Holiday Help for the Boys & Girls Club

Greetings Boys & Girls Club Supporters,

 

Gorham Savings Bank donates gifts to the Boys & Girls Club every year through its "Winter Wishes" program. The gifts are arriving and Boys & Girls club needs YOUR HELP wrapping them!

Join us at these HOLIDAY GIFT WRAPPING PARTIES:

• Sagamore Village Boys & Girls Club on Tuesday, December 18th 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. 
• Riverton Park Boys & Girls Club on Wednesday, December 19th 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. 

If any anyone is interested, email tpanagakos@bgcmaine.org. Please feel free to forward this along to others!

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Warm Hearts (and warm clothes) for Teens at Preble Street

This evening from 5:30-7:30, our community partners at Preble Street have invited us to an Open House to celebrate the Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter, named for USM professor Joseph Kreisler, Preble Street's founder.  More information is at http://www.preblestreet.org/events/Joe-Kreisler-Teen-Shelter-Open-House/442/

 

Preble Street is still welcoming gifts of warm clothing to offer to the teens who will need warmth all through the winter, particularly:

• Hoodies
• Jackets
• Backpacks
• Boots
• Hats, Gloves, Socks
• Jeans

If you'd like to contribute as part of your holiday observance, we are happy to receive donations at our office at 23 Brighton Avenue (the Deering Farmhouse on the edge of the Portland Campus Green, next to Payson Smith Hall and across the intersection from the law School) and get them to Preble Street.  Your heart will be as warm as the recipients' hands and feet!

 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Blood Drive in Portland TODAY

In this season of celebration and generosity, what greater gift than the gift of life?  If you are blessed with good health, you can give that gift today, saving as many as three lives as a result.

 

America Red Cross Blood Drive

Tuesday, December 11th, 10:00 AM - 2:15 PM

102 Wishcamper, Portland

(Walk-ins are welcome; no appointment necessary!)

 

Thanks to the International Studies Student Organization for their sponsorship and staffing of today's drive, added to our usual schedule to address critical shortages resulting from Hurricane Sandy.  There will be another drive on the Portland campus on February 14th, and in the mean time, you can always donate at the Donor Center just a few blocks away, just off Forest Avenue behind the Great Lost Bear on Ashmont Street.

 

Yours, in celebration of life and health,

ATM

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Blood Drive next week

Responding to the increased need resulting from hundreds of canceled drives because of Hurricane Sandy, we are hosting an additional American Red Cross Blood Drive next week, on Tuesday, December 11th, 10:00 AM - 2:15 PM in 102 Wishcamper.  Thanks to the OLLU for flexing to make the space available, and to the International Studies Student Organization for co-sponsoring the drive.  You may make an appointment on line at to www.redcrossblood.org/; walk in donations will be gratefully welcomed as well.  There is no better gift this season than the gift of life!  -ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Thanks from Parkside

I am in the happy position of being able to convey a message of thanks from Rachel Horton White, Director at the Parkside Neighborhood Center, for the generous response of our USM community to my invitation to "sponsor" holiday gifts to families in the Parkside neighborhood:

 

"I am overjoyed and flabbergasted at the outpouring of gift support from USM!  It is so wonderful how many of the USM faculty and staff have responded saying they want to donate or sponsor a family for Christmas...   [This has] ...made it possible for us to provide gifts for all our families, and maybe some outside Parkside as well!"

 

Well done, USM!  I join Rachel and members of the Parkside neighborhood in thanking you for your generosity!  -ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Holiday gifts for local families

Every year, I receive at least a few requests from individuals or groups at USM for opportunities to "adopt" a family and provide holiday gifts and/or food for them.  I am pleased to say that such an opportunity is available though our longstanding partnership with the Parkside Neighborhood Center, just a couple of blocks from our Portland campus and at home in the most densely populated, diverse, and economically challenged square mile in the state of Maine.   If you're interested, please contact Rachel Horton White, Parkside Neighborhood Center Director, rachel.white@opportunityalliance.org.

 

Yours, in the spirit of generosity,

ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Volunteers sought for BountyShare

Medical students from Tufts living and working at Maine Medical Center have founded BountyShare, a food rescue charity based out of Portland to collect donations of food excess from local vendors for use to feed Portland's hungry, in partnership with Preble Street Soup Kitchen.   USM students are invited to help carry out this important work. The time commitment is entirely individual and can be based around students' schedules; ideally a day a week to be available to make a pick up from a donor.  There will also be quarterly BountyShare Nights at the soup kitchen to allow volunteers to see first hand the good they do. There are also opportunities in administrative work, including organization of food drives, website upkeep, volunteer coordination, and donor relations.

 

Interested students should contact BountyShare founder Jason Hine directly at jfhine@gmail.com.  -ATM

 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Adam Tuchinsky on "Maine Calling" today at 12:15

Our own Adam Tuchinsky, Associate Professor of History and Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, will be a featured guest on Maine Public Radio's news and information show, "Maine Calling" today at 12:15 PM.  The topic is Charitable Giving, and Dean Tuchinsky will be speaking about "Thoughtful Giving," the grant-funded course he's teaching this semester in which students study philanthropy and examine various non-profit organizations, selecting one to receive a grant in support of their work.

