[Volunteers] OVP Volunteer Listserve 5/2/06

Tue May 2 13:53:25 CDT 2006

Tuesday, May 2, 2006
OFFICE OF VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS WEEKLY LISTSERVE - Final Spring 2006 Issue
Brought to you by CUVolunteer.org, the most comprehensive list of volunteer opportunities in Champaign county.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. National Volunteer Week
2. Illini Union Community Connection Site Leaders
3. Habitat for Humanity Move-Out Volunteers
4. Mahomet Area Youth Club Spring Gala and Auction
5. Dominican Summer Public Service Project
6. Playing It Safe 2006
7. Healthy Young Families Childcare Volunteers
8. Undergraduate Library Bookmarket

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1.  NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK
A great big thank you to everyone who volunteered during National Volunteer Week!  We had almost 400 volunteers perform over 1100 hours during the week!

2.  ILLINI UNION COMMUNITY CONNECTION SITE LEADERS
The goal of the Illini Union Community Connection is to provide members of the campus community with opportunities to get involved in service projects, as well as an opportunity to connect to a community of interest.  

During the Fall 2006 Orientation, the IUCC will be organizing a series of service projects for first year and transfer students at various sites in the local community.  We need dedicated members of our service community on campus to serve as Site Leaders for these projects.  These site leaders will need to attend at least two service projects during the week and will have to attend an orientation session.

Why should you be a Site Leader?  You will be introducing first year and transfer students to something you love -- service!  Also, this is a great way to build relationships with community agencies.  Finally, these students will be interested in the organizations you are a part of -- think of it as small scale recruiting!
For more information and an application, please e-mail ovp at uiuc.edu.  The deadline has been extended and applications are due as soon as possible.

3.  HABITAT FOR HUMANITY MOVE-OUT VOLUNTEERS
Habitat for Humanity has teamed up with a moving company known as MoveIn U to help them move boxes of students' belongings from their rooms to trucks on Saturday, May 6 starting at 9:30 AM.  The shifts are 2 hours, but you can work an hour at a time if necessary.  The more volunteers they have, the faster they will get done and the more money MoveIn U will donate to Habitat.  Refreshments will be served to volunteers.  If you are interested, please contact Adam Ward at adamward at uiuc.edu.

4.  MAHOMET AREA YOUTH CLUB SPRING GALA AND AUCTION
Every year, the MAYC hosts a Spring Gala and Auction, which raises the majority of the funding for the year to provide afterschool, evening, and full day summer care for children 6-18 years old from households that make 50% or less than the state median income.  As such, this fundraiser is extremely important.  They are in need of volunteers for the Gala and Auction on May 19, 2006.  There is normally a modest amount of work involved in setup and cleanup, but the main demand for volunteers will be to support the event itself.  They will need several outgoing, vivacious people to work the crowd as spotters for the auctioneers, 3 or 4 runners to show items to bidders during the bidding and deliver each item to the winning bidder, a couple of people to help with bid registrations and to collect money from walk-ins at the gate, at least 2 people to keep track of the winning bids and record their bid numbers, and 10 to 12 table waiters/waitresses (they would like to have enough to have a waiter/waitress for every 3 or 4 tables and there will be about 40 tables with 4 people/table).  

They also need of volunteers to help with sports programs and activities over the summer as well as an on-going volunteer to supervise their computer lab three days a week from 3:45 PM to 5:15 PM. 

Visit MAYC's web site at http://mayc_online.home.mchsi.com for more information about the organization and the upcoming gala.  Please e-mail Kelly at kellymayc at aim.com if you would like to volunteer for MAYC.

5.  DOMINICAN SUMMER PUBLIC SERVICE PROJECT
It's impossible for most Americans not to take for granted simple amenities that help to keep us safe from illness.  But there are areas even as near as the Caribbean Islands, where a lack of basic sanitation and clean water are just as commonplace as their presence is here.  The result is frequent, preventable illness and malnutrition for hundreds of children. If even a modest system of sanitation could be implemented, the quality of life for entire neighborhoods of families could be significantly improved.

Project CURE is looking for highly motivated, open-minded and personable student volunteers to aid in the development and completion of a public service project in the area surrounding La Romana, Dominican Republic. The trip would take place in July and likely last between six to nine days (exact dates and duration are to be determined).  Volunteers would aid in fund-raising for and the construction of low-maintenance, sturdy latrines to help give families a lasting means of disease prevention.  In addition, Project CURE aims to teach interested families to produce, package and sell soap, so that they may provide themselves with a readily accessible means of maintaining adequate hygiene and a source of supplementary income.

If you've been looking for a way to make a lasting and profoundly positive contribution, this would be a very promising opportunity for you.  Join the movement and help these families to build a community they can be safe in, and be proud of.

Please contact David Klein at daklein at life.uiuc.edu for more information.

6.  PLAYING IT SAFE 2006
Champaign County SAFE KIDS Coalition is dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries to children in local communities.  That's why each year, SAFE KIDS partners with The Carle Foundation Hospital to provide families with a fun and exciting way to learn how to be safe at home and away, at school or at play, with the injury prevention fair called "Playing It Safe". 

This year, "Playing It Safe" will take place on Saturday, June 3, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Champaign County Fairgrounds.  This year's fair has grown to more than 40 safety demonstrations which means they will need more volunteers than ever.  They are calling upon local organizations, including the University of Illinois, to help make "Playing It Safe" a success.  Anyone wishing to volunteer should e-mail Sylvia Warnock at sylviawarnock at hotmail.com or call her at 898-8457.  Thank you in advance for considering this important community event designed to keep our children safe.

7.  HEALTHY YOUNG FAMILIES CHILDCARE VOLUNTEERS
The Prevention Initiative and Healthy Young Families programs of the Mental Health Center of Champaign County need you to help with parenting groups.  The goals of the groups are to enhance parent-child relationships, promote healthy development, and promote school readiness.  One thing desperately important to participants' success is the support of volunteers.  Being a volunteer gives community members the opportunity to have an impact without placing a big demand on their schedules.  As a childcare volunteer, you will be responsible for watching children 0 to 3 years old while parents meet for group.  This requires a background check and acknowledgement of mandated reporter status.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Benita Rollins-Gay by phone at 398-8080 ext. 121 or by e-mail at bgay at mhcenter.org to set up a brief interview.

8.  UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY BOOKMARKET
The Undergraduate Library is looking for student volunteers to assist with the Bookmarket at Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday, August 26, during the Sweetcorn Festival.  If you are interested, please e-mail Professor Joyce Wright at jcwright at uiuc.edu.

Have a great summer!  

Stu Schaff
Williams Intern

P.S. If you're interested in volunteering during break, please e-mail ovp at uiuc.edu directly.

Illini Union Office of Volunteer Programs
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
277 Illini Union (in the Student Organizations Complex)
Phone: 217-333-7424
E-mail: ovp at uiuc.edu
Web: http://www.union.uiuc.edu/ovp/