East Carolina University. Tomorrow starts here.
A P i rat e ’s Guide to
Service A publication of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center
Ready, Set, Go! Welcome back! With the start of the 2009 spring semester, the VSLC staff is refreshed and eager to get ECU volunteers into the Greenville community again! Although students are busy adjusting to new classes, another national day of service is right around the corner. This Monday, January 19th, is the MLK Day Challenge! Beginning at 8a.m., students will meet in the Mendenhall Great Rooms for registration check-in and breakfast. They will be greeted by their site leaders and Dr. Lathan Turner, the Senior Associate Dean of Students for a brief introduction on the significance of volunteering on MLK Day. Then, students will depart to their local project sites for the rest of the morning. Overall, there are 14 different projects to be completed for the day. Some of these include: food inspection/sorting at the Food Bank, organizing children’s clothing donations at RHA Howell, removing bushes and overgrown roots at Tar River Manor, repainting bathrooms at the Boys and Girls Club, playing trivia board games and watching movies with the elderly at the Sterling House, and preparing care packages for those soldiers overseas at Give2theTroops. If you are interested in participating in the MLK Day Challenge, then don’t delay! Visit our Web site: http://www.ecu.edu/vslc to read all of the listed project descriptions and to sign up. The last day to register is Thursday, January 15th at 5p.m.
The VSLC Needs Your Help! Along with the MLK Day Challenge, the VSLC has another spring event that requires some student attention pronto! Fairytale Boutique is a VSLC spring project that helps young women of Pitt County attend prom regardless of their financial standing. By collecting donations, the VSLC provides dresses, shoes, and accessories to those who want to attend their high school prom but cannot afford the wardrobe. Any donations would be greatly appreciated (items such as formal dresses, purses, make-up, jewelry, shoes, gloves, etc.) and can be dropped off at the VSLC. If you would like to volunteer during this event, keep checking our Web site for more information.
Remember to Turn in Timesheets When a student registers with the VSLC, they are entered into our database where we keep record of all submitted volunteer hours. Students may request verification of their volunteer work at any time during the school year, along with recommendation letters. This can come in handy when building résumés or searching for internships. But beware! Don’t assume the VSLC knows ALL the volunteer work that you do – make sure to fill out AND turn in our timesheets on a continual basis. Even volunteer work for extra credit or for an ECU course should be written down and turned in directly to us, just in case.
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Student Group Spotlight FOCUS Who Volunteers?
On Campus Blood Drives Fall Semester NC-ACTS! Participants
Calendar of VSLC Upcoming Events Ongoing and Future Events Community Partner Shoutout
Student Group Spotlight
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FOCUS
Finding Opportunities to Connect Undergraduates with Service FOCUS is a partnership between the VSLC and Campus Living that was started in 2006. The program is designed to establish bonds between incoming, like-minded ECU students who want to make a difference in their local community. Members take part in meaningful service projects throughout the school year, strengthening their commitment to service and building lasting relationships with classmates, and Greenville agencies.
East Carolina University
Left to right: Constance Floyd, Jessica Joyner, This year, FOCUS is made up of 19 freshmen, 3 sophomore leaders, and 1 and Danielle Daley, the junior leader. Responsibilities of the FOCUS leaders include: activities-calendar 2008-2009 live-in FOCUS leaders.
construction, communication with VSLC and community partners, biweekly group meetings, transportation organization, record keeping, and maintaining a continued presence with FOCUS members as a counselor and confidant. Constance Floyd, Jessica Joyner, and Danielle Daley are the three sophomore leaders who live in Jones Hall with the 2008-2009 FOCUS crew. They typically run the group meetings and schedule the monthly calendar with service opportunities. Because of their living accommodations, they can easily interact with the FOCUS members on a daily basis. Katherine Burley, the junior leader, works mostly with the VSLC updating member’s hours and supervising the construction of the calendar. FOCUS raises awareness on social issues by exposing ECU students to a variety of service opportunities. At a glance, last semester some of the members volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House, Give2theTroops, RHA Howell, Sterling House, Adaptive Sports, Boys and Girls Club, Humane Society, and the Real Crisis Center, as well as participated in VSLC events like the Million Meals Challenge, Make a Difference Day, Pirate Plunge, and Pirate Playtime.
