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Volunteer SpotlightLaketha Brown

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Calendar of VSLC Upcoming Events

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Give2theTroopsThe Volunteer Match

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

Oil Spill ResponseThe enormous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has many Pirates wondering what they can do to help. Would-be volunteers should carefully research opportunities before travelling to the affected area to serve and before donating monetary resources. The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center has identified two resources for those in our community who wish to lend a hand to Louisiana and surrounding areas.

Volunteer Louisiana: The Louisiana Serve Commission is helping mobilize and train volunteers in response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Volunteer opportunities may include light construction, pre-impact beach cleanup, shoreline monitoring and wildlife sitting. Interested persons can register for volunteer opportunities by calling 1-800-755-5175 or visiting volunteerlouisiana.gov.

Audubon Society: The Audubon Society is working with public and private conservation organizations to mobilize volunteers and protect wildlife. Interested persons should submit a volunteer form at audubon.org. If travelling to the affected areas is not a possibility, donations to support Audubon’s relief efforts can be made by visiting https://loon.audubon.org/payment/donate/OILSPILL10.html.

Each year, the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center hosts a North Carolina Campus Compact Volunteer in Service to America (NCCC VISTA). The VISTA spends one full year in the Center, working full-time hours for no pay! VISTAs contribute creative ideas, supervise student leaders, and implement new programs. This year’s VISTA, Kimberly Caudle, will leave in July, so our staff would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her countless contributions to the ECU community.

Kim is largely responsible for the Campus Kitchen at ECU (CKECU). CKECU will serve its 1000th meal this summer. We could not have reached this milestone without Kim’s tireless efforts securing partnerships, grant money, and volunteers. Thank you Kim, for helping us fight local hunger!

Kim also provided oversight for the NC-ACTS! program, which provides $1000 educational awards to participants that complete 300 hours of service during an academic year. Kim’s time and attention helped 25 students receive such awards during 2009/2010.

Please join the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center as we recognize Kim for her year of service, and for the lasting legacy she leaves behind. Kim, we wish you all the best as you enter graduate school!

Cheers to the VISTA

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“To serve is beautiful,

but only if it is done with joy and a

whole heart and a free mind.” --Pearl Buck

A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 2

Laketha “Kiki” Brown is a senior nursing major and avid volunteer. In the last three years, Kiki accumulated hundreds of volunteer hours on her service record. She led multiple drives for Children’s Hospital at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, sponsored Thanksgiving dinner for a local family, saved lives through blood donations, and served meals to the hungry through the Campus Kitchen at ECU. In between her current summer school classes, Kiki is a dedicated member of the Fairytale Boutique donations committee. She is currently developing social media tools to increase donations of prom attire through Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. You can check out her handiwork at facebook.com/pages.Fairytale-Boutique/126601254033527, and read more about Kiki’s volunteer experiences below.

Spotlight on Laketha Brown

How have you impacted the community through volunteerism?I have helped in a big way with the fight against hunger and I have done small things that have made a difference in someone’s life like give blood.

How has the community impacted you in return? Volunteering in the community has impacted me in a big way. It is nice to other helping other and it lets you know that what you are doing makes a difference. It takes your mind off things that may not be going right for you at the moment and helps you realize “it is not as bad as it seems” or “it could be worst.” I vol-unteer because I like to help and put smiles on people’s faces, but I can’t think of one time when I did not walk away smiling myself at the end of the event or service project.

How will your volunteer experiences benefit you in your future career?I think volunteering will make me more likely to act. If there is a problem, then I will be more confident and more likely to help in finding a solution to the problem. I have volunteered at so many events and did several service projects and I have learned a lot but I think the most important thing that I have learned is “all it takes is one”.

What inspired you to collect arts & crafts for Children’s Hospital?I decided to support the PCMH Pediatrics Unit because when I was 9, I had a horrible asthma attack and was admitted to PCMH. While I was there I made several crafts and was actually upset when one broke a few months later. Also, I want to be a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I think it is important for kids to have arts and crafts because crafts are a great way to distract children and an even bigger way to get them to smile and laugh. In my opinion though, laughter and smiling are great for any sickness. Simply put, arts and crafts are therapeutic.

Share a little about your experience with the Fairytale Boutique.Fairytale Boutique was a service project that caught me off guard. I remember thinking, I get to help people and play with prom dresses— what more could a girl ask for? I did not know it would have the effect on me that it did. I was one of the first to donate my dress in 2008 and when my dress was selected, I felt tingly because I helped another girl go to her prom. It felt really good to do something so small that affected someone else in a big way. I love Fairytale Boutique because we do not just give away a dress and shoes, we give away an entire shopping experience. The families are able to experience the same exciting emotions that my mom and I did when I went to prom. The girls are able to actually shop from very pretty dresses and pick out what they like, not take what they are given. The best moments are when we watch the mothers. There are no words to describe the happiness you see when their daughters selects a dress. It is the moment most mothers wait for, and we get to share it with them.

