Shawn Schutt

Shawn is an SVSU alum who works at a local nonprofit organization called Underground Railroad. Underground Railroad is an organization that serves victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human slavery in Saginaw County. Shawn is the Community Engagement and Prevention Manager, where he gets to travel around the county and educate people of all ages about domestic and sexual violence. Shawn loves that the community is so supportive of the Underground Railroad's mission and loves being able to help serve them.

The SVSU Alumni Relations Office is partnering with Underground Railroad for a volunteer event on March 13 from 4-7 pm at the Resale Store. Volunteers will help to organize and stock donations. If you are interested in volunteering, sign up at https://forms.office.com/r/5XtYnfNt0t.

Life at SVSU

Shawn was a commuter student and loved that SVSU always helped him to feel engaged in the community. He did this by being active in clubs and on-campus jobs. Shawn got his degree in Health Science and was active in Peer Health Education (PHE), a club where students would educate others about how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Shawn worked as an orientation leader and as Coop for several years. He loved being Coop and was even Sammy Spirit and Burt for a while for Saginaw Spirit! He even now still finds himself using Coops' mannerisms at times.

Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad opened its doors in 1977 as one of the first domestic violence shelters in the state of Michigan. Since then, it has grown into a wrap-around service for survivors of domestic and sexual violence with housing, job, and crisis support. The Underground Railroad Resale store is a thrift store that helps to financially support the organization. The SVSU Alumni Relations Office is partnering with Underground Railroad to volunteer at the Resale Store on March 13, 2024, from 4-7 pm to help them organize and sort through donated items.

What originally drew Shawn to the organization 7 years ago was that his role as the Community Engagement and Prevention Manager was that it was similar to his public health degree. Shawn loves that he gets to go into the community and teach people about safe practices and root causes of domestic violence so that it can be stopped in the Great Lakes Bay Region. Shawn gets to do many collaborations with SVSU and loves that Underground Railroad is a close partner with the university. He also has a podcast called "Touchy Subjects," which talks about domestic and sexual violence education and survivor stories. Shawn loves that that community has been so supportive of the mission of the Underground Railroad and that he can continue to teach people about it for a living.

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