A Pirate’s Guide to
Service
A publication of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center
North Carolina Civic Health Index The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) has partnered with the Civic Indicators Working Group and published the 2010 Civic Health Index. The Index is created from the data collected by the U.S. Census Bureaus’ Current Population Survey. This information helps us to assess the strengths and weaknessess of civic life in North Carolina. As stated in the opening summary of the report, “just as American Democracy cannot succeed without informed and engaged citizens, North Carolina’s future depends on residents who care about their communities and participate in civic life.” This year’s report found that North Carolina ranked 42nd in the nation for volunteers aged 16 and older. Additionally, “In North Carolina, there is an especially strong connection between education and formal leadership. Residents with college experience are more than five times more likely to be civil leaders than their fellow North Carolinians who never went to college. Only 2.2% of North Carolinians without college experience are civil leaders. Yet, the report found that millenials, current college aged students, are the least involved group. We, as students and educators and citizens have the potential to change that statistic.
Spring Service Fair It’s that time again! On January 27th, the Volunteer and Service Learning Center held its spring service fair in Mendenhall from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The service fair offered students and faculty the opportunity to meet and learn more about the services offered around the area. Students who have service-learning classes were given the chance to meet with the agencies which they will be volunteering with over the next semester. Servicelearning classes offer students the chance to put the theoretical knowledge they learn in the classroom to work in their communities. This cooperation gives students the chance to gain experience in the fields which they are studying while simultaneously addressing the needs of the community. Other courses have a service component, where students are given the chance to do volunteer work for class credit. Thanks to all who came out and made this event a major success!
The full report is available at: www.ncoc.net/ncrelease.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Tara Powell
RHA Howell Center Spring Service Fair The VSLC Celebrates 20 Years!
Calendar of VSLC Upcoming Events
East Carolina University
Volunteer Spotlight
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Meet Tara Powell! Anatole France’s words “to accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe,” were spoken at a high school graduation. Those words probably hit home to a lot of the audience that day. Yet, one of those graduating seniors really took those words seriously. Tara Powell, now a junior psychology major here at ECU, took those words to heart and now lives by them. Tara is a co-coordinator for the ECU WRITES program. She, along with Quintara Jernigan, work to coordinate student volunteers with local elementary students. ECU volunteers write letters back and forth with these elementary students to help improve their language arts skills while giving them positive role models. Tara says, “Getting a letter from the students allows a connection with them. They love it.” As an elementary student, she remembers pen pals and how much fun it was to get a letter from older kids. Now she gets to be a part of those memories for younger generations. Tara first got into volunteering in high school, where she was a mentor. When she came to ECU, she knew that she wanted to be involved. She says, “I was raised to give back to your community. It’s the same here, we still need to give back.” Fliers in Tara’s dorm pointed her to the VSLC. She wanted to join the ECU READS program and came into the office for an application. “Everyone was so nice and welcoming,” Tara remembers. “It was a fast and easy process. It made you want to volunteer.” In the future, Tara plans to obtain her masters and PhD in clinical psychology. One day, she hopes to become a child psychologist, or therapist. She laughs and says, “pretty much, I want to be the next Oprah.” Tara knows that volunteering can become a part of your life. “I just love to give back to the community. I just know that it will be a part of my future. You can’t only say I’m going to do it; you actually have to go out there. You can say it all day, but you have to go out there and do it.” If you would like more information on how to get out and make a differnce, come on by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center.
Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise, what is the use of seeing? -Thich Nhat Hanh
Community Partner Profile
RHA Howell Center-Tar River
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In the beginning, Irene Howell was simply helping out her grandson. Her kindness grew when the state asked her to open a center to assist those with special medical needs. In 1970, the first RHA Howell Center was opened in Goldsboro. Today, there are centers all around North Carolina including, New Bern and Charlotte. The RHA Howell Center- Tar River was opened 18 years ago, making it the youngest center in operation. The local center, which can house up to 30 children, is unique in that it was a pilot program opened in cooperation with Brody School of Medicine.
