USM Day of Service in the Free Press

Check out the link to the Free Press for their article about USM's First Annual Day of Service on April 16th!

http://media.www.usmfreepress.org/media/storage/paper311/news/2010/04/19/News/Volunteers.Devote.Day.To.Helping.Community-3908659.shtml

MECA's 2nd Annual Urban Cleanup!!

This Saturday on April 24th the Maine College of Art has organized an Urban Cleanup led by local AmeriCorps Volunteer Jess Sheldon. There will be a free pancake breakfast for all volunteers from 10-11 at MECA. Then we'll hit the streets in teams and cleanup Portland!

As members of the Portland Community we are planning on having USM volunteers join in the action!

Contact Jess Sheldon for any questions:

Jess Sheldon
AmeriCorps VISTA
Maine College of Art
522 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101
jsheldon@meca.edu
207-699-5064

This Week In Service

Hello, Volunteers!!

 

With exactly one month until commencement, kick senioritis (or any year-itis) by getting active in the community!  Get involved while getting some sun!

 

**USM Day of Service**

Friday, April 16^th is our university-wide day of community initiative!  Join your classmates in local projects like Habitat for Humanity, Portland Trails, Preble Street, and mentoring in Portland schools.  Registration is at 9:30a in the Woodbury Campus Center.  Transportation to and from the sites are provided, as are breakfast and lunch, AND you get a free t-shirt.  And stick around for the wrap-up party afterwards!

To get involved, visit http://usm.maine.edu/studentlife/community/main/dos.html

 

Sierra Club Energy Efficiency Canvassing

We are looking for 60 volunteers who have an interest in reaching out to our communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency.  You will take a 2 hour weatherization/energy-efficiency course (on-line from April 30- May 10) and then canvass for 4 hours on May 15th (9am to 1pm) in Portland or Camden.  Afterwards, there will be a celebration lunch provided.  Walk away with knowledge and skills about weatherization and energy conservation!  For more info, visit www.coolmaine.org and contact Sandy Amborn at 761-5616 or maine.chapter@sierraclub.org

 

Camp Sebago

Each year The Salvation Army sends 150 underprivileged kids to Camp Sebago in Standish, ME (www.campsebago.org).  They need 6 volunteers to help out at the 2010 Camp Rally on April 23^rd from 9a to noon, providing parents with information about camp and to register the kids.  While the parents are going through the registration process, the kids are in our gym playing games, having snacks and winning prizes.  It's a fun event and gives volunteers the opportunity to work with families in need.  If interested, contact Danielle Gudroe at 207.774.4172 ext. 265

 

Potato Planting Day

Potato Planting Day is Rippling Waters Organic Farm's biggest volunteer day of the year!  On Saturday, April 24, from 10a-1p, volunteers will be convening on five acres of land for a single purpose: the spud. We will plant many types of tubers in a few different fields.  It's a great day to meet and mingle while helping out your local organic farmer and getting some quality outdoors time with the soil. Work starts at 10 AM sharp, and there's a potluck lunch at noon, so bring a small veggie dish to share if you want to show off your culinary skills.
To get involved, contact us or Phil Jellen at volunteer.ripplingwaters@gmail.com and visit
www.ripplingwaters.org

With green grass and blue sky,

The Farmhouse

 

 

University of Southern Maine

Office of Community Service

     and Civic Engagement

(207)228-8091 / fax (207)228-8403

community@usm.maine.edu

http://usm.maine.edu/studentlife/communityservice

 

April 20th Blood Drive

Dear Friends:

 

Once again our office is sponsoring a blood drive on April 20th with the American Red Cross. As per usual the bus will be set up outside the Science Building between 11 and 4. You can sign up in advance by emailing me or calling 4537. Walkin's also welcome (but bring a book).

 

Sign up to donate and you'll be entered for a chance to win two Boston Red Sox tickets. A great prize for 15 minutes of your time (and a wee bit of your blood).

 

Anyone interested in volunteering, we are still looking for volunteers from 11-12, 12-1 and 3-4. All volunteers are entered to win Sea Dogs Tickets!

 

Regards,

David

 

 

David A. Brown

Community Service and Multicultural Outreach Coordinator

Office of Community Engagement

University of Southern Maine

207 780 4537

dabrown@usm.maine.edu

Immigration, Trade and Community - David Bacon in Portland April 19-20

On Immigration, Trade, and Community: Renowned photojournalist and author David Bacon is coming to Maine to share his insights on where the immigration reform movement stands today. He will be talking about the common economic and social concerns of immigrant and native-born American workers, and what true reform would look like. Members of Maine immigrant, labor and community groups are using David's time in Maine to meet and explore how we can work together for immigrant and labor rights and fair trade.

The evening of Monday, April 19, he will be at the North Star Music Café, 225 Congress St. in Portland at 7PM with a talk tentatively titled "Communidad Sin Fronteras" (Community Without Borders).

On Tuesday, April 20, he will present a talk at the USM/Portland campus at the Glickman Library, 7th Floor Event Room from 9:30 - 11:00am: "Maine and America's greatest race problem: Xenophobia."

Civic Engagement Newsletter & Day of Service

Hello Everyone,

 

A couple of items we wanted to share with you today:

 

1. We have published our April edition of Civic Engagement News. Read about Husky Mentors, Multicultural Events, Alternative Spring Break 2010, Maine Campus Compact Awards and more. You can find our newsletter available at http://usm.maine.edu/studentlife/community/docs/OCE%20April%202010.pdf

 

2. The USM Day of Service is slowly creeping upon us this coming Friday. We have been working hard figuring out transportation, projects, breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything we can do to make this Day enjoyable for you and a great service to our community. If your not doing anything this Friday, consider participating in the Day of Service with a friend. I guarantee you will not regret this. Learn more about the projects and register right now at http://usm.maine.edu/studentlife/community/main/dos.html

 

Good luck with the homestretch of the academic year and I look forward to seeing you around campus and in the community,

 

- David

 

 

 

David Cimato

Volunteer and Leadership Coordinator

AmeriCorps VISTA

dcimato@usm.maine.edu

207-780-4209

 

"Print Less, think more"

 

MLK Day of Service

Dear Friends!

It is time to get moving with our big plans for the Martin Luther King Day of Service event. We are very excited to announce that we are doing a big project with our community partners The Telling Room and The Portland Housing Authority. We will be training USM students, members of the NAACP Youth Council and community members to run work shops at the Riverton and Kennedy Park study centers.

These workshops will be focused on creating 6-word memoirs and narratives, where individual youth will use the images, words or lessons of Dr. King to write their own 6 word story. All volunteers who go through the training will then volunteer a couple of evenings at either the Riverton or Kennedy Park centers towards the end of November or in early December.

For more info, come by the Farm house or go the following web page:

http://www.mlkday.gov/