 

You can listen live at 12:15 by going to www.mpbn.net and clicking on the "Listen Live" link, or on demand at  http://www.mpbn.net/OnDemand/AudioOnDemand/MaineCalling/tabid/288/ctl/ViewItem/mid/4857/ItemId/24837/Default.aspx. 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

TONIGHT! Alternative Spring Break Info Meeting

It's not to late --yet!-- to join the group shaping up for an exciting and gratifying Alternative Spring Break service experience in March 2013!  You can plan, fund-raise, travel and serve with a group of like-minded students, and have the time of your life!  There's an informational meeting TONIGHT, Wednesday, November 14th at 8:45 in Burnham Lounge, Robie-Andrews Hall, Gorham.  If you're interested but can't get there, e-mail Ali Godbout, the student leader of ASB Student Organization:  allison.godbout@maine.edu.  It'll be a spring break to remember! 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Need Volunteers for Leaf Raking in Gorham

Hello Everybody!

    On Saturday November 17th, we will be helping some of our friendly neighbors in Gorham clean up their yards. If you are interested in joining us, please let us know!
   If you are looking for a quick and simple service project, this is it!

Thanks,

Amanda Maddalone

AmeriCorps VISTA
Program Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine
(207)780-4679

Food Assistance for Students

We all know that our students struggle financially to meet the expenses of higher education as well as living expenses.  Some may be forced to choose between rent or heat or food, choosing the last on that list last in their budgets, and so cheat themselves of the nutrition they need.  In an effort to relieve some of that stress, our staff has researched and compiled information about food assistance available in the communities surrounding our Portland and Gorham campuses, and posted that information, as well as information about eligibility for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as "food stamps") on our web site:

 

http://usm.maine.edu/community/food-support-students

 

Please share this information as appropriate, and help us keep our students well nourished in mind and body!  -ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Raffle to Support Big Brothers Big Sisters

Our valued community partner, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine is raising funds for their important work through a raffle, and you can buy tickets on line.  The winner gets 2 tickets to each of these games:

• Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins – Sun., Dec. 30, 1 p.m. (Section 115, Row 26, Seats 14 & 15)

• Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks – Fri., March 8, 7:30 p.m.(Loge Section, Row 12)

• Red Sox vs. TBD – 2013 Season

• Bruins vs. TBD – 2013 Season (if thee is a season for NHL)

Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $2, available on line at BigSportsRaffle.kintera.org or call 773.KIDS.  

Drawing is Friday, December 21.

For more information, please contact Chantal Wood at Big Brothers Big Sisters:  chantal.wood@somebigs.org

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Alternative Spring Break informational meetings

Have you thought about a spring break service trip?  NOW is the time to investigate and sign up!  Come to one of these ASB Informational Meetings to learn all about past service trips and plans for spring 2013!

 

Wednesdays 10/31 and 11/7 at 8:45 PM, Burnham Lounge, Gorham

Tuesdays, 11/6 and 11/13 at 6:30 PM, Woodbury Campus Center Dining Room, Portland

 

--and/or e-mail your interest to Ali Godbout, ASB Student Leader, alison.godbout@maine.edu. 

 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Call to Action: Student Response to Sandy

I am sharing this message from PIRG, with a reminder that if you're a student or group of students interested in responding individually or as a group, our staff is ready, able, and willing to provide support.  Perhaps this could be the focus of an Alternative Spring Break project???  Let us hear from you if you're interested!   -ATM

======================================

Hi,

First and foremost, I hope you and your friends and family on the east coast are safe. As we assess the damage, I know we have a lot of work ahead of us.

For the last 24 hours I've been glued to my Facebook newsfeed, Twitter, the news, and my phone - anxious to hear that the people I care about are OK, and hoping that the damage is minimal.

Today, we can all do more than watch and wait. Here's how you can help:

• Sign up to volunteer. (We're making plans to host fundraisers and relief events on campus)
• Download our organizing toolkit to get started planning events of your own.
• If you're able, please also take a moment now to donate to the Red Cross's relief efforts.

Be safe,
Lilly Adams
The Student PIRGs

P.S. This storm has had devastating impacts outside of the United States as well, particularly in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. In Haiti, where they are still recovering from both the 2010 earthquake and the ongoing cholera outbreak, an estimated 200,000 were left homeless as a result of four days of ongoing rain from Hurricane Sandy. You can make donations to help Haiti at OxfamAmerica.

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Hurricane has intensified the urgent need for blood donations.

This urgent appeal from our community partner at American Red Cross Blood Services.  There is an additional blood drive scheduled on the Portland campus for December 11th, but in the mean time, donations may be made at the Donor Center on Ashmont Street, just off Forest Avenue behind the Great Lost Bear (easy walking distance from the Portland campus).  Regards, ATM

 

§ Sandy has forced the cancellation of approximately 250 American Red Cross blood drives in 11 states along the East Coast, resulting in a shortfall of more than 8,000 units of blood and platelets thus far.                  The Red Cross moved blood products to the areas most likely to be affected by Sandy so that these products will be available during and after the storm.                 The storm may cause power outages and flooding in many areas along the East Coast, which will most likely result in the cancellation of additional blood drives and platelet donations throughout the week.                 While Sandy will affect the number of people available to donate, hospital patients still need blood and platelets despite the weather.                 Blood drive cancellations have occurred in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and West Virginia.   § The Red Cross is urging immediate blood and platelet donations in areas unaffected by this storm and asks that community members consider donating blood in affected areas once the storm passes through and it's safe to do so.  It's the blood that is already on the shelves that helps save lives before, during and after a disaster.  To schedule an appointment to donate blood or platelets, please visit us online at redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS. Please be aware the Red Cross anticipates unusually high call volume over the next several days from those directly affected by the storm and you may experience delays. o To give blood, someone must be at least 17 years of age, meet weight and height requirements and be in general good health. Donors should bring their Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID with them. Some states allow 16-year-olds to give with parental consent.     § The Red Cross will move blood products to affected areas as necessary.                 Nationwide, around 44,000 blood donations are needed each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients, and children with blood disorders. These patients and others rely on blood products during their treatment.                 When disaster strikes, this need does not diminish, even though blood donors may find it difficult or impossible to get to a convenient donation opportunity.                 If collections are negatively impacted by a disaster, the long-term needs of these patients could also be affected.                 If people will make an appointment to donate blood in the upcoming days and weeks ahead, blood will be available in the aftermath should conditions prohibit people in some parts of the country from traveling or coming to blood drives.

