Alpha Resource Lauds Westmont Professor

Christine Milner, Westmont professor of kinesiology, received the Imagine a World Award from the Alpha Resource Center on Dec. 11. Austin Sutton and Becca Kennedy, participants in the Katie’s FUNd program at Alpha, gave Milner the award during her Special Populations course, which studies disabilities encountered in medical and educational settings. Alpha representatives Julie Badella, director of program services, and Amy Buesker, Teen Extreme coordinator, were also at the ceremony. The award is given to people who help create an inclusive community and is based on the idea of imagining a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Milner, who joined the Westmont faculty in 1978, has encouraged her students to volunteer with Katie’s FUNd, which provides social and recreational activities for teens. The Alpha website says over the past five years, about 100 Westmont students served the program. “They have all come with an understanding and open attitude, willing to learn and grow,” it says. “Many of them have fallen in love with the program and, after finishing their class, become paid staff for Katie’s FUNd.

“Professor Milner and the whole Westmont Kinesiology Department have made this a priority for the students, ensuring that when they enter the professional world as physical therapists, occupational therapists, or any number of other kinesiology related fields, they will be ready and able to work with people of all abilities in a respectful and caring way. They are truly helping to create an inclusive community where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”