East Carolina University.
A P i rat e ’s Guide to
Service
Tomorrow starts here.
A publication of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center
Spring is Here... And the Center is as busy as ever! The VSLC is organizing volunteers for Literacy Day, the Holocaust Luminary and PirateFest in addition to preparing end of the year program celebrations that acknowledge students who dedicated their year to service. 2009-2010 VSLC student leadership positions have also been created to help sustain student-run programs such as Pirate Playtime, T.R.I.P.S., and the Student Service Council. Please check our Web site for updates on service events and important approaching deadlines. Our Calendar of Events is packed with new volunteer opportunities – and don’t forget about the American Red Cross blood drives located on-campus! Donating blood is an excellent way to help your local community and get volunteer credit for class! 2,403 pints of blood have been collected so far!
PirateFest PirateFest 2009 is upon us! On April 18th there will be a lot of activity in Uptown Greenville with the Little Pirates Pavilion, the Uptown Arts Festival, the International Festival, and the Buccaneer Bash. The VSLC is partnering with several local city and nonprofit organizations to provide students with volunteer opportunities throughout the day’s events. It truly is a time for different members of multiple communities to come together and celebrate. Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks: set-up crew, clean-up crew, information tables, stage assistant, barricade attendant, and more! If you are interested in volunteering, visit the VSLC Web site to register. Please contact Mike Loeffelman (loeffelmanm@ecu.edu) with any questions.
Fairytale Boutique Thanks to a handful of student volunteers, generous donations, and dedicated VSLC staff, 28 young women of eastern NC now have beautiful prom dresses to wear for local spring high school dances! The Center remained opened the weekend of February 27-March 1 for eligible girls and their families to come browse our dress and accessory selection to find the perfect apparel for free! All chosen dresses were then sent to Bowen Cleaners for complimentary dry cleaning and spot treatment. Even though the Fairytale Boutique has ended, the VSLC is still receiving dress donations and local support for the annual event next year.
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Student Group Spotlight Construction Management
Spring Break T.R.I.P.S. Servire Society
Calendar of VSLC Upcoming Events Student Leaders Needed!
Student Group Spotlight
A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 2
Construction Management Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Edenton, NC
Put together one very run-down house, a deserving family, several opinionated designers, seven days and what do you get? The answer is ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition reality TV show of course!
East Carolina University
Ty Pennington has become legendary for his famous ‘Good Morning!’ wake-up call to unsuspecting small-town, big-hearted families on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EMHE). Therefore it came as no surprise that when Edenton Builders announced EMHE’s presence in northeastern North Carolina people from all over the state flocked to the scene. The project: build a new home for Edenton’s local heroes, the Cooper family. Jeff Cooper, married to Clara and father of two children, served as a combat medic with the US Army during the Gulf War. A decorated veteran, Jeff suffers from Gulf War Syndrome, immune disorders and multiple sclerosis which limits him to a wheelchair. Aaron Cooper, Jeff ’s son, was also involved in a tragic accident two years ago when he lost most of his right arm. He has since endured several surgeries. The family awoke Friday morning, March 6, to the crew of EMHE and local area volunteers, including ECU’s Department of Construction Management, cheering in their front lawn! ECU students, faculty, staff and even some alumni volunteered their time and skills throughout the next week, helping construct a suitable home to replace the family’s run-down trailer, while the Cooper’s enjoyed a Washington, DC vacation. Beginning Sunday, March 8, someone from the Department of Construction Management was on site 24 hours a day until Friday, March 13. Overall, 1,100 volunteer hours were contributed from the department! West Overman, a supervisor to the Construction Management volunteers, answered some questions about their overall experience.
What projects did the CM volunteers work on throughout the week?
Personally, I worked on the project management team. We answered questions from contractors, managed volunteers, supervised construction, and pitched in wherever we were needed. We had six people on the team that worked directly under the general contractor and the architect. Our students participated in a variety of tasks: everything from moving the family’s belongings from the existing house, to operating equipment, wall framing, setting roof trusses, installing windows and doors, moving materials, helping various subcontractors, installing siding, and general clean up of the job site. You name it, someone in the department probably helped with it!
Volunteers from ECU’s Department of Construction Management on the site of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Did anyone run into challenges/problems while working on the site? in Edenton, North Carolina. Any time that you build a structure that would usually be built in four to six months in four days there are going to be challenges and problems. Because of delays caused by filming, the project started late and we were never able to make up that time missed. Site conditions on the project were worse than expected and put the project even further behind. However, with the great group of people at the site all working together, we were able to complete the house in time for the family’s return.