FOCUS members have integrated service into Greenville animal, youth and elderly populations, while finding time to work with environmental, local and national agencies, in The 2008-2009 FOCUS crew at Goose Creek State Park for a picnic on August 16, 2008. addition to supporting the VSLC in special projects of our own. Over 300 volunteer hours have already been recorded for the fall 2008 semester, and many more are to come!
Who Volunteers?
The volunteer rate among college students (30.2%) is much higher than 16-24 year-olds in general (24.4%). Only 35-44 year-olds (34.5%) and 45-54 year-olds (32.7%) have higher volunteering rates than college students. As a state, North Carolina ranks 30th for the volunteer rate of the general adult population (29.1%) and 37th for the volunteer rate of college students (28.8%). Utah ranks 1st for both the volunteer rate of the general adult population (48%) and college students (62.9%). College students follow the national trend in volunteering, with females (33%) volunteering at a higher rate than males (26.8%), and whites (32%) volunteering at a higher rate than students of other races and ethnicities (23.6%). The median number of hours served by a college student volunteer is 40 hours, compared to 36 hours for all youth ages 16-24, and 50 hours for the general adult population. Both male and female college students are more likely to volunteer for an educational or youth services organization (31.6%) than any other type of organization. Volunteering for religious organizations (23.4%) comes in second. Tutoring (26.6%) and mentoring (23.8%) are the most popular activities performed by college student volunteers. Results above come from College Students Helping America, Full Report. Corporation for National and Community Service; October 2006. Data was collected from 2002-2005 as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a comprehensive and scientifically rigorous survey of 60,000 American households conducted by the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Kings and cabbages go back to compost, but good deeds stay green forever. Rick DeMarinis
Campus Blood Drives
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On Campus Blood Drives
Did you know? Every 2 seconds someone in the United States needs blood. According to a survey conducted by the American Red Cross, 76% of Americans expect that blood will be available to them when they need it; however, less than 5% of the population eligible to give blood actually does so. In order to raise awareness of the importance of donating blood, the American Red Cross (Pitt County Chapter) has sponsored 15 blood drives during fall semester. All of these blood drives have taken place somewhere on ECU’s campus; most frequently with the Sweethearts at Todd Dining Hall. The last blood drive of the semester took place on December 3rd in the lobby of the VSLC, where 30 students came to donate one final time before the semester came to an end. So far, 1,423 units of blood have been collected from ECU students!
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As part of an ECU service-learning project, 119 students took a survey in Wright Plaza that was directed towards determining different motivational methods for increasing student participation in blood drives and analyzing why students choose to donate blood.
From the results, it was concluded that students are more willing to donate as an extra credit incentive for a class than for other motivational factors such as holiday themes, sponsor groups or themed competitions. Also, the amount of times a student has donated in the past significantly affects their likelihood to donate again in the future. Previous student donors are willing to wait longer than an hour in line to donate compared to first-time donors that get impatient after 30 minutes. In addition, a student who knows their blood type is more likely to donate than a student who is unaware of their blood type.
ECU Students gather in the VSLC lobby to donate blood on the final day of the fall 2008 semester.
The Mid-Atlantic Blood Services Region (eastern North Carolina and eastern Virginia) is where ECU donated blood will most likely go since blood is a perishable product (red blood cells must be used within 42 days and platelets must be used within 5 days of collection). According to their current blood inventory, they are in critical need of all blood types except AB+ and AB-, which surprisingly, are two of the rarest blood types in the US population. The American Red Cross and ECU have set the target goal of 3,000 units of blood for the 2008-2009 school year! If you would like to help, check out our Web site for upcoming dates for campus blood drives in the spring semester.