 

 

Jennifer Goldman

Account Executive

American Red Cross

524 Forest Avenue

Portland, ME  04101

(207)775-2367 (t)

(207)699-6028 (c)

Goldmanjr@usa.redcross.org

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Food Support for students

As we move into the winter season, there is reason for concern about food insecurity among students who do not have meal plans, particularly those who are parents.  Difficult financial choices may need to be made, and food assistance may become a real need.  We are offing information on our web site about food support available to students in Portland and in surrounding Cumberland and York counties:

 

http://usm.maine.edu/community/food-support-students

 

We will be adding information about guidelines for federal food assistance under the SNAP program and other supports for food security as we are able.  In addition, we're exploring possibilities for direct food assistance within the university community, and I will welcome ideas about how that might work and what capacity we have --particularly in Portland-- to accomplish such an endeavor.

 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Leaf Raking Help for a Gorham Neighbor

A Gorham community member who lives alone and is frail has depended upon USM students for the last several years to get her yard cleared of leaves before the snow falls.  Can you and a group of your friends or student organization members help her this fall?  Four or five people can do it in a couple of hours, and it's near (but not walking distance) the Gorham campus.  Please reply to me (atmccall@usm.maine.edu)  or to Molly DeCleene (mdecleene@usm.maine.edu) if you can.  -ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Parkside Neighborhood Center "Giveaway Day"

As you may know, USM has a multi-level partnership with the Parkside Neighborhood Center, which gores back to its inception through a grant written by our own Professor Kim Moody.  Currently, we have social work interns and many (though never enough!) students in service learning and community service roles with the King (Middle School)-Parkside After School Collaborative (K-PAC) and the Nightlight after school tutoring program.  But there are always other ways for us to help.  Here's one of them:

 

Several times each year, Parkside holds a "Giveaway Day" for members of the Parkside community.  It's just what it sounds like:  Donated items from caring members of the greater Portland community are sorted as for a rummage or yard sale, but they're free to anyone in the community who needs them.  You can help by donating adult, children's, and baby clothing (winter wear!), books, toys, and baby and household items.  Clean and washed and bed-bug free, please!  Diapers are always a need, and donations of diapers of all sizes are most welcome.

 

Donations may be dropped off at Sacred Heart Church on Friday, November 2nd from 9-11 AM and from 4-6 PM.  (No, I'm sorry; we can't accept donations here on campus.)  Volunteers are needed to help with receiving and organizing donations on Friday.

 

The Giveaway is Saturday, November 3rd from 10 AM - 1 PM.  Volunteers are needed to help staff the event, especially 12-2.

 

If you can help in any of these ways, please contact Rachel Horton White, Parkside Director, at rachel.white@opportunityalliance.org  or 553-5940.

 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Camp Sunshine's Pumpkin Fest

Join Circle K and other USM students at Camp Sunshine's Pumpkin Fest on Saturday, October 27th. Students will be volunteering from 3-9pm. Feel free to attend the event or come and volunteer with the group. This is a big fundraiser for Camp Sunshine, so spread the word and see you there!

 

For more information check out their website: http://www.campsunshine.org/pumpkinfestival/portland_home.html

 

If you have any further questions about the event, contact mdecleene@usm.maine.edu.

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

 

Molly De Cleene

Office of Community Service Learning

University of Southern Maine

Programs Coordinator- AmeriCorps VISTA

 

Phone: 207.780.4537

Fax: 207.228.8403

Eliot Cutler on Service TONIGHT

In case you missed this, a reminder about tonight's Muskie School lecture, which is free and open to the public.  -ATM

 

 

Eliot Cutler - "Public Service Opportunities and Obligations"
October 17, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Lee Community Hall (Rm 133), Wishcamper Center

Eliot Cutler - founding chair of One Maine, Muskie School advisory board member, entrepreneur, and public servant - will talk about the challenges and opportunities that public servants and state and local governments will confront during the next two decades in Maine. We need to change Maine's equations. How do we make Maine younger, wealthier, more efficient, and more diverse?

Eliot Cutler has forged a 40-year career marked by success in government service, law, and business. As an aide to Senator Edmund Muskie, he helped craft the Clean Air Act, the Water Pollution Control Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. From 1977 to 1980, he served as Associate Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and was President Carter's principal aide in the environmental, natural resources, and energy areas. A graduate of Harvard College and Georgetown University Law Center, Cutler is Emeritus Trustee of the Thornburg Investment Trust, a family of publicly traded mutual funds. Cutler also was the first American member of the board of directors of the worldwide construction company Skanska AB and a director of the International Law Institute.

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

One America Reads Position remains!

If you care about kids and community, and have a Federal Work Study Award, you may be eligible to fill the last remaining America Reads position.  The successful candidate will spent 6-10 hours/week of work-study payable time serving as a reading role model for kindergarten and first grade students at Ocean Avenue Elementary School.  Training and support/supervision is provided.  For more information or to apply, contact Diana Katz McDermott at diana.b.katz@maine.edu.  ONLY STUDENTS WITH WORK STUDY AWARDS SHOULD APPLY!

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

College Experience Day

College Experience Day is coming up and we need your help!

 On Wednesday October 24th, students from local high schools will be coming to USM for the day to get a taste of college. These students are from all over the world, and our goal is to give them a valuable experience by allowing them to go to college classes, have a campus tour, and talk with current USM students and the admissions staff.

