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In September I was given the opportunity to persue a minor in Civic and Community Engagement (to accompany my Major). One of the requirements was to develop a project-that didnt have to be followed though-only developed. I wanted to do something major-that could deem useful. I wanted it to be GREAT...and it wouldnt be like me to do something easy. I decided (pretty much on the sport) that I wanted to have a volunteer fair. After talking more with my professor (who would be my advisor for the project) we tweeked the fair idea. I came up with the name 'The Service Exchange'-and it would be like a fair, but it would actually teach people things. So... on March 2, 2007 (Friday) from 2:00-5:00 my vision and hardwok become a reality! I wanted this to reach out to the whole area, not only Penn State, so I invited all local area high schools, community members, and Penn State students.
The afternoon will begin with keynote speaker Barbara Shaiman from Champions of Caring giving an inspirational talk, then students will have the opportunity to showcase the service they have already performed (and be qualified to win a red Ipod donated by Apple), then participants will be able to learn new skills at our learning workshops, mingle and make new contacts with local area non profit organizations, and participate with onsite service events. So far I have 45 registered organizations.
The four learning workshops taking place will be:
1) You and your environment
2) Effective letter writing
3) Hunger in PA
4) UMADD-Mothers against drunk driving for University students
I am very proud of how this has all come together so far. At the same time there will also be a room for hands on volunteer projects and the price of admission is one canned good that we will donate to local food pantries.
One of the local hospitals has given us a generous grant that we have used to create a handbook that will be called the "Yellow pages of Volunteering" and everyone who participates can take one home. Every organization and registered High School will be mentionned inside. It will give everyone the infomation they need to get involved in volunteering in their community.
The welcome page (written by moi!) is my vision of the project as a whole...
"Welcome to Penn State’s first ever Service Exchange! By attending this event you have already taken an important first step in getting yourself involved in your community and your neighborhood. For this I applaud you.
I have a personal commitment to volunteerism because I have lived in many different communities. Becoming active, volunteering, and helping others in those different communities has proven very useful for me. It’s a way to make new friends, gain valuable life skills, and learn about myself. I have learned about career choices and where and how I can constructively use my time to make a difference. Being connected with others who see life though the same lenses creates deeper connections and future mentors. It opens doors to opportunities that you didn’t know existed.
Here at Penn State I have truly matured and grown. The friendly, helpful and yet challenging faculty and staff honestly made a huge impact on me. I was thrilled to learn that I could minor in civic and community engagement. Combined with my broad major, this minor creates a focus and foundation for my future career in the humanitarian field.
Working with different groups of individuals has taught me that others are interested in serving the community, but just don’t know how to get started. Perhaps this describes you. My vision of this project was to create a venue to serve as a catalyst of exchange between the community and local non-profit organizations.
I hope you take advantage of the information provided here today and use it to get involved in something that can be positive for all concerned."
Hopefully I will have a great turnout and have a great review to post on here...
