What is "Meaningful Service"?

We all know that volunteering is a lot of fun. But when you start getting into the deeper meaning of why you volunteer, and what it means to you to be a volunteer, the awareness of your impact on the life of someone else can be astounding.

Everyone wants to feel good about themselves. When you go to a soup kitchen to dish out lunch for an afternoon or tutor a kid for an evening you can expect to walk away feeling pretty happy about how you just spent your time.

Yet, if you continued to do go back to the soup kitchen or tutor on a regular basis, would your level of happiness change from what it would have been if you only went once? Would you see a more profound change for the better if you invested more time?

These are questions we grapple with as volunteer coordinators and volunteer project planners. How can we help you connect with an organization, issue, or project that you find meaningful and worth your time?

We can't answer that question without defining what meaningful service is. Now, there really is no wrong answer. In the end it boils down to you feeling the work you do is significant and has a positive and important impact on the person, populations, or cause you are working with. It is sharing a part of yourself, either through a skill or passion, with another person for a mutual good.

As a volunteer coordinator, I strive to connect people who want to volunteer with opportunities that will have a lasting impression; opportunities that may not have been possible without the volunteer's help.

The beautiful thing about meaningful volunteering, is that it benefits both the volunteer and the person/cause/organization that the volunteer is supporting. Both parties learn and grow from the experience. A bond is formed and a sense of camaraderie or trust is established that develops into caring. It is the fact that we care for one another that gives us our support system. As humans, we are social creatures who generally thrive with support structures helping to motivate and look out for us. When someone volunteers, and continues to volunteer, they unlock a the potential for strengthening their support system and being invited into that of another person.

Loosely, that is how I define meaningful service. It is where I see the true power of volunteering lies.

-Jacqui De Cormier, AmeriCorps*VISTA

August and September Volunteer Opportunities

We have quite the calendar of opportunities coming up this month and next!

August 27: Warrior Welcome Service Projects, Willimantic, CT
Incoming freshmen and transfer students signed up to volunteer at 11 project sites including making gifts to donate, community gardens, and volunteering with high school students!

September 10: Service Fair, Webb Lawn, Eastern Connecticut State University 
If you want to get involved in one of our amazing Community Programs (i.e. tutor a student over the period of a semester, become a mentor to a student, volunteer with those who are homeless or recovering from an addiction) then this is the place for you to speak directly with our community partners and sign up to learn more about how you can get involved!

September 15: CureSearch Walk for Children's Cancer, Hartford, CT 
Do you want to bring more awareness and support to children's canacer? Form a team and fundraise to participate in a walk of solidarity with others who feel the same way.

September 20: Poverty Awareness Marathon, Eastern Connecticut State University
Bring a can or some money and join in the marathon around Eastern's campus to bring awareness that poverty can occur all over the world to anyone. You can walk or run for as many laps as you want!

September 24: Connecticut Mobile Food Truck, Willimantic, CT
For those who are unable to access fresh groceries, the CT Mobile Food Truck provides a way for them to obtain fresh produce and groceries for them and their families.

If you have any questions about our Community Programs or Special Events, email the Center for Community Engagement at cce@easternct.edu


* Transportation is provided for most Special Events and all Community Programs

Easy Ways to Volunteer When You Aren't at Eastern

One of the most challenging parts about becoming a volunteer is finding an organization you want volunteer for with a position you want to volunteer in. At Eastern, and many other colleges and universities, there is an office set up to serve as a bridge and connect students directly to volunteer opportunities in the community. 

But what happens when you leave for Winter or Summer Break and move away from your collegiate community back to your home town and you don't have a volunteer connection in place? Or what do you do when you graduate, move somewhere new, and want to find a way to get involved with your new town? 

It can be overwhelming. Nonprofit staff are- unfortunately-known for being so busy that they sometimes neglect an inquiry from a potential volunteer. Many nonprofits websites 

Here's our cheat sheet of how to find the right volunteer opportunity for you! 

1. Sit down with yourself and figure out what you really want to get from volunteering. Do you want to help in a specific position or is there are specific cause you are passionate about and you don't care what you are doing as long as you supporting it?
2. Contact organizations that can suggest local nonprofits who are in need of volunteers. Examples include a university or college equivalent of the CCE, a religisou instution such as a church or synogogue, or United Way
3. Follow up on the organizations and opportunities that are suggested to you. Talk with the volunteer coordinator of the site and ask for questions and details about what you'll be doing.
4. Go for what excites you!

CCE's Fall 2013 Volunteer Opportunities!!

We are thrilled to show off our Fall 2013 Volunteer Opportunities!

