AmeriCorps Mayor’s Day of Recognition for National Service

On April 1, 2014 Mayors in Connecticut, along with other mayors around the United States came together to recognize the impact that National Service Programs have had on their communities. Every year more than 5 million diverse individuals come together to help meet the needs of local communities by participating in various service opportunities through the Coporation for National and Community Service's programs. These programs consist of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps which work to serve six crucial project areas within communities;  disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans and military families.

Local Mayor of Windham Ernie Eldridge kicked off the Mayor's Day gardening service project at Natchaug Elementary School with the reading of an official town proclamation. This event was sponsored by GROW Windham and united participants from Eastern Connecticut State University, The Windham Area Hour Exchange, Eastern Area Health Education Center, Windham Public Schools and several other organizations in town with service corps members. Participation was also open to the public free of charge. Mayors around Connecticut from Bridgeport to Windham participated in this day of recognition to thank those who have brightened their communities and to encourage others to join and do the same.

On a more national scale, this years Mayor's Day turned out to be a major success. Participation from more than 1,760 mayors in all 50 states, District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico came together and represented 1/3 of all Americans. The success of the second annual Mayor's Day of Recognition for National Service more than doubled from the previous years Mayors volunteer list. You can view the full list of the 2014 Mayor's Day participants here. 

“We are thrilled by the extraordinary turnout of mayors from across the country for this bipartisan nationwide recognition of the impact of national service. It is a testament to the dedication and effectiveness of all those who serve in AmeriCorps and Senior Corps that mayors representing more than one-third of Americans are joining in this effort.  I commend Mayor Coleman, Mayor Smith, and other mayors across the country for participating in this recognition effort and for working with us to improve lives and strengthen communities through national service."

- Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service 

Alternative Spring Break: Generous Gardens Project

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."

What's Trending Today

Today is Tuesday, December 3, 2013. You may have noticed the #GivingTuesday showing up a few times as you scroll through your Facebook newsfeed or tweets on Twitter.

I know that I have never heard of this phenomenon until checking my Facebook this morning and seeing it everywhere. So what is #GivingTuesday?

According to http://community.givingtuesday.org/Page/FAQ, this is the second annual #GivingTuesday event. It is a "movement to creat a national day of giving to kick of the giving season." The reason that it is called "Giving Tuesday" is because it was intended to be on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The mission of the #GivingTuesday campaign is to "create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activites that support non-profit organizations."

The website also lists some ideas for students of things they can do on #GivingTuesday, here are some of the ideas:

• Use social media to highlight a cause that interests you and encourage other students to take action to support something that they care about
• Organize a clothing or book drive or anothe on-campus giving activity on your campus
• engage profressors and start a discussion about philanthropy and volunteerism, and what students would like to see more of campus related to giving.

You can also check out what people are doing around the world for #GivingTuesday on Facebook and Twitter.

This is definitely one trend worth checking out!

Shack-A-Thon

Shack-A-Thon

 

Tuesday, November 19^th-Wednesday, November 20^th – The wind blew, sending a chill down the backs of ECSU college students as they made their way quickly to class. It was a high of 47 degrees during the day and a low of 31 degrees once the sun disappeared in the evening. Still, Habitat for Humanity Club members embraced the cold as they made their way to the center of Webb Lawn, carting large cardboard boxes behind them. There they started creating what would become their home for the next 30 straight hours, only going inside for class and to use the restroom.

The Shack-A-Thon is an event run by Habitat for Humanity in order to raise awareness for sub standardized housing. Members got to experience what it is like to live like a person who is unable to afford a place to call “home.” Club members had to raise $100 in order to participate.

Freshmen Habitat for Humanity members, Sam Walter, Kaley K. and Alex Hoffman and Sophomore, Kevin Powel, participated in this event for the first time. They collected their boxes at noon on Tuesday and had already been outside for nearly seven hours. They mentioned how “blessed they were to have a dorm with heat.” They also said that this experience really made them appreciate all the little things that they had so often taken for granted in the past such as their backpacks, sleeping bags and even their name brand clothing. Despite everything they had with them for this event, they were still cold and this made them think about what it must be like for people who do not even have a warm coat or gloves.