Were any new CM skills learned with this type of ‘hands-on’ experience? I believe the greatest thing learned by many of our volunteers was a greater idea of the whole construction process. When you work on a normal project, you may only see a few weeks of what actually goes on. This project allowed everyone to see what a project is like from start to finish. They got to see the foundation work, walls framed, utilities installed, and finishes completed. It is a completely unique experience because of this and I believe that it was a valuable learning tool. We also were exposed to many new products and techniques that most of us had never seen before.
Overall, did the CM volunteers enjoy the experience? I have not received one even slightly negative comment about this project. The people in our department are a great bunch of people and are always more than willing to give their time and efforts to help others in need. Everyone was there for one thing; to help this family in need.
Did you witness the finished result? I worked from 7 p.m. on Thursday until 9 p.m. on Friday. I was not leaving until we finished the project and shouted “MOVE THAT BUS!” It is truly amazing how the house was able to come together in that short of a time and look as great as it did! I am very thankful to have been able to help on this project. The greatest part of the whole project though was being able to see the family’s reaction when they first saw their new house. It is a moment I will never forget!
The shortest answer is doing the thing. Ernest Hemingway
A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 3
T.R.I.P.S.
Spring Break TRIPS
Turning Responsibility Into Powerful Service
East Carolina University
While other ECU students were laying on the beach soaking up the sun, taking a break from school, work and daily obligations, 19 students and 4 staff members were volunteering with organizations. The T.R.I.P.S. program is composed of six student volunteers who have been meeting biweekly since October to plan three domestic service trips that took place over ECU’s spring break (March 8-14). These dedicated students took the role of site leaders on each trip, providing participants with daily support and motivation, nightly reflection sessions, general supervision and daily instructions/tasks from the host sites. Although each trip had its own location and unique experience, everyone that participated had one main objective, to help others in need. One trip focused on improving the environment by volunteering with Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, Virginia. The group planted 376 tree seedlings in an effort to restore the area’s natural habitat and increase the wildlife population. The trees were strategically placed along the banks of the park’s main stream to help deter grazing domestic animals from polluting the water. The eight volunteers finished ahead of schedule (contributing over 30 hours of volunteer work each) and spent the last T.R.I.P.S. participants get ready to plant tree day touring Washington, DC - only an hour’s drive from the site. seedlings by dancing in the morning.
Another trip concentrated on disaster relief/construction by working on a house with Habitat for Humanity in Americus, Georgia. The group took part in a variety of tasks including siding, painting, roofing, laying floorboard and constructing the interior walls. The six ECU volunteers worked alongside Pennsylvania and Rhode Island College students throughout the ECU students (left to right); Gegory, Ankit, Nicole, Roshani and Karen arrive at the Habitat for Humanity week to complete the house project. site in Americus, Georgia.
Our third trip set out under the assumption their volunteer destination for the week was Anthony House in Zellwood, Florida. Unfortunately, upon arriving, the nine ECU volunteers were informed the organization was closing its doors permanently. Along the way home the group served another shelter in St. Augustine, FL and volunteered with a VSLC community partner in Scotland Neck, NC (Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Eco-Center) for two days. The students worked hard to clear land where the first handicap accessible tree house in NC will be built this summer. The group T.R.I.P.S. participants volunteer at Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Eco-Center in finished in Greenville working with Give2theTroops. Although the trip had ups and downs, Scotland Neck, NC. everyone remained in high spirits and each student completed over 30 hours of service.
