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Volunteer Spotlight OnSummer Associates

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Calendar of VSLC Upcoming Events

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Spring Arbor The Benefits of Service

A P i rat e ’s Gu i d e t o

ServiceEast Carolina University.

Tomorrow starts here.

A publication of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center

Summer Snack ProjectWhat would you do with 1,600 apples? A few years ago the VSLC had to answer that question, and since then, hundreds of children at the Little Willie Center, Operation Sunshine, the Boys and Girls Club Jarvis Unit, and Police Athletic League have enjoyed fresh fruit and snacks during the summer months.

Thanks to a partnership between the VSLC and the First Year Center, apples, chips, and cookies left over from bag lunches at orientation are distributed to summer youth programs instead of going into campus trash cans. The effort is aptly named the Summer Snack Project, and since it’s inception, more than 4,000 apples and thousands of individually wrapped cookies and bags of chips have been donated.

We’ve heard great stories about the food—the Little Willie Center staff made apple pies, and Operation Sunshine sent snack bags home with summer program participants to benefit their entire families. And of course, the chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies are always a big hit with the kids!

The Summer Snack Project is just one of the many ways ECU supports our community. To learn more, visit www.ecu.edu/vslc, or stop by the VSLC to pick up a 2010/2011 Service Opportunities Guide.

Welcome Katie Winn

About $10,000—that’s what Katie Winn, the new North Carolina Campus Compact Vista will earn for a stipend in the next 12 months. In exchange, she’ll spend 36 hours each week in the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, coordinating the Campus Kitchen. Lot’s of people might see this as a sacrifice, but for Katie, it’s an opportunity.

“I decided to become a VISTA because I wanted a chance to engage in service and get experience in what I wanted to do [in the future]. I think that what I want to do is focus on service-learning, so this gives me experience working in a college setting, experience with nonprofits, and experience managing the interesting relationships that happen between the two,” says Katie.

Katie will oversee kitchen operations, recruit and train volunteers to cook and deliver meals, and build relationships with the community organizations that receive Campus Kitchen meals. One challenge she’ll face this fall is the development of educational programs that will coincide with delivery shifts. Such programs will add more depth to current communitycollaborations.

In her first few days at ECU, Katie said, “I’m excited to see the Campus Kitchen program grow—to bring my dreams of it to fruition, and see the great things that can come from it.”

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“Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with

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each other’s welfare, social justice can

never be attained.” --Helen Keller

A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 2

Summers are usually quiet in the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center (VSLC), as our voluntary student staff works primarily from September to May. But this June and July, two summer associates have kept the office bustling with special activities. Requita Demery, a junior hispanic studies major, and Alexandria Fowler, a senior elementary education major, are the first ever VSLC Summer Associates—and they’ve made quite an impact. They’ve raised funds for the 2010 Million Meal Event, engaged incoming freshmen in volunteer activities for Give2theTroops, and supported the Fairytale Boutique. They’ve also made new friends with residents at Oak Haven assisted living. Requita and Alex volunteered 35 hours each week, and in return, will receive an AmeriCorps education award and stipend. Here’s what they have to say about their summer associate experience.

Spotlight on Summer Associates

can make a lasting impact on their community. We want to educate the ECU faculty and staff about the needs of first-generation college students in hopes of receiving more support [for] these students. We also want to encourage the implementation of programs for first-generation college students because nearly half of the incoming freshmen fit into this category.

What have you learned so far?We realized that ECU students are very active in the community and there are endless opportunities for students to get involved. There are 120 community agencies that ECU is partnered with throughout the Greenville community, and there are many programs within the VSLC that students can participate in that have no transportation to get off campus.

Are there any other thoughts you’d like to share?We have thoroughly enjoyed the activities we do with orientation, because it gives us the opportunity to meet new people. We get to share our personal experiences with the incoming freshmen and get them excited about their first year at ECU. We also enjoyed going to Oak Haven, because the residents were very hospitable and quickly accepted us as their new friends.

Why did you apply to be a summer associate? Says Alexandra, “I thought it would be a great experience and a way for me to learn about the different opportunities to volunteer throughout Greenville. I also was looking forward to the leadership skills and working with various organizations on campus such as orientation and the Fairytale Boutique.”

“I thought it would be a great way for me to combine my passions for leadership and service. After working in the Center for Student Leadership [and Civic Engagement] last year, I really wanted to turn my focus to service to learn more about the opportunities that students have through the VSLC on campus and in the local community. Because I am a Greenville native, I enjoy giving back to my home community and it is exciting to see other students get motivated to serve,” says Requita.

What are your main duties as a summer associate? We assist with freshmen orientation; we recruit freshmen at the activities fair and supervise a service project as well. We volunteer with various programs such as: Give2theTroops, Oak Haven Assisted Living, Summer Snack Project, Campus Kitchen, Fairytale Boutique, Pirate to Pirate Mentoring, TRIPS and Million Meals. We tell students about the programs offered through the VSLC and in the Greenville community, so when they’re on campus they know the different opportunities to volunteer.