 We are looking for USM students to act as hosts and escort the high school students to classroom visits and join them for lunch in the Woodbury Campus Center. Please let us now if you are interested in helping us on this very special day.

Thank you!

Amanda Maddalone

AmeriCorps VISTA
Program Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine
(207)780-4679

Have you volunteered at Preble Street? Will you help a sociology student?

If you are now or have been a volunteer at Preble Street, you can be of considerable help to a sociology student.  If you're willing to give a half hour interview about your volunteer experience at Preble Street, please e-mail me here: atmmccall@usm.maine.edu.  Consider how grateful you'd be, if it were your assignment, and please do it!  -ATM

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Give Service, Get Lunch!

The service project for Commuter Week 2012 is:

 

Partners for World Health - a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes discarded medical supplies to third world countries and educates people about global health.

 

Friday, October 5th from 10am-1pm

• Receive an introduction to the Partners for World Health organization
• Give back to the community
• Meet USM students with similar interests
• Share a meal with us over some discussion

To join us for the event simple reply to this message and meet us at the Woodbury Campus Center on Friday at 10am. Spread the word and see you there!

 

 

 

 

Molly De Cleene

Office of Community Service Learning

University of Southern Maine

Programs Coordinator- AmeriCorps VISTA

 

Phone: 207.780.4537

Fax: 207.228.8403

Civic Matters 2012

Announcing the 4^th Annual Civic Matters Symposium being held November 16, 2012.

Civic Matters is a USM symposium put on by the Office of Community Service Learning. The event celebrates community-engaged work across USM disciplines that enriches student learning and addresses community-identified needs. Through this type of work students gain greater engagement, academic success, and civic learning. Collaborative works are showcased through:

·         Poster sessions

·         Oral presentations

·         Engaging community conversation on service learning 
 

We encourage USM students, faculty, staff and community partners to present their work.  Projects from a previous semester, from a course you are teaching or enrolled in this fall, and on-going research are all eligible.  Please visit the Civic Matters Submission Guidelines before submitting a proposal to present. To submit your project, view our application online: Civic Matters Submission Form. 

**Please submit project proposals for the event by Friday, October 12^th, 2012.** 

For more information contact Alicia Ethridge at asampson@usm.maine.edu or (207) 228-8092.

 

 

 

 

 

Molly De Cleene

Office of Community Service Learning

Programs Coordinator- AmeriCorps VISTA

 

Phone: 207.780.4537

Fax: 207.228.8403

Volunteer Opportunity with Hardy Girls Healthy Women

Do you like working with kids? Do you enjoy analyzing media and sharing knowledge with others? Do you want to make a lasting impact on a girl's life? Each week, you and a co-leader will travel to a local middle school and work with a group of about eight girls focusing on strength based approaches such as coalition building, identifying allies and ally qualities, and social activism. These techniques and experiences not only empower girls by recognizing their strengths, but move them beyond media literacy to social activism increasing their sense of agency. With the guidance of the Hardy Girls' curriculum, you will facilitate discussions involving media analysis, body image, girl fighting, and social justice.

This service learning opportunity is roughly 2-3 hours a week including preparation, implementation, and processing. This service learning experience will also involve opportunities for advocacy and increasing girls' access to resources, as well as an increased understanding of systems of oppression that marginalize populations. For more information contact jackie@hghw.org

 

Alicia Ines Ethridge

MSW Graduate Student

Service Learning Coordinator

Office of Community Service Learning

University of Southern Maine

(207) 228-8092

usm.maine.edu/community

The High Impact Network (THINK)

Here's an opportunity that perhaps one/some of you will be inclined to take up.  If you do, I'd love to know about it!  -ATM

===========================================================================

 

The High Impact Network (THINK) starts college chapters that lead workshops and games on how to most effectively make the world a better place.  These activities are highly interactive and show how to put the altruistic ideas into practice.

 

As you are reading this, 30 THINK chapters are launching at colleges in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Sweden, Brazil, and India. We are cultivating a global community of highly effective and caring people to make the world a better place. Our website is www.thehighimpactnetwork.org.

 

If you know anyone who might be interested in participating, could you please forward along this email to them / relevant listservs? If you'd like to learn more and possibly participate yourself, please read on!

 

***

 

If you want to improve the world, it is incredibly important to:

 

1. Know the most pressing causes, from extreme poverty and animal welfare to environmental and global risks.
2. Know the most promising paths to addressing these – which careers and research avenues to pursue, and which organizations and charities to support.
3. Gain the skills to excel on those paths – boost your intelligence, compassion, and productivity.

 

We're designing lots of group activities and games within these areas for chapters to choose from (you can also make your own). Here are ten of them: www.thehighimpactnetwork.org/modules

 

We're looking for passionate and organized students to lead a THINK chapter at University of Southern Maine. Leading a chapter primarily involves organizing events, where you guide members through the group activities and have periodic social events. (It's not that hard – we have resources for you and a support team standing by to help with logistics – and it's a nice resume booster.)

 

If you'd like to be a chapter founder at University of Southern Maine, let us know at beafounder@thehighimpactnetwork.org. And please send me any questions you have!

 

Looking forward,
Mark

 

mark@thehighimpactnetwork.org
848 203 7477

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

"Poetry, Poverty & Blues" benefit for Maine Equal Justice Partners

I am passing this information along on behalf of Maine Equal Justice Partners.  Please direct any requests for more information to them at the number or web site below.  -ATM

===================================================================

 

"Poetry, Poverty & Blues"
Eight Poets and a Blues Band
(Pat Colwell and the Soul Sensations)
"...because somebody's got to tell it like it is."

