A unique program at Shippensburg University combines the resources of three departments, an on-campus counseling clinic and students to help area families in need.

Survive & Thrive, which begins  Oct. 26, is designed to give adults practical skills in money matters and provide ways to deal with stress. Dr. Kathryn Newton, assistant professor of counseling and college student personnel, called the program "very much an experiment. This is a pilot group."

Dr. Bill McHenry, assistant professor of counseling and college student personnel and director of the Growing Edges Community Counseling Clinic on campus, described the program as quite unique. "The uniqueness is we're able to put together a model and a program that really cross-pollinates the educational experience for our students," he said, as well as offering something to the community.

Those enrolled in the Survive & Thrive program will meet on five Monday nights. The first meeting will include a needs assessment. Each two-hour session will focus on developing personal finance and stress management skills.

Dr. Hong K. Rim, professor of finance and supply chain management, said the idea for the program came out of discussions last year about economic conditions. He, McHenry and others started talking about resources and what they could do to help. Rim said they felt "We owe something to the community."

They brought Newton onboard and the group decided to work with families in the Head Start program, in part because of the university resources available including the university students. Six students from the counseling and education departments and from the John L. Grove College of Business are involved in the program.

Newton said Survive & Thrive is a great opportunity for students to be involved in the community and to get real world experience. "This is a great model for our students to be exposed to before they are out of school," she said.

Ainsley Fay, a senior elementary education major from Allentown, said her portion of the program was originally proposed as childcare services for parents participating in the classes. Now it's being viewed as an opportunity to teach something related to what the parents are learning. So if parents are discussing the value of putting money aside each week, the children might make a piggy bank. "We're looking for ways to involve the kids as part of the family," Fay said, "and as part of the solution."

Ryan Youngstrand, a senior finance and entrepreneurship major from Sellersville said the program is a great idea. He got onboard as soon as he heard about it. "I think it's a great opportunity to use and apply the skills I've gotten at the university and to use them to benefit the surrounding community." Youngstrand will work on the program's financial end, giving basic financial advice on things like budgeting, 401K plans and debt consolidation.

Master's level counseling student Isaiah Varisano will teach things like breathing exercises in an effort to help participants ease their level of stress. Varisano, who lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. before starting graduate school, said he likes the fact that the program is meeting a real and current community need.