Eastern students and staff were encouraged to donate money or they could also make a donation in food for the Shack-A-Thon participants to eat. For every donation that was made during those 30 hours, the contributor could nail a paper brick to a plywood cutout of a house.

In the end, the ECSU Habitat for Humanity club was able to collect a total of $1,750. The participants were able to persevere through freezing temperatures and wind capable of blowing their structures away in order to support a great cause.

Impact...

Ever wonder if you are actually making an impact? Or if what you're doing is really making a difference?

 

Dillon Melady, a CCE student leader, shares a story about the Recess Program that started last week.

 

Dillon and a group of student volunteers met 3rd grade students outside during their Recess time. Instead of being shy and avoiding these older, bigger college students, these 3rd graders let their curiousity get the best of them as they introduced themselves and got right to the point that they wanted to play. It ended up being a great time of playing kickball and jumping rope!

The second time that they went, all the kids remembered the volunteers and were so excited to see that they had come back! The 3rd graders were not the only ones happy to see the Eastern volunteers; the teachers also told Dillon "how grateful they were for the volunteers to be there as positive role models." One student told Dillon about his plans about going to Eastern one day.

 

Student volunteers...what you are doing DOES matter! It is making a difference! No matter how small and even if you do not see it right away, you are making an impact.



pinterest.com

 

 

 

 

Grow Windham

Kyrstin Marien, a student at Eastern Connecticut State University, has been working hard this semester with a community organization called Grow Windham. Grow Windham is "a collaboration of community partners dedicated to promoting healthy food in the Windham region through support of community gardens, food projects, and food- and garden-based youth programming and engagement" (www.growwindham.org).

For Kyrstin, her involvement in Grow Windham started with an assignment for her Geography of Food class where she has to do a total of 15 hours of community service throughout the semester. This led her to Max Goto, the Center for Community Engagement's AmeriCorps VISTA and event coordinator. Max was able to match Kyrstin's interests in the topics of health and nutrition, with a community organization and it has turned out to be a perfect fit!

Kyrstin believes that GROW Windham is a "fantastic program." She describes it as an organization that is serving Windham by working on the food issues that the town is facing. She says that they are "very active in the community and the community gradens", and what makes them such a great program is the fact that they "engage the community in whatever project they are working on". They are involved with the Food Coop and have programs at the elementary, middle and high school levels. "Everyone I have worked with is so passionate which makes me passionate about it!"

Through this organization, Kyrstin has helped out at the Lauter Park community garden on Fridays with other student volunteers from both Eastern and UCONN. She has also helped out with the Windham Farmer's Market with a group of students from Windham High School. For the Farmer's Market, she has to be there at 7am! Although this is early, Kyrstin says that the high school kids still have fun and they really enjoy what they are doing. All the food they sell at the market comes from the community gardens and everything that does not sell goes directly to the soup kitchen.

The high school program started off as a summer program and is now an after school type program. With the time Kyrstin has spent with these students, she has noticed huge, positive changes in them. Kyrstin likes the fact that GROW Windham is "targeting students and creating a postive healthy lifestyle at a young age." This program not only encourages kids to choose healthier food options, but it gives them the reasons as to why this is important.

If you are interested in reading more about GROW Windham and their programs, you can visit www.growwindham.org.

Make a Difference Day

What are you up to this weekend? Well, if you don't have any plans yet, you should know that on Saturday, October 26th, it is Make a Difference Day.

What is Make a Difference Day?

"The stories told around Make a Difference Day show that anyone - regardless of age, location or resources - can accomplish amazing things when they take on the problems they see in their community" (http://makeadifferenceday.com/about-make-difference-day)

As a stressed, always busy, stay-up-all-night-sleep-all-day college student, it can be really hard to find time to volunteer! However, it is ten times easier when volunteering becomes a time to work with friends, make new connections in the community and about finding those opportunities that provide the skills needed for your career.

That is why this weekend, on Make a Difference Day, the largest national community service day in the U.S., I am encouraging you to get a group of your friends together and do something positive for the community. If you cannot find a community project for this weekend, don't let that stop you or discourage you. Do some research with your friends on possible ideas of service projects you could do. Talk to your R.As, your club e-board members, the staff at the Center for Community Engagement. There is an unlimited number of resources you can use to get connected with the community.