 

If your interested in a Communtiy Program, email Luis Rodríguez, Assistant Director of the CCE at rodriguezlu@easternct.edu.

 

If you want to get involved in a Special Event, email Max Goto, AmeriCorps*VISTA of the CCE at gotom@easternct.edu.

 

If you don't see something you're interested in or passionate about, contact the CCE at cce@easternct.edu to start a new initiatve or program!

 

 



How to Choose the Right Nonprofit to Support

Choosing the right kind of nonprofit to give a donation to can be a little overwhelming. You want your money to go to good use. There are many great programs, services, and leaders out there, but there are also scams and, unfortunately, nonprofits that mismanage their money. 

So, to help you wade through the murky waters of giving a meaningful donation, here are some useful tips and the websites where we found them!

1. Clarify your beliefs and preferences (http://bit.ly/13TzfQQ)

• Do this before you open your checkbook, volunteer your time, or look at that letter from a charity

• Think about what matters most to you. The environment? Education? Hunger? Animal welfare? Helping sick children? Economic development?

• Think about where you want to make an impact. In your neighborhood? Region? The nation? Internationally?

• Ask yourself if you want to support a large or small charity, a new or an old one.

2. Make sure the charity is legitimate (http://nbcnews.to/1bpGcuK)

• The Internal Revenue Service maintains a list of all organizations registered as charities. Also check with your state’s attorney general or charities bureau, which is responsible for policing charities within the state and can provide a wealth of information about them. Don’t know your state’s charity regulator? Go towww.nasconet.org, a national association of state charity officers, to find yours. 

3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions (http://nbcnews.to/1bpGcuK)

• Charities are required to provide information about their programs and expenses. Start with these questions: How will my gift be spent? How many people did you help last year? In what way? If you don’t get adequate answers, don’t give anything. 

4. You Don't Have To Give A Lot at Once (http://onforb.es/17kkOE6)

• If you believe in a cause, you don’t have to limit your giving to the dollars you can spare right now. Consider getting into the charitable habit by making small regular donations throughout the year, just as you make regular contributions to your 401(k) or other saving accounts.

5. Make sure mission aligns with your vision. (http://bit.ly/13TzfQQ)

• Look at a charity's description on GuideStar, on its Web site, in its literature, or on Charting Impact.

The Best Teacher in America?

Rafe Esquith has been deemed to be one of, if not the best teacher in America. No one can doubt that his work with 5th graders at a California inner city school is amazing. Just search him on Google, NPR, Ted Talks, and the Washington Post to see his full list of credentials and accomplishments. 

For certain, he is not the only teacher with a mindset of teaching with trust rather than fear, with creating a safespace rather than a classroom full of stress and unattainable demands. 

But what he does have, unlike many other teachers, is a voice. With award winning books and national news doing written pieces or interviewing him on segments of their shows, he is able to share his tips and thoughts about why his classroom works so well.

He is honest that it takes a lot of hard work, time, and dedication. He emphasizes consistency and has honed an envious ability to meet his students where they are at, and challenge them so they grow. 

For any aspiring teacher, he is a professional worth listening to and learning from.

Click on the image below to watch an interview of Rafe 

August 2014 Volunteer Opportunities

Who can believe it! Less than a month until the next semester begins. We're looking forward to another amazing year of volunteering and seeing returning students as well as meeting new ones. 

For those of you who want to get a kick-start on some volunteer work, consider the following opportunities for this month (August) and let us know what you're interested in!

Eastern Community Education Garden

Volunteers help garden, weed, and harvest fruits and vegetables from Eastern's own garden. Students run it and students lead it.

When: Varies

Time: Varies

Where: Eastern Connecticut State University

Connecticut Food Bank Mobile Truck

Volunteers help distribute food to clients of the truck. Those who use its services generally do not have regular access to fresh food and the truck serves as another source of getting nutritious groceries.

When: August 27

Time: 12:30-2:30pm

Where: 199 Valley Street

Warrior Welcome Service Project

Incoming Freshmen and Transfer students are receiving and email this month giving them the choice to sign up for 1 of 11 projects they can participate in on the second day of their August orientation! Sites include, but are not limited to: gardening, craft projects for expecting mothers and shelter animals, and helping at the Soup Kitchen.

When: August 27

Time: 10:30am-4:00pm

Where: At Eastern and various locations around Willimantic

Great Internship Recruitment Opportunity in October 2014!

If you're interested in going print out the registration form below! 

Contact Career Services at careers@easternct.edu or 860-465-4559 for more information 

January 2014 Trip to Puerto Rico!