Fall Semester NC-ACTS! Participants
NC-ACTS (North Carolina – Activating Citizenship through Service) is a program sponsored by North Carolina Campus Compact (a coalition of colleges and universities that collaborate to increase campus-wide participation in public service) that began in 2004. The goal of this program is to engage college individuals in direct service to the community while connecting them to a larger state service network. Since 2006, the VSLC has encouraged and recruited ECU students to participate in the NC-ACTS program. After successfully completing 300 hours of volunteer (unpaid) work at a community organization in an academic year, a student becomes eligible to receive an Educational Award of $1,000 which can be applied to student loans and tuition costs. Beginning in August 2008, the VSLC enrolled 15 students for NC-ACTS. Several of the students work directly in our office as peer counselors and student leaders for our office programs. They help develop, plan, and guide special events run through the VSLC, such as Make a Difference Day, MLK Day Challenge, and office Blood Drives. They are also in charge of registering students and updating volunteer records in our database. The other student participants have helped organizations such as the American Red Cross, Head Start, Pitt County Memorial Hospital, Kidscope, Building Blocks, The Blind Center and WAGES. Each student has different responsibilities depending on their agency need, but all work directly with families and children. Students focus on such areas as cognitive, social-emotional and physical development of children, family relationships and counseling, family crises and resource management, and cultural diversity of families. Altogether, these 15 students have completed over 3,800 hours of volunteer work in the Greenville community since the beginning of the semester! By the end of spring, over 7,500 hours will be generated from ECU NC-ACTS participants.
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Calendar of VSLC Upcoming Events
TRIPS First Deposit Due Date: Friday, January 16th by 5p.m. For more information, please contact Jeni Bergman at bergmanj@ecu.edu Martin Luther King Day Challenge: Monday, January 19th from 8a.m.-12:30p.m. For more information, http://www.ecu.edu/vslc Blood Drive: Thursday, January 22nd from 1-7p.m. Clement Residence Hall. Blood Drive: Tuesday, January 27th from 10a.m.-4p.m. Brody School of Medicine. Blood Drive: Wednesday, January 28th from 12-6p.m. The Landings Campus Living. Service Fair: Wednesday, January 28th from 12:30-3p.m. 1st floor of the Bate Building. Everyone is welcome, come and meet representatives from local non-profit agencies regarding service opportunities. Pirate Playtime: Friday, January 30th from 2-5p.m. For more information, please e-mail pirateplaytime@gmail.com Pirate Playtime: Friday, February 13th from 2-5p.m. For more information, please e-mail pirateplaytime@gmail.com Service-Learning Conference: Thursday, February 19th. For more information, please e-mail Jessica Gagne at gagnej@ecu.edu
Ongoing and Future Events 100,000 Pound Food Drive An ongoing program created to help fight against hunger in Eastern North Carolina and across the country. Donate to your local food bank or pantry or incorporate food donation into current or future programming. For more information: http//www.ecu.edu/vslc Fairytale Boutique Early Spring 2009. Sponsored by the VSLC, this program is designed to help young women in Pitt County attend Prom regardless of their financial circumstances. The Center collects new and gently used prom/formal gowns, shoes and accessories that are redistributed at no cost to the young women. ACCEPTING DONATIONS NOW. TRIPS March 7-15 2009. TRIPS (Turning Responsibility into Powerful Service) is a student-led program that has organized 3 alternative, domestic break trips to take place over spring break. For more information, contact Jeni Bergman at bergmanj@ecu.edu
Community Partner Shoutout Rocking Horse Ranch Volunteer Training - There will be a training and orientation for new volunteers on Saturday, January 24 at 10AM (call the barn in case of rain). Anyone interested can come out to the barn - be prepared to work around horses and wear suitable clothes and sturdy shoes. Review of general barn policies and safety procedures will take place. New volunteers will have an opportunity to practice sidewalking. Volunteers with requistie horse experience can practice grooming and leading. All volunteers are asked to commit a minimum of 1 hour per week for the duration of the lesson session. Spring Session - The spring 2009 lesson session will last 12 weeks, beginning Monday, February 2 and continue weekly through Friday, May 1 (except during the week of March 9-13 when no classes will be held). Lessons will be scheduled once a week Monday - Friday in the daytime and the evening. In case of rain, grooming/ground school lessons will be held in the barn. Cost for the session is $240 ($20/ lesson). Riders are responsible for payment of the full lesson session unless a lesson is cancelled by RHR. Full or partial scholarships are available upon request as part of the application process. For more information, please call the barn office at 252.752.0153
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 Judy Baker, Institutional and Community Development Consultant Jennifer Bergman, AmeriCorps*Vista Allison Stephens, ECU READS Coordinator
January Edition 2009