Tag Archives: OCS

EVENT
YMCA Andre’s All-Stars

AndreDrummondPistons_Knicks020413 It only took one well-timed and compliment laden email from Noam “LSDefense” Sandweiss-Back ’15 to convince me to post this awesome opportunity:

NBA SUPERSTAR and dreamboat Andre Drummond [Ed note: who is the same age as most Wes 2015ers!!!] recently endowed an after school program at the Middletown YMCA. From Monday to Thursday the program will offer middle-school students academic tutoring and play/recreation time. We’re looking for tutors, athletes, and anyone skilled in running around for a couple hours to help get the program off the ground. Hit up nsandweissba[at]wesleyan[dot]edu if you’re interested, and come by the Office of Community Service in Allbritton floor 3 on Thursday, 6 PM to learn more!

Date: Thursday February 5th
Time: 6 PM
Place: OCS (Allb. 3rd floor)

EVENT
Celebrate Thanksgiving with the Office of Community Service

The OCS is having a party! This is an occasion to not just thank all of the fabulous volunteers who have worked in the community this semester, but also to welcome new students who want to get involved. Come chat over hot cocoa and snacks with OCS staff and volunteers and learn about all the ways you can give back through the 19 student-run programs and work-study positions.

Date: Monday, November 24 – Today!
Time: 4:00 – 7:00 PM
Place: OCS Lounge (Allbritton 318)

EVENT
Support the Middletown Community Thanksgiving Project

Since 2010, people from around the city have come together for the Middletown Community Thanksgiving Project to purchase and assemble baskets of food for households who cannot afford a Thanksgiving meal. Last year, the MCTP provided 700 baskets to community members, and the goal for this year is to assemble over 900! Here’s how you can help:

Wesleyan is providing the stuffing and gravy for the Thanksgiving baskets, so pick some up on your next trip to Price Chopper. There are collection boxes in Usdan, North College, Olin, Exley, Freeman, and Weshop. You can also bring donations to the OCS Lounge (Allbritton 318). Other food items are welcome as well, and excess supplies will be donated to the Amazing Grace Food Pantry.

You can also sign up to assemble baskets! Packaging 900 meals requires a lot of volunteer work. Wesleyan’s Office of Community Service will bring vans of students to the Fellowship Church on Monday, November 24 for two shifts: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 12:15 – 3:00 PM. Students are also welcome to drive themselves. Sign up on the google doc and email ccp[at]wesleyan[dot]edu to discuss carpooling or other volunteer opportunities.

Date: Monday, November 24
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 12:15 – 3:00 PM
Place: Fellowship Church (1002 Saybrook Road)
More Info

EVENT
Tutor at Keigwin Middle School

Brighten a tween’s day and give back to the community by volunteering as a tutor! From Rebecca Brand ’16 and Emma Davis ’17:

Keigwin Middle School – home to nearly every 6th grader in Middletown – is seeking Wesleyan students to help out at their after-school homework club for the remainder of the semester. Tutors will volunteer from 2:00 to 4:15 pm on Tuesdays or Thursdays. This is a particularly exciting time to get involved, as the Middletown Public Schools were just awarded a grant from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program to offer new after-school educational opportunities for students at Keigwin and Woodrow Wilson middle schools.

To volunteer this semester or to assist with this exciting new program as it develops, come to the interest meeting today at 6pm in Allbritton 318. For more information, contact rbrand[at]wesleyan[dot]edu and ecdavis[at]wesleyan[dot]edu. Federal work-study funds will be available for tutors in the future. The Office of Community Service will also be hiring one paid student coordinator for next semester; contact scapron[at]wesleyan[dot]edu for details.

Date: Tuesday, November 11 – TODAY!
Time: 6 PM
Place: Allbritton 318

EVENT
Tutoring Programs Info Session

There are so many groups at Wesleyan working with children that it can be hard to choose just one. Aspiring tutors sometimes join the first program they hear about rather than selecting an organization based on the target age group, time commitment, academic subject, and program structure. To help you pick the group that’s right for you, the Office of Community Service is hosting an information session where representatives from several tutoring programs on campus will talk about their work and answer your questions.

Whether you’re providing homework help and dance classes at Green Street or doing long division at Macdonough School, tutoring and mentoring are fun and effective ways to engage with the community. If you receive Federal Work-Study, you can get paid for volunteering with an OCS literacy program.

Date: Thursday, September 11th, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: PAC 002

FEATURED
ENGAGE: Q&A with Civic Engagement Fellow Dana Pellegrino

With the controversies surrounding the Washington Street development, whether Wesleyan students should vote in Middletown, and other issues, we often wonder as a student body how we fit into the larger fabric of Middletown and the greater local area. Other than living, studying, and working here, there are other ways that one can get involved. The Office of Community Relations reports that “Over 50% of Wesleyan students are involved with community service activities during their four-years on campus.” You might already know about Green Street and Traverse Square, but did you know about the Community Health Center or Housing and Hunger?

There’s a lot going on at the Center for Community Partnerships and the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship and the new ENGAGE initiative tries to bring them to light. In this Q&A with Civic Engagement Fellow Dana Pellegrino ’12, she tells us how ENGAGE started and how we can get involved.

1. What is ENGAGE and where does the information come from?

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Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

Wesleyan’s Annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is going on right now, Nov 8th-18th! We still have plenty of events coming up, everything from painting and cider to talks to fundraising dinners.

Check out all of the events after the jump. Email aarni(at)wesleyan(dot)edu with any questions.

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Join the Wesleyan Language Bank

Hannah Bailenson ’13 speaks foreign languages!

Do you speak multiple languages? Want to get involved in community service? Check out the Wesleyan Language Bank!

The Language Bank is a program run through the Office of Community Service, and offers students the opportunity to connect with the Middletown community by providing free translation and interpretation services.

Whether you are able to read, write, and/or speak in another language, you should join our database of translators. The coordinator will contact you via email when we receive a request from the community. Requests range anywhere from the translation of documents to interpretation of parent-teacher conferences at local schools.

For more information and to sign up, click here.

Contact the Language Bank Coordinator with any questions at weslangbank(at)gmail(dot)com.

EVENT
Housing and Hunger Program Info Session

The Housing and Hunger Program is starting up again in full speed, bigger and better than ever! Come hear more about the new structure of the program and meet our lovely coordinators at our info session this week. We’ll have the details of how to get involved in Habitat for Humanity, Food Rescue, Bread Salvage, Amazing Grace Food Panty Program, and more, so that you can cook healthy meals with Middletown residents, or break and rebuild roofs of houses in the area, or help reduce food waste at Wesleyan and Middletown, or all of the above.

Date: Thursday, 09/20
Time: 7PM
Place: PAC002

Odyssey of the Mind

OCS is seeking any student who has participated in Odyssey of the Mind to assist a local elementary school, which is just starting its program. The school has a strong set of volunteer parents, they just need some insight from someone who has participated in the program. Please e-mail Cathy Lechowicz (clechowicz(at)wesleyan(dot)edu) if you would be willing to provide insight and assistance to the group.


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