East Carolina University
The center is also the only RHA Howell Center which can accept children who need to be constantly on respirators. The center focuses its care with children from birth to 15 years old. The RHA Howell Center works to get children out of constant hospitalization and into a home-like environment. Their devoted staff is constantly working with family and/or the child to help them either transition into their own home, or into another care facility. The RHA Howell Center takes in individuals who need specialized care that, for one reason or another, cannot be offered at home. With a 24-hour staff of RN’s, LPN’s, respiratory therapists and many others, the center is able to offer the necessary round the clock care to these special individuals. In addition to medical care, children are able to attend school. Housed in one of the center’s three buildings, the school offers specialized lessons to each of their residents. The children attend school from 9:30-3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and work on such things as communication and picking up objects. Each lesson is prepared by a special education teacher and is based on the needs of the student.
In December of 2010 the RHA Howell Center was recognized by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center as the Community Partner of the Year. To receive this award, an organization must be show dedication to their cause while working to create partnerships with the university community. RHA Howell’s staff has always been caring and constant in their cooperation with ECU. How can you serve? Contact Crystal Garman at 758-1101 or cgarman@rhanet.org. Volunteers are welcome between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday-Sunday and can work on such things as homework assistance, planning parties, and reading to the children. Application, orientation and skin test are required.
VSLC Celebrates 20th Anniversary The 2010-2011 school year marks the 20th anniversary of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center. While the center has seen several changes, its focus has always been the same: to bridge the gap between college students and the communities in which they live. Since its creation by Mrs. Judy Baker in 1980, the VSLC has been working to get students out in the community, making a difference in the world in which they live. Over the past 20 years, students have donated thousands of hours of service to the local community. The years have seen the creation of new programs and projects, each devoted to helping students make a difference. We would like to thank all of those who have made the past 20 years wonderful. We can’t wait for the future! Help us celebrate our 20th year-volunteer!
20years
Celebrating 20 Years of Service
Calendar of Upcoming Events
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Friday, February 25 NC Regional Science Fair Various Locations ECU Campus 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Volunteers will be setting up the pre-fair, directing guest and signing them in. Please contact Grant Gardener at gardnerg@ecu.edu. Friday, February 25 Youth Expressions Art Project Greenville Mall 1 p.m. -5 p.m. Volunteers will assist with the hanging of about 500 drawings. Please contact Cynthia Bickley-Green at 252-328-1293 or 252-367-1337. Saturday, February 26 NC Regional Science Fair Various Locations ECU Campus 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Volunteers will be setting up the pre-fair, directing guest and signing in. Please contact Grant Gardener at gardnerg@ecu.edu. Saturday, February 26 Youth Expressions Art Project Greenville Mall 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Volunteers will assist with the hanging of about 500 drawings. Please contact Cynthia Bickley-Green at 252-328-1293 or 252-367-1337. Tuesday, March 1 CKECU Cooking Shift Todd Dining Hall Lobby 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Volunteers will assist with preparing food for delivery to the Little Willie Center the next day. For more information e-mail Katie Winn at winnk@ecu.edu. Wednesday, March 2 Project “Homeless Connect” Greenville Civic Center, 303 Greenville Blvd. 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Volunteers will escort homeless clients through services booth, restocking food items for canteen, assist with area set-up and breakdown. Volunteers will attend a 2-hours orientation session prior to the event. Please contact Jim Naves at 252-714-6482 or jnaves@ suddenlink.net.
For more volunteer opportunities, visit the Volunteer and Service-Learning webpage at www.ecu.edu/vslc.
Student organizations partnered with the CKECU team to donate and serveThanksgiving meals all around the county.
Blood Donation Fact An average adult has 10-12 pints of blood in his or her body. It takes less than 8 weeks to completely rebuild the red blood cells donated. 8 weeks to save a life. Source: American Red Cross
January 2011
Judy Baker, Institutional and Community Development Consultant Jessica Gagne Cloutier, Service-Learning Coordinator Michael Loeffelman, Volunteer Coordinator Volunteer and Service-Learning Center Shawn Moore, Community Partner Coordinator Old Cafeteria Complex 252-328-2735 (phone) 252-328-0139 (fax) Alice Tyson, Office Manager www.ecu.edu/vslc vslc@ecu.edu Katie Winn, AmeriCorps*Vista Member