We hope to help incoming freshmen realize the importance of service and how much a small gesture

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A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 3

Spring Arbor of Greenville is a 24-hour residential assisted living home with an attached special care cottage for residents with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. Owned by HHHunt Assisted Living, Inc., their mantra is “our family serving your family with professional, compassionate care.”

Activity Director Walldine McGarvey keeps residents engaged in social, spiritual, and wellness activities seven days a week. ECU volunteers help out with everything from Penny Ante, to butter making, the annual holiday decorating, and a Mardi Gras celebration. In the past,

Spring Arbor

Walldine has even scheduled a mock wedding, Elvis impersonator, and fashion shows.

Intergenerational service with organizations like Spring Arbor exposes ECU students to the issues of aging, mental health, nutrition, and fitness, and it can help both students and seniors deconstruct generational stereotypes. Seniors may experience social, psychological or physical benefits as a result of interacting with college-aged volunteers (Green, 1998).

Learn more about Spring Arbor at springarborliving.com or contact Walldine McGarvey at 252-355-7003 to volunteer.

The Benefits of Service

Volunteers pose for 2010 Fairytale Boutique marketing materials.

Every year, thousands of ECU students contribute more than 161,000 hours of service to communities around the world. They mentor youth, raise money for domestic and international relief efforts, build affordable housing, and visit with the elderly. Let’s not forget the items they pack and send to our military members stationed overseas, and the love and care they give to animals waiting to be adopted. You may wonder, “what keeps our students so active in service activities, despite their academic workload and busy social calendars?” They tell us they want to add experience to their resume, network, explore career paths, meet new people, get credit for class, carry on a family tradition, or make a difference.

Career prospects, wider social networks, extra credit, and personal satisfaction are all valuable benefits of service, but there’s one other that many students, and volunteers in general, don’t think about—participating in service can improve your health!

In 2007, the Corporation for National and Community Service published a review of recent research titled the Health Benefits of Volunteering that suggested a strong relationship between service and health. “Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer. Some of these findings also indicate hat volunteers who devote a “considerable”amount of time to volunteer activities (about 100 hours per year) are most likely to exhibit positive health outcomes (p. 3).”

If you’d like to learn more about the correlation between service and health, the entire report is available at www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr.pdf. If you’re ready to experience the many benefits of service, stop by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center today.

A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 4Calendar of Upcoming Events

Volunteer and Service-Learning CenterOld Cafeteria Complex

252-328-2735 (phone) 252-328-0139 (fax)www.ecu.edu/vslc vslc@ecu.edu

Judy Baker, Institutional and Community Development ConsultantJessica Gagne Cloutier, Service-Learning Coordinator

Michael Loeffelman, Volunteer CoordinatorShawn Moore, Community Partner Coordinator

Alice Tyson, Office ManagerKatie Winn, AmeriCorps*Vista Member

July Edition 2010

Blood Donation Fact

Give the gift of life-- become a donor today!

Source: American Red Cross

Blood DrivesEastern Carolina Donor Center hours:Tuesday: 1:00 pm - 7:00 pmWednesday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pmThursday: 1:00 pm - 7:00 pmFirst Friday of Each Month: 9:00 am - 3:00 pmSaturday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pmAddress: 700 Cromwell Drive, Greenville or call1-800-733-2767.

Victory Junction Gang CampSunday, July 25 until Thursday, July 29Contact Claire Rutan at 336-495-2016 or crutan@victoryjunction.org.Volunteers will serve as family hosts, program chiefs (arts and crafts, boating, stables, etc.) and kitchen staff.

Victory Junction Gang CampSunday, August 1 until Thursday, August 5Contact Claire Rutan at 336-495-2016 or crutan@victoryjunction.org.Volunteers will serve as family hosts, program chiefs (arts and crafts, boating, stables, etc.) and kitchen staff.

Campus KitchenMonday, August 9 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.To sign up visit the link below:http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/47-622248858119.Volunteers will meet in Todd Dining Hall to prepare and deliver a meal to the Ronald McDonald House.

Muscular Dystrophy Association Summer CampSaturday, August 14 until Friday, August 20Contact Amy Pollock at 910-763-3114 or apollock@mdausa.orgVolunteers will pair up with a camper and participate in a variety of activities including fishing, swimming, wheelchair sports, and karaoke night.

Don’t forget to register for the 2010 University Million Meal Event! For more information please visit:https://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/volunteer/UniversityMillionMeals.cfm.

While all blood types are needed during the critical summer months, Type O negative is always in high

demand because it can be transfused to patients with any blood type, especially

in emergency situations. Type O negative donors can make the

difference between an adequate blood supply and a summer shortage.

Michael Kratzer and Alex Fowler at the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina.