation will still be able to register for the rest of the day.
There will also be an exhibit hall open in the KSAC throughout the day. The exhibit hall will include representatives from agencies and organizations involved in many issues, such as adoption, foster care, AIDS/HIV prevention, and human trafficking prevention.
The exhibit hall will also have handmade crafts and other items such as shoes for sale. Amy Peterson, assistant director of honors programming, hopes people will take the time to explore the different organizations working to support the vulnerable by building viable communities.
Breakout sessions will begin at 11:30 a.m. These sessions will be led by social justice advocates Sharen Ford, Carissa Woodwyk and Taylor alumni Jeromy Smith ('96) and J.R. Briggs ('01). These breakout sessions will be held a second time in the afternoon.
At 1:30 p.m. Jena Lee Nardella will lead another keynote session in Odle Arena. Nardella is the co-founder and executive director for Blood:Water Mission, a non-profit organization which seeks to overcome the water and HIV/AIDS crises in Africa.
Following the second round of breakout sessions, Susan Hillis, the senior director for global health at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, will deliver the final keynote session at 4:15 p.m.
Husband-wife duo Jenny & Tyler will conclude the conference with a concert in the Student Union at 8 p.m. The duo was asked to perform because of their commitment to social justice and activism. Peterson talked about how Jenny & Tyler wrestle with issues like poverty, injustice and apathy in their music.
"They are committed to compassion, charity and justice, evidenced, in part, through their ongoing support of International Justice Mission, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending human-trafficking throughout the world," said Peterson.
Senior Taylor Temple, a student co-director of the CARE Conference, said she looks forward to the events of the conference and encourages students to register and attend. Students are still able to register today even if they are unable to attend the entire conference.
The Honors Guild as well as The Village Tree are looking forward to the changes and discussions on Taylor's campus following the conference.
"We hope that the conference will be meaningful to all students as they consider how their vocations might connect with caring for the vulnerable locally, nationally and internationally," Peterson said.
More information about the conference, the speakers and their organizations can be found at http://tuhonorsconference.com.
