A Pirate’s Guide to
Service
A publication of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center
Summer’s Here, What Are You Doing? Oh the lazy days of summer. It is the prefect time to catch up on your tan, sneak in that book you have been wanting to read, catch up on your sleep... and volunteer! Local agencies struggle during summer months to meet their volunteer needs. With many students gone for the summer, local community members on vacation, and a variety of other reasons, many struggle to make ends meet. You can change that! Need some ideas for summer service? Take the free time between summer classes to volunteer with a local agency for an hour or two. This little bit of time can really make a difference! Not in summer school? Spend some time in the sun with the kids! Many agencies are looking for students to volunteer with their summer programs. Planning to leave Greenville for the rest of the summer? There are opportunities to volunteer in your local community also! No matter where you are or what you are doing, you have the chance to give back and volunteer. If you need help finding an agency that fits your needs, come on by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Old Cafeteria Complex, we will be happy to help.
A Year of Service Here at East Carolina’s Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, we have had a wonderful year. From our Million Meals Event in August, to letters written through ECU WRITES, to dresses delivered for Fairytale Boutique, the local community has been touched in many ways. Here are just a few snapshot statistics from the year: The Campus Kitchen at East Carolina University rescued 1,471 pounds of food with the help of Todd Dining Hall and ARAMARK, resulting in 4,207 meals served throughout the community. ECU READS/WRITES and ECU COUNTS more than 200 students put in nearly 2,000 hours of service in three organizations. Three domestic and one international spring break trips were taken by nearly 80 to serve communities around the globe. The Adopt-A-Grandparent was launched for its inaugural year. Students are reaching out to elderly citizens around the community. Fairytale Boutique provided dresses to 30 young girls to allow them an opportunity at attending prom. 167 ServiceLearning classes provided 3,400 hours of service on and around East Carolina’s campus. Thank you for a wonderful year!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Summer Associates
AmeriCorps Calendar of VSLC Upcoming Events
East Carolina University
Volunteer Spotlight
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Welcome to our 2011 Summer Associates!
Each summer East Carolina University’s Volunteer and Service-Learning Center hosts two first generation college students as summer associates. These students work to raise awareness among low income and prospective first generation students about their options in attending college. They work 30+ hours a week and recieve a small monthly stipend. When they complete their service, they are awarded a $1,000 educational award. This year’s associates, seniors Bage Shade and Morgan Watts feel they are getting much more than that in return; they are getting the opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives.
This summer, Bage and Morgan will work together at the Little Willie Center, The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center and at the East Carolina Office of Admissions. At the Little Willie Center they will serve as lead teachers, working one on one with the children to provide positive college-aged role models. They will also be working at the Office of Admissions as special tour guides. They will give tours specifically to prospective first generation students. Bage applied to become a summer associate because she wanted to show people that college is a real possibility for everyone. A social work major, she knows that a lot of students feel that college isn’t an option for them soley because of finances, and she wants to change that. “I am part of a low income family. I want to show others that it doesn’t matter where you come from. If you have the determination, you can do it.” Working with the children at the Little Willie Center was exciting for both Bage and Morgan, however Morgan was particularly excited to return. Having worked with the Little Willie Center her freshman year as a part of a semester long class project, she was excited to work there again. Morgan is a biology major who intends to become a pediatrician. “I want to see how I can connect with the children because I want to work with them [in the future].” Over the course of this summer, Bage and Morgan know that they will be changing the lives of the children they reach out to, and generations after that. Their devoting one summer of their time will change their lives, and so many more. Bage and Morgan are in the process of putting the things they believe into practice. If you would like more information on how to get out and make a difference, come by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center on the first floor of the Old Cafeteria Complex.
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” - William James
Community Partner Profile
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The AmeriCorps Program
East Carolina University
The National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 began the AmeriCorps program as we know it today. AmeriCorps, a division of the Corporation for National and community service, is split into three major entities: AmeriCorps state and National, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) and National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). In 1994, the first members of the AmeriCorps program totaled 20,000. Today 75,000 people serve communities in need through AmeriCorps. Whether it is protecting the environment or strengthening community programs, AmeriCorps members have made major impacts around the country. East Carolina University partners closely with AmeriCorps in multiple capacities. In conjunction with our partnership with the North Carolina Campus Compact, an AmeriCorps VISTA has been hosted on ECU’s campus for the past 6 years. Project Heart, a group of students who work one on one with elementary aged children also hosts ECU students. Additionally, the summer associates hosted on campus and the NC-ACTS (North Carolina Activating Citizenship Through Service) participants all serve through the AmeriCorps program. The program provides opportunities for people to put their ideals into action. The program is founded on the principle that people recognize that things need to get done, and the realization that it is people who care that can make that difference. If you would like more information on AmeriCorps or one of its programs, go to www.americorps.gov.
Calendar of Upcoming Events Friday, June 24 601- F Country Club Drive 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Volunteers will be moving boxes and furniture. Please come prepared to move heavy items. Please contact Summer Woodard at 252-355-3800. Wednesday, June 29 Umbrella Market Five Point Plaza 4:45 p.m. - 8 p.m. Volunteers will be conducting surveys. Please contact Katelyn Crouse at 571-432-6385 or katelyn@uptowngreenville.com. Wednesday, July 6 Umbrella Market Five Point Plaza 4:45 p.m. - 8 p.m. Volunteers will be conducting surveys. Please contact Katelyn Crouse at 571-432-6385 or katelyn@uptowngreenville.com. For more volunteer opportunities, visit the Volunteer and Service-Learning at www.ecu.edu/vslc.
Campus Kitchen at ECU Leadership Team member Sarah Schach poses with a child at the Little Willie Center after delivering a meal there.
May/June 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 Alice Tyson, Office Manager 252-328-2735 (phone) 252-328-0139 (fax) Katie Winn, AmeriCorps*Vista Member www.ecu.edu/vslc vslc@ecu.edu