Saturday October 13th at 3 p.m.
1st Parish Unitarian Universalist Church
425 Congress Street, Portland

 

Free Admission; donations are gladly and gratefully accepted.
Refreshments provided.

For more information about the event call 626-7058, Ext. 206
Presented by: Maine Equal Justice Partners www.mejp.org

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

FREE T-SHIRTS! sign up to be a mentor or tutor today!

Hello Everybody!

      The first 6 people to come to the Office of Community Service Learning AND fill out an application to become a mentor or tutor, will receive a FREE T-SHIRT! This is a ONE DAY ONLY event. Our office address is 23 Brighton Ave (white farmhouse next to Payson Smith).

    Tutoring Program  -Spend 2 hours a week at an after-school program in Portland
                               -Help kids with homework, play a game, make arts and crafts, help someone apply for college, etc
                               - our community partners: Boys and Girls Club, LearningWorks, Make it Happen...

    Mentoring Program -spend 1 hour a week mentoring a student from King Middle School or Portland High School, for the                                         entire school year
                                 - be a positive role model and a friend, have fun sharing your interests together

Join the team of USM volunteers and help local youth through fun, education, and valuable experiences!

Hope to see you soon!
                              

Amanda Maddalone

AmeriCorps VISTA
Program Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine
(207)780-4679

Portland Housing Authority Kick-Off

Hello Volunteers!

Are you interested in tutoring for the Fall 2012 semester, but aren't sure where to get started? Portland Housing Authority (http://www.porthouse.org/services/study_centers.html) will be hosting a small gathering to kick off the academic year. The informal celebration will be held this Saturday, September 15th at 3:30pm at the Sagamore Study Center (34 Popham street, Portland ME).

Join us to check out the study center, ask questions to current and past volunteers, and get started tutoring today! If you have any questions, contact Molly DeCleene at mdecleene@usm.maine.edu or for Portland Housing Authority specific questions, contact Emily Fitch at efitch@porthouse.org.


"I hope to see you at the party and throughout the year at the centers!" -Emily Fitch, PHA Youth Services Coordinator

Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids!

Support Boys & Girls Clubs of America as they celebrate the importance of establishing stronger relationships between adults and youth by leading the national Day for Kids event on Saturday, Sept. 15th!

Volunteers are need to serve as partners for youth, play music for the event, and help with overall staffing of the event including games, food, contests, and fun-filled activities.

Details:

The event takes place at the Riverton Boys & Girls Club (55 Riverton Drive, Portland Me, 04103) from 11am-2pm on Saturday, Sept. 15th. Contact tiffanie Panagakos for more information and to sign up to volunteer (tpanagakos@bgcmaine.org)!


Stay involved and in touch!


Molly De Cleene
Office of Community Service Learning
(207) 780 4537

Race for the Cure Sunday September 9th

Susan G. Komen for the Cure's third annual Race for the Cure event in Portland is this Sunday, Sept. 9^th.   Volunteers are needed for a range of activities.  Sign up online at http://maine.info-komen.org/site/VolunteerMgmtUser?user_view_type=BROWSE&event_id=203145&volunteermgmt.user=vm_event_details.

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Blood Drive Appointments - Plan B!

Mea culpa!  I forgot that on-line access to appointments for Thursday's blood drive closed at midnight last night.  You can:

• call 1-800-RED CROSS to schedule an appointment, or
• e-mail the student sponsor Donald Szlosek (donald.szlosek@maine.edu), or
• walk in to donate blood during the drive tomorrow. 

If you can't spare the time tomorrow during the work day, but want to donate, remember that the American Red Cross Donor Center is very near the Portland campus, on Ashmont Street, off Forest Avenue, behind the Great Lost Bear!

 

THANKS to those who alerted me to the problem with on-line appointments, and to all who plan to respond to the great need and donate blood!  -ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Blood Drive TOMORROW: Free chair massage!

Dear USM Community Members:

 

Our first American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held tomorrow, September 6th, 11 AM - 4 PM in 102 Wishcamper, Portland.  The need at summer's end is critical, and I received word this morning that there have been very few advance appointments.  Of course, you make simply walk in, but an appointment will make things more efficient. 

 

To make an appointment on line:  https://www.givelife.org/ 

Giving blood matters because: 

• Every two seconds someone in the US needs a blood transfusion…43,000 people per day.  7 in 10 of us will need a transfusion eventually.
• Only 8% of those who are eligible to do so actually donate blood. 
• Approximately 2500 units of blood are distributed to hospitals throughout northern New England each week.  
• One blood donation can help save up to three lives.

A special incentive at this drive:  FREE chair massages for donors!

 

Thanks to the USM Pre-Med Student Organization for their sponsorship of this drive!

 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Boys & Girls Club needs help THURSDAY!

This message repeats an earlier one, and corrects previously outdated contact information.  -ATM

 

If you're reading this, perhaps you are among our students committed to community service and back "on deck" in advance of the start of the academic year next week.  And if so, perhaps you can help to meet a quite sudden community need:  A team originally planned to help our friends at the Riverton Park Clubhouse move back into their newly renovated space is no longer available, and the task must be done before the start of the program year.  Here's the need:

 

Volunteer Service Help Needed
Thursday Aug 30th
8:00 am - 1:00 pm @ 55 Riverton Drive (off outer Forest Ave)
To help move, set up and organize the newly renovated Boys & Girls Clubs
Riverton Extension Space  
We will provide Lunch at 12:30

 

If you can help, please contact Tiffanie Panagakos, the Unit Director, directly:

 

Tiffanie Panagakos
Riverton / Sagamore Unit Director
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine
207-749-4160 or email at <tpanagakos@bgcmaine.org>

Thanks, and best for a fruitful year of learning and service!  -ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Volunteers Needed for Benefit Concert

Calling all Portland area friends of Hardy Girls Healthy Women and volunteers!Tom Acousti, a Portland musician, is putting on a benefit concert for Hardy Girls Healthy Women and our brother organization Boys to Men. The concert will be October 13th at the Lyric Music Center in South Portland. Details available on the event website: http://www.october13benefit.com/. All proceeds benefit HGHW and Boys to Men.Please mark your calendars as they'd love to have you attend. You can purchase tickets online at http://www.october13benefit.com/They are looking for a couple of volunteers to help with promotions and ticket sales for the event. If you're interested in volunteering to put up posters, sell tickets, or support the event in some other way, please contact Megan Williams (megan@hghw.org).

