"The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others"
What's the difference between a
community program and a
special event?
A
community program is a long term program that usually meets once a week throughout the semster. Volunteers have a greater opportunity to develop and utilize professional skills, make sustainable impact in our society, and create long-lasting relationships.
A
special event are larger volunteer opportunities dealing with larger populations or community issues at one-time. These events require a higher presence of Eastern volunteers on the day of the event.
What type of
community programs are available this semester? Is it too late to sign up?
It is not too late to sign up for a
community program but you should contact the CCE at
cce@easternct.edu as soon as possible if this is something that interests you!
Here are the
community programs available:
Tutoring and Mentoring with: Natchaug,
North Windham, Sweeney and
Windham Center Elementary Schools, Windham Middle School, Windham High School, Natchaug Elementray School Recess Program, Sister to Sister, Brother to Brother, Puentes al Futuro/Bridges to the Future, Journey House, Junior Achievement, Project K.B.A. (Kids, Books and Athletics), Project Academic Advancement, Collegiate Health Service Corps
Elderly and Special Populations: St. Joseph's Living Center, Windham No Freeze Hospitatlity Center, Food Justice Committee/Eastern Community Education Garden
Be on the look out for the
special events that are happening throughout the semester!
I also heard about this thing called an
Alternative Break, what's that?
An
Alternative Break trip provides Eastern students the opportunity to serve communities outside of our own while learning about other social groups and community systems.
If you are interested in leading or participating in an
Alternative Break trip, contact the CCE!
This past Spring Break proved to be an educational and influential adventure for the eight Eastern students who participated in the Alternative Spring Break: Generous Gardens Project in Greenville, South Carolina. The Generous Gardens Project is a nonprofit organization that grows, harvests, and delivers fresh food, as a healthy alternative to canned and boxed food, to people who are in need. They also educate individuals on how to create and maintain fresh produce gardens in a sustainable way. South Carolina is ranked ninth in the highest population of hungry people in the United States. Hunger is a very real and significant issue in our world today and the Generous Garden Project works to end the struggle of hunger in the healthiest way possible. "It is a known fact that if people get fresh fruits and veggies in their diet, they think more clearly, have more energy and live more fruitful lives. We are here to fight hunger one garden at a time."
The students drove 11 hours down to Trinity Church in Travelers Rest, South Carolina where they resided for the week. Everyday from 8am until about 3:30pm the volunteers worked hard planting seeds, making compostable flower pots, making garden beds and laying down leaves, feeding chickens and gather their eggs, sifting through compost, making labels for plants, and harvesting lettuce. Students learned the ins and outs of gardening and volunteering at a community based garden. The volunteers were able to incorporate the fresh produce from the gardens into their daily meals, which was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the trip for most of the volunteers. This spring break, however, was not all work and no play, one day was spent exploring the city of Greenville, hiking through Paris Mountain and dining at a local Hibachi. 
Student Leader Lily Egan commented on her experience at the Generous Gardens Project: "I would never have imagined doing anything else during this spring break. It was truly an honor to be able to work with such open-minded and hard working people. On thing I learned through working at the Generous Gardens Project was that in order to grow you must learn, and in order to learn you must be willing to grow, just like in college and just like a plant."
