teach kids the importance of recycling and the dangers of littering.

Even with her busy schedule, Jessica finds time to volunteer for this and many other organizations.

In her spare time, Jessica likes to read, hike, garden, travel, play guitar, and spend time with her family, friends and pets. Jessica was nominated by Burton Callicot, who said, "As the C of C Recycling Committee Chair, I have been working with Jessica since the beginning of the '05/'06 school year and I have found her to be very organized, dedicated to environmental issues that affect the community, and a great person all in all."

About Jessica Ciokan...
Hometown: North Canton, Ohio from 1980-2000
Southern Pines, North Carolina from 2000-present
Degree Objective: First year graduate student in the M.E.S. program (Master of Environmental Studies)
Expected Graduation: Spring 2007
Current volunteer organization: Clara's Kids Club is part of the education program sponsored by Keep Charleston Beautiful. The program targets children in local elementary schools, teaching them about the ways in which litter can harm humans, pelicans, and the environment, and encouraging them to recycle and pick up trash. The interactive presentation involves several of the students acting out a skit that tells the story of Clara, the Keep Charleston Beautiful pelican mascot. During the presentation, the students learn why items like drinking straws and plastic six-pack rings, which often end up on the ground, can be harmful to pelicans like Clara, who makes brief appearances with these items in her bill throughout the skit. After the skit, the students are taught the differences between garbage and recyclables, taught the official club song, and invited to join Clara's Kids Club. My job involves wearing the Clara costume. During the presentation, I "fly" in and out of the classroom, trying to catch a fish for an injured pelican found by the student actors during a make-believe game of baseball. At the end of the presentation, after the students are initiated into Clara's Kids Club, I give out hugs and high-fives while the presenter hands out coloring books and temporary tattoos.
Other volunteer activities and organizations: Apart from the Clean City Clara program, I currently work for the College of Charleston Committee on Recycling and Environmental Responsibility, regularly attend Alliance for Planet Earth meetings, help maintain the College's Native Species Garden, and am hoping to help with the Campus Cat Coalition in the near future. In the recent past, before moving to Charleston, I worked with Moore County's Animal Advocates organization, and Food Not Bombs in Dayton, Ohio. I am also a member of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke's chapters of Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society and Alpha Chi National Honor Society, and Sandhills Community College's Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
When and why did you start volunteering? I started volunteering for the Clean City Clara program at the beginning of the Fall semester, 2005, when a fellow M.E.S. student, working as an intern for the Clean City Clara program, asked for volunteers to help her with the presentation. I chose to volunteer for this because I am an advocate of reducing waste by reducing over consumption and increasing recycling rates.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering? I especially enjoy watching the students' faces when I make my first appearance. Their eyes get so big, as if it is the first time they've ever seen a mascot like what they would expect to see at Disney World. While every once in a while one child may be afraid of the costume, most are absolutely enchanted by Clara, which helps the message of the presentation last in their memories. Also, at one of the elementary schools where we recently had two presentations in a row, the teacher from the first class had her students draw pictures of Clara and then gave them to us before we left, which made us feel like we had really made an impression on their young minds.
What are you most proud of contributing to your organization? I am most proud of my dedication to the program. Despite my busy school schedule, getting to dress up like Clara a few times a week is not only good for my soul, but is for a good cause.
How would your friends describe you? Reticent, but opinionated and motivated; dorky, with an unusually dry sense of humor.
What would you tell someone thinking about volunteering? What do you have to lose? It's a great way to establish relationships and a good reputation within the community, and a great way to explore your interests and discover new things about yourself.
If someone wanted to get involved with your organization what should they do? Contact Keep Charleston Beautiful Program Manager, Karen Buzby at 843-579-7501, or buzbyk@ci.charleston.sc.us, or visit their webpage at
https://www.ci.charleston.sc.us/dept/content.aspx?nid=427.

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