Day for Kids Volunteers Needed!

Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine needs help with their Annual "Day for Kids" to be held at the Riverton Park Clubhouse on Saturday, September 15, 2012, 11 AM - 2 PM. Volunteers are needed for Face Painting, Bean Bag Toss, Minute to Win it games, Relay Races, a Fun Run, and more. Help is also needed to set up / take down and run activity booth, lunch servers, someone to take photos and some adults to hang with kids that do not have an adult with them. They are also looking for some music for the day, if you know of anyone who would be willing to play kid appropriate music, please let them know as well. Please contact Tiffanie Panagakos at tpanagakos@bgcmaine.org if you can help in any capacity. The minimum time commitment is only an hour!

Stacy Normand
Programs Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine

Parkside Giveaway Day Saturday

On behalf of our good community partner, Parkside Neighborhood Center, I share this announcement of their upcoming Giveaway Day on Saturday.  Donations will be gratefully accepted on Friday, so I encourage you to clean out your closets, your attic, your basement, and bring any good, usable household items to benefit our neighbors in Maine's densest and most diverse neighborhood!  Volunteers are also needed both days to help make the whole thing work.  You are, of course, equally welcome to partake of the Giveaway, if you have need.  Please contact Rachel Horton White directly with any questions.  Regards, ATM

======================================================================

 

Giveaway Day!  Will be held at Sacred Heart/St. Dominic's Parish on the corner of Sherman and Mellen Streets in Portland on from 10 am -1 pm.  This event is for all residents in Greater Portland in financial need. We will accept, as always, adult and baby clothing (warm weather clothing only), books, toys, and baby and household items.  We are especially looking for back-to-school items (backpacks, clothing) and household items (sheets, lamps, fans).  Cleaned and washed and bedbug-free please!  Diapers also accepted as donations. Drop-offs at Sacred Heart on Friday, July 20th from 9-11 am and 4-6 pm.   We're also looking for volunteers during both days, particularly from 12-2 pm on Saturday.  Please contact me at rachel.white@opportunityalliance.org  or 553-5940 if interested in volunteering. 

 

======================================================================

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Boys and Girls Clubs needs help with Day for Kids!

Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine is in the process of Planning their Annual "Day for Kids" Event. This year it will be held at Riverton Park at the Boys & Girls Clubs Riverton Extension Program. (We will hold this event Outside pending weather cooperates and inside if it doesn't)

What: Celebrate a "Day for Kids" with Families/Mentors and Adults in their lives. Time to Play!

Activities: Mini Carnival (Face Painting, Games, Fun Run, Lunch, Prizes and so much more)

Date: Saturday, September 15th, 2012

Time: 11:00am - 2:00pm

*****They are looking for many volunteers to help in the areas like Face painting, Bean Bag Toss, Minute to Win it games, Relay Races, a Fun Run, and so much more. They will need helpers to set up / take down and run activity booths. They will also need lunch servers, someone to take photos and some adults to hang with kids that do not have an adult with them. They are also looking for some music for the day, if you know of anyone who would be willing to play kid appropriate music, please let them know as well.


Please contact Tiffanie Panagakos at tpanagakos@bgcmaine.org if you can help in any capacity. The minimum time commitment is only an hour!

all the best,
Stacy Normand
Programs Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine
207-780-4537

2011-2012 Community Service Learning Reports

It's great to be able to share good news!  In the academic year just past, USM students provided a total of 71,779 reported community service learning hours, impacting the community in areas including community and public service, support for persons with disabilities, domestic/sexual violence prevention, environmental, health, hunger and homelessness, education/youth, and more -- benefitting over 1,000 K-12 students through mentoring and tutoring alone!  Twenty-eight faculty members taught 44 academic courses that reported engaging students in service learning, with 927 students learning by serving in community partner settings.  The "monetized"  value of all reported student service to the community is $1,208,768.06!

 

The full reports are here: www.usm.maine.edu/community. I offer public congratulations and thanks to our Programs Coordinator and AmeriCorps VISTA member Stacy Normand, who authored the Impact Report; to Alicia (Sampson) Ethridge, Service Learning Coordinator, who worked with faculty and students to incorporate service learning into courses; to Belana Warmflash, Mentoring Coordinator, who worked with King Middle School and Portland High School to match and support mentors; and to Sherry Whittemore, Education and Community Coordinator, who provided training and support for students serving in K-12 schools and after school programs, for their critical contributions to this work. 

 

I invite you to share the news, and ask us how  you can get involved as we move forward, delivering on the USM promise of "engaged learning that transforms lives and communities!"