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A Pirate’s Guide to Service Page 3

Since 2002, Give2theTroops has sent more than 100,000 care packages and more than 20 million cards to deployed U.S. troops. These packages and cards boost morale and help meet the basic needs of our service men and women. Volunteers, who create hand made cards and letters, donate items, fundraise, and construct care packages are always in demand at the North Carolina branch of Give2theTroops located in Greenville. Pirates and pirate fans alike can contact branch manager Barbara Whitehead at 321-8227 or barbara@give2thetroops.org to sign up or make a donation. Your time, kind words and donations make a difference!

Give2theTroops

Don’t forget Give2theTroops Beat the Heat summer supply drive, designed to bring relief to service men and women stationed in warm climates where seasonal temperatures can reach 120 degrees. A list of the most requested Beat the Heat drive items are listed below. Donations can be dropped off at the North Carolina branch at 3109 Landmark Street, Greenville, NC during operating hours (Mon. & Thurs. 2:30 until 6:00 p.m. and Sat. 9:00 a.m. until noon).• plastic water bottles and Elixir Electrolyte tablets• Camelbaks and Camelbak supplies• single serving drink mixes in original packaging (Gatorade powder, sugar free Crystal light varieties)• black sunglasses (ballistic type only, no tinted or mirrored lenses)• sun block, aloe and burn creams (plastic bottles only)• pop ice or Fla-Vor-Ice popsicles• chapstick or lip balm• bug wipes or spray in plastic bottles and fly paper

The Volunteer Match

Campus Kitchen volunteers serves meals to youth at the Little Willie Center.

Thousands of ECU students volunteer each year. Some will volunteer at one-time events, while others find a community partner site to serve semester after semester. Regardless of the length of commitment, how do volunteers find the perfect “volunteer match”—the partnership that just clicks? It’s not a small feat. Finding the perfect volunteer match can take time, and even a few tries. Follow the tips below and you’ll be on the path to volunteer success.

Step 1: Determine your motivation for volunteering. Are you aiming to meet new people, build your resume, learn a skill, meet a course requirement, or earn extra credit? Write down your goals, and if you have more than one, prioritize them. Knowing what you want to get out of your service experience can help refine your search. For example, if you want to learn more about environmental advocacy and meet new people, you might rule out the Food Bank and lean toward F.R.O.G.G.S.

Step 2: Think about the logistics of your volunteer activities. How frequently do you want to volunteer? What days and times can you dedicate to service? Do you want to walk to your service site, or drive? What populations are you comfortable collaborating with? What skills do you bring to the table? Are you physically fit for all types of service? Do you have any allergies that you need to consider? Can you pass a background check?

Step 3: Identify 3-5 volunteer matches that you think might meet your needs and do some research. Thoroughly read Web pages, brochures, and other literature. Make a phone call and arrange a tour. Before you commit to any service activity, you should clearly understand the mission of the organization and the service activities available to you as a potential volunteer. The research phase is your chance to see if the organization meets your goals and logistical needs.

Step 4: Commit to a one-time activity or trial period to “test the waters.” Hopefully it’s a perfect match, but if it isn’t you can leave the partnership amicably at the end of the trial period you arranged with your site.

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 ConsultantKimberly Caudle, AmeriCorps*Vista Member

Jessica Gagne Cloutier, Service-Learning CoordinatorMichael Loeffelman, Volunteer Coordinator

Shawn Moore, Community Partner CoordinatorAlice Tyson, Office Manager

June Edition 2010

Blood Donation Fact

Pitt County Memorial Hospitalutilizes an average of 45,000 pints

of donated blood each year.

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

Source: PCMH Blood Bank

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, June 20 until Thursday, June 24Contact 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, June 27 until Thursday, July 1Contact 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, June 28 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.

NC Agromedicine InstituteFriday, July 2 from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.Contact Marylee Lannan at 252-744-1008.Volunteers are needed to carry easels into Ragsdale.

Campus KitchenWednesday, July 7 from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 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 Little Willie Center.

Additional volunteer opportunities are available online at:www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/volunteer/calendar.cfm.

Looking for an easy wayto make a difference?

Collect pop tabs from your soft drink cans and bring them to the Ronald McDonald House of Greenville. You can even recycle a coffee can or powdered drink mix container as your pop tab

collection receptacle.