Servire Society
In honor of East Carolina University’s Centennial, the Servire Society was established in 2007. Servire, or To Serve, has been the university’s motto since the school was founded in 1907. ECU faculty, staff and students who contribute 100 or more hours of volunteer service to the community in an academic year will be recognized as eligible candidates. Those nominated must demonstrate a strong commitment to volunteerism while serving the larger community, meaning the region, country or world outside of ECU. This year (January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008), 45 students were inducted into the Servire Society, 9 of who were already members from the founding year. Below is the list of students recognized at the Founder’s Day Ceremony on Thursday, March 26, 2009. Ashley Alexander Joi D. Alexander Joseph Annunziata* Vladim Bobrovnikov* Ashley Boswell Anna Bowling* Bryan Bunn Joshua G. Corsa Nathaniel V. Creech Angela Cross
Chelsea Demarest Brandy Edwards Courtney Elliott* Theresa Esslinger Hayley M. Fischer Claire E. Fletcher Jayme E. Hostetter Stacey L. Johnson Anthony Jones Aseem Kaul
Lindsay Kovacic Paula Loftin Candice D. Martin Vivek Miyani Courtney Olmsted Devang Patel Wesley Peace Sharda Persaud* Sunil Persaud Amanda M. Pugh*
Amanda Robb Chaunte M. Rucker Nancy Shinouda Sarah L. Strickland* Carla Supples* Sarah Thalhamer Anita Unnithan Sadaf Usman Craig J. Wagner Leslie Wheeler
William M. Whited Laura M. Wolfe Roxanne Wynne Brandon Yarns Ying Zhang*
* denotes second year inductee
Calendar of VSLC Upcoming Events
A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 4
Holocaust Luminary: Wednesday, April 8 from 7:00-10:00 p.m. ECU Mall (Cupola). For more information, www.ecu.edu/vslc Literacy Day: Wednesday, April 8 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Mendenhall Great Rooms. E-mail Allison Stephens at ans0715@ecu.edu CIS Reality Store: Thursday, April 9 from 8:00-2:30 p.m. Hope Middle School. E-mail Heather Rhodes at h.rhodes@cispittcounty.org Special Populations Easter Egg Hunt: Thursday, April 9 from 8:30-2:00 p.m. Boyd Lee Park. E-mail Christen Winstead at cwinstead@greenvillenc.gov Blood Drive: Tuesday, April 14 from 11:00-5:00 p.m. Student Health Center. Blood Drive: Thursday, April 16 from 11:00-5:00 p.m. Student Health Center. Pirate Playtime: Friday, April 17 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. For more information, e-mail pirateplaytime@gmail.com PirateFest: Saturday, April 18 from 6:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Downtown Greenville. For more information, www.ecu.edu/vslc Blood Drive: Tuesday, April 21 from 11:00-5:00 p.m. Student Health Center. KidsFest: Saturday, April 25 from 10:00-2:00 p.m. Greenville Convention Center. E-mail Kathryn Wolyniak at katw0629@yahoo.com Give-N-Go Set Up: Tuesday, April 28 at 9:00 a.m. Designated boxes will be placed in each resident hall where students can donate any unused canned food items, clothing items, or household appliances/accessories that they do not want to take home. Give-N-Go Pick Up: Friday, May 1-8. The VSLC will coordinate four pick-up shifts throughout finals week to collect and transport donated items to community partner locations. For more information, www.ecu.edu/vslc
2009-2010 Student Leaders Needed The VSLC is now recruiting students to take on leadership roles during the 2009-2010 academic year. Please read about the programs below for more information. If you are interested in applying, visit the VSLC Web site to download applications, but hurry! Some applications have approaching deadlines! Pirate Playtime is a student-run group where volunteers participate in various after-school programs in the Greenville community and facilitate games/activities for attending children. This opportunity is offered twice a month on Friday afternoons. Pirate Playtime is currently searching for new board members as well as site leaders. T.R.I.P.S. (Turning Responsibility into Powerful Service) is an alternative break program that organizes, recruits and implements service trips through the VSLC. T.R.I.P.S. is currently searching for new site leaders whose responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following: facilitate pre-trip meetings and fund-raising events, participant recruitment, develop and lead reflection sessions, and serve as the primary contact between the VSLC and host sites. The Student Service Council is a relatively new student-run program. The mission is to develop, enhance, and promote collaboration between students, the VSLC, and the campus community at large in regards to humanitarian efforts, serving as an advocate for such efforts among counties of NC and on an international level. The Student Service Council is an ideal program for passionate and dedicated individuals who are committed to both direct and in-direct service and issues of social concerns. The Student Service Council is currently accepting applications for membership and leadership positions. VSLC peer counselors are student workers who assist in the Center’s day-to-day maintenance as well as provide long-term stability to existing programs. Peer counselors help interested students find volunteer opportunities, log/file registration forms and timesheets, answer e-mail/phone, and support VSLC staff by overseeing student-run programs. Each peer counselor is enrolled in NC-ACTS! and receives a $1,000 stipend after successfully completing 300 office hours. Volunteer and Service-Learning Center Old Cafeteria Complex 252-328-2735 (phone) 252-328-0139 (fax) www.ecu.edu/vslc vslc@ecu.edu Shawn Moore, Community Partner Coordinator Jessica Gagne Cloutier, Service-Learning Coordinator Michael Loeffelman, Volunteer Coordinator Judy Baker, Institutional and Community Development Consultant Jennifer Bergman, AmeriCorps*Vista
April Edition 2009