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall, Director

-Community Service Learning

-Religious and Spiritual Life

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Agency on Aging Client Needs Help

Once again our community partners at the Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging have reached out to us (because students have responded willingly in the past!) to ask for help on behalf of a client.  He is an elderly man who is in a rehab facility, and who needs help to collect, box, and move his personal belongings from the furnished apartment where he lived before he went into the facility.  He will transport himself, and meet a volunteer (or better, two volunteers) at the apartment, where he can oversee but is not physically able to collect and box his personal belongings.  No furniture will be moved; only clothing, books and papers, and other assorted personal belongings, amounting to about 4 or 5 boxes.  The apartment is on Mellon Street in Portland, and the belongings need to be transported and delivered to the rehab facility, Saint Joseph Manor on Washington Avenue in Portland.  If you can round up the boxes, so much the better!

 

If you can help, please contact Sylvia Harkins at the Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging, 396-6553 or sharkins@smaa.org.

 

Thanks for your consideration of this, and for all the fabulous service of all kinds performed by members of the USM community this academic year!  Our total of reported community service, service learning, and internship work for non-profit community partners in 2011-2012 is 71,779.6 hours!

 

Yours in commitment to community,

ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall

 Director of Community Service Learning

 University Interfaith Chaplain

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Parkside Neighborhood Center Seeks Donations for Newborns!!

Hello Everyone,

Please see the following request sent to our office from Parkside Neighborhood Center:

I am writing with several urgent requests from clients. As you can imagine with the current economic outlook and continuing program cuts, we are seeing larger numbers of people without access to basic items. Most significantly, we are working with 3 pregnant women who have nothing for their babies. We are looking for any and all newborn baby items, including bassinet/crib/pack and play, baby clothing, blankets, stroller. We also have families looking for beds, a fan, a couch, and a kitchen table with chairs. Many thanks in advance, if you have any of these items (clean and bed-bug free), please contact Rachel Horton White at Rachel.White@opportunityalliance.org

all the best,
Stacy Normand
Programs Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine
207-780-4537

Can you help Parkside on Saturday?

A call for volunteer help from one of our close Community Partners, the Parkside Neighborhood Center:

 

Parkside Neighborhood Clean Up Day
May 19th, 10am to noon - meet at the Neighborhood Center, 85 Grant St.
Plant and flower sharing will be part of the Clean-Up : after you've done your trash stint, please pick up some flowers as a thank you!

Contact: Rachel Horton White

553.5940

rachel.white@opportunityalliance.org

 

 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall

 Director of Community Service Learning

 University Interfaith Chaplain

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

ATTN: Student Group Leaders, It's Data Reporting Time!

Hello Student Group Leaders!

I'm reaching out to you because our office is beginning our data collection for our annual report. This report will detail the community service done by USM students, and will be circulated among the faculty and staff. If your group has participated in community service this year, please send us the number of hours you have completed!If you have a spreadsheet or document where you keep a record of the service you have done, you can forward this on to me, and I can do the number crunching. In the report, I will make sure to specify the service done by your group so that they would get the publicity for it!

Some student groups have already submitted their hours, and between them they completed over 3,000 hours of service! Help us show the community what a positive impact student groups have on Greater Portland!

all the best,
Stacy Normand
Programs Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine
207-780-4537

Help staff the TEDx Dirigo Engage! conference

Volunteers to perform greeting, ushering, table staffing duties at the upcoming TEDx Dirigo Engage! conference will be offered no-cost entrance and the opportunity to hear at least some of the presentations.  Registration for this exciting conference otherwise costs $100.  Presenters include a USM faculty member and a USM student, among others who will share important ideas worth spreading.  The conference will be held on Saturday, May 19th, 9 AM - 6 PM in the Abromson Community Education Center, Portland campus.  Please contact our office if you're interested. 

-ATM

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall

 Director of Community Service Learning

 University Interfaith Chaplain

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Serve Immigrant Youth on May 5th!

The Office of Community Service Learning and Catholic Charities are still looking for volunteers to engage youth during New Mainer's Day. This event will bring over 40 newly arrived immigrant and refugee families to campus for a community building picnic. This results in about 40-60 children needing folks to play with them and engage them in fun activities while their parents. Volunteers can help out by playing soccer, running arts and crafts activities, face painting, and more! The event will be on May 5th on the Portland campus ( depending on the weather, it will either be outside or in the Sullivan Gym) from12-3pm. It's a great opportunity to take a break from studying and relieve some stress by having a lot of fun! If you are interested, please let me know by replying to this email.

all the best,
Stacy Normand
Programs Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine
207-780-4537

Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity this May!

May 5th, Habitat for Humanity will be hosting the 1st annual "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere 5k" to benefit our Women Build project in Freeport. It's an evening 5k with an after party at Gritty's (Freeport). There will be a band and bon fire at the after party and all volunteers are welcome to join them! They're looking for volunteers to help with everything from set up, to handing out water to directing & cheering on runners! They could also use some help with selling raffle tickets at the registration table that afternoon and at the after-party. They can be flexible with time commitment! Contact Kate Callahan at volunteer@habitatme.org for more information!

Last Chance to Sign Up for USM Day of Service!

It's springtime again, and that means the 3rd Annual USM Day of Service is right around the corner! USM Day of Service engages over 100 USM students in community service projects all over the Greater Portland area. This year, from 10:00-4pm on April 20th, 2012 we will be participating in the following service projects:

• Rippling Waters Organic Farm(Standish): Good Weather = covering outdoor gardens with soil, leaves & hay & making raised beds; poor weather = planting in greenhouse & hoop houses
• Partners for World Health(Scarborough): Sorting medical supplies to be sent to developing nations
• Portland Trails(Portland): resurfacing and cleaning up their Valley St trail.
• Gorham Campus Clean-Up(Gorham Campus): TBD, most likely flower planting, trash pick-up, weeding, ect.

We provide transportation to all off-campus service sites, free breakfast and lunch, and a free t shirt! Registration for individual projects will be done on the morning of the event from 9:30-10:00am on a first come first serve basis. Students interested in serving at Rippling Waters or on the Gorham Campus Clean Up project should sign up to register at the Gorham Campus, while those who wish to serve at Partners for World Health or Portland Trails should sign up to register on the Portland campus. For more information or to sign up, follow this link: http://www.usm.maine.edu/community/campus-wide-day-service.

Registration ends at 5pm tomorrow! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

An invitation from NAACP, Portland Branch

Together with a coalition of religious and community organizations, our community partners at the NAACP, Portland Branch have asked me to share this invitation, and I commend it to you.  -ATM

 

=========================================================

 

 

MEMORIAL GATHERING IN HONOR OF TRAYVON MARTIN

and

COMMUNITY DIALOGUE ON RACE AND JUSTICE

 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

5:00 PM Memorial Gathering, Monument Square, Portland

6:00 PM Community Dialogue, Rines Auditorium, Portland Public Library

 

All are welcome.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (207) 772-1051 or EMAIL NAACP.Maine@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall

 Director of Community Service Learning

 University Interfaith Chaplain

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Spring Cleaning and Parkside Neighborhood Center

It's time for spring cleaning, and if your attic, closets, or cellar have good usable items you'd like to donate, consider our friends at the Parkside Neighborhood Center (who have a special historic relationship to USM, as well as being near neighbors).   Their semi-annual Give-Away Day is Saturday, May 5th, and donations of nearly anything in good condition -- clothing, bedding, toys, household goods --  can be made from 9-11 am and 4-6 pm Friday May 4th at Sacred Heart Church.  For more information:  Parkside Neighborhood Association<pna@parksideneighborhood.org>.

 

 

Andrea Thompson McCall

 Director of Community Service Learning

 University Interfaith Chaplain

University of Southern Maine

P.O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

 

Phone 207-228-8284

FAX 207-228-8403

Mentors Wanted for the 2012-2013 School Year

Mentors wanted for the 2012-2013 School Year. Come join the USMentors Program and change someone's life. It only takes 1 hour per week for a year to make a difference. This volunteering experience will look great on your resume, and is a great way to help out the Portland community; by mentoring a student from King Middle School or Portland High School new friendships can be formed.

Mentoring is a one-on-one relationship with a student from King Middle School or Portland High School who is looking for a positive role model. Activities vary from doing homework, to playing sports and doing arts and crafts. A mentor is a positive role model who provides a young student with support, counsel, friendship, and positive reinforcement. You become a friend to this young student who needs someone to be there for them and listen to them.

For more information contact Belana Warmflash:
(207)780-4679
belana.warmflash@maine.edu
or stop by the Office of Community Service Learning

Volunteer During New Mainer's Day on May 5th!

On May 5th from 12-3pm, our office will be hosting our annual collaborative event with Catholic Charities, New Mainer's Day. This event brings newly arrived immigrant and refugee families to campus for a community building picnic. It is hosted on the campus green between Payson Smith and Luther Bonney or, if the weather is bad, in the Sullivan Gym.
We need a few volunteers to help with the following activities with kids: playing soccer, running arts & crafts activities, or playing games with a kiddie parachute. This is a great way to give yourself a break from studying, and also serve the community! If you are interested, or have questions, please let me know by replying to this email.

all the best,
Stacy Normand
Programs Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine

Sign Up for USM Day of Service!

Spring is here, and that means the 3rd Annual USM Day of Service is right around the corner! USM Day of Service engages over 100 USM students in community service projects all over the Greater Portland area. This year, from 10:00-4pm on April 20th, 2012 we will be participating in the following service projects:

• Rippling Waters Organic Farm(Standish): Good Weather = covering outdoor gardens with soil, leaves & hay & making raised beds; poor weather = planting in greenhouse & hoop houses
• Partners for World Health(Scarborough): Sorting medical supplies to be sent to developing nations
• Portland Trails(Portland): resurfacing and cleaning up their Valley St trail.
• Gorham Campus Clean-Up(Gorham Campus): TBD, most likely flower planting, trash pick-up, weeding, ect.

We provide transportation to all off-campus service sites, free breakfast and lunch, and a free t shirt! Registration for individual projects will be done on the morning of the event from 9:30-10:00am on a first come first serve basis. Students interested in serving at Rippling Waters or on the Gorham Campus Clean Up project should sign up to register at the Gorham Campus, while those who wish to serve at Partners for World Health or Portland Trails should sign up to register on the Portland campus. For more information or to sign up, follow this link: http://www.usm.maine.edu/community/campus-wide-day-service.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Remember that tomorrow there will be a blood drive sponsored by The Free Press! It will be located in Wishcamper 102 from 11-4pm!

all the best,
Stacy Normand
Programs Coordinator
Office of Community Service Learning
University of Southern Maine

Mentors Wanted for the 2012-2013 School Year

Mentors wanted for the 2012-2013 School Year. Come join the USMentors Program and change someone's life. It only takes is 1 hour per week for a year to make a difference. This volunteering experience will look great on your resume, and is a great way to help out the Portland community; by mentoring a student from King Middle School or Portland High School new friendships can be formed.

Mentoring is a one-on-one relationship with a student from King Middle School or Portland High School who is looking for a positive role model. Actives vary from doing homework, to playing sports and doing arts and crafts. A mentor is a positive role model who provides a young student with support, counsel, friendship, and positive reinforcement. You become a friend to this young student who needs someone to be their for them and listen to them.

For more information contact Belana Warmflash:
(207)780-4679
belana.warmflash@maine.edu
or stop by the Office of Community Service Learning