Sometimes making a difference is as simple as inviting someone on your floor who has been feeling homesick out with you and your friends, taking a trip to the grocery store and buying groceries to donate to the soup kitchen, or even taking the time to check out some of the local businesses and supporting them by purchasing something.

Whatever it is that you decide to do, send your photos and stories to the CCE, we want to know about what you are doing to make a positive difference and share what you are doing with the Eastern Community!

Think Pink! 

Tomorrow is the first Think Pink event at Eastern Connecticut State University. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness and money for Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer is impacting more and more people around the world every day.

The amount of support that ECSU has had for Breast Cancer victims has been nothing short of amazing. There have been bake sales, ribbon sales, bracelet sales and many others taking place all over campus this month in honor of the fact that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this has really shown how important this issue is to students.

Think Pink is a walk that will be taking place on Webb Lawn on Wednesday, October 23 (that's tomorrow!) from 9am-1pm. There is already several teams registered to walk and the expectation is that there will be many more! There will be food, music, prizes and useful information.

Lisa, President of People Helping People, has had a large roll in the creation and planning of this event and she had received a lot of help and support from members of the PHP club. Her inspiration for the event was the 40 mile walk she did last year with an organization called Avon Foundation for Women. Lisa has been personally effected by Breast Cancer and she is sure that many other students are effected by it as well and she wanted to do something about it.

Students are encouraged to wear pink on Wednesday, walk to support the event and/or donate to the cause.
You can donate online at www.gofund.com/thinkpinkwalk2013. Proceeds will be going to the Avon Foundation for Women to fight breast cancer. If you have any questions e-mail PHP at peoplehelping@my.easternct.edu or cce@easternct.edu.

Join together in the fight against Breast Cancer with the ECSU community!

CCE Happenings!

Events for the Week of October 21st

October 21: People Helping People Club Meeting 6pm in Student Center Room 219

October 22: CT Mobile Food Pantry at 12:30pm

October 23: Walk for Breast Cancer Event 9am-1pm on Webb Lawn. All donations will go towards the Avon Foundation for for Women. All are welcome to stop by for food, music, fun, prizes, and useful information.

If you are interested in finding out more information about these events, please e-mail the CCE at cce@easternct.edu. You can also visit the CCE at 333 Prospect Street.

 

 

 

Eastern CT State University's Repertory Dance Troup's

 

Birthday Card Extravaganza!!!

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October 2013--Over the course of two practice times last week, the Eastern Repertory Dance Troup made 137 birthday cards. Each of the cards will be going to a homeless teenager in Connecticut. One card a time, the Troup teem members used bright colored markers to decorate ordinary, plain white paper with balloons, hearts and streamers. Inside the cards were kind words and uplifting messages to encourage the teens.


Carlie Bermani-McCann, a member of the Troup, decribes enthusiastically how the idea came about. "When we saw this idea on dosomething.org we knew this is something we could do as a family to help make these kids' birthdays special." She describe the Troup as "a close knit family of dancers who care about others and try to give back as much as possible."

These birthday cards will be sent to three different teen shelters in Connecticut.

Thank you Eastern Repertory Dance Team for sharing your story with us!

Experience is Important!

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. 

Involve me and I learn." ~Benjamin Franklin

I have found that the best way to make the most of my college years is through getting involved in volunteer opporunities, clubs and internships. Sure, going to class is important, that paper really should be written and that group project should be worked on before the last minute, but these things should not consume your entire time in college.

Although it can be tempting to spend all your time on these things, especially as the homework assignments pile up and there is a test in every class this week, sometimes it it best to look above that pile of work and see what else there is out there. In fact, taking part in extracurricular opportunities allows you to build on what you are learning in the classroom making it so the information becomes alive and tangible instead of just words on a page.

Throughout this blog, one can see the various different kinds of experiences that the Center for Community Engagement at Eastern offers. There are education volunteer opportunities for those who are majoring in education. There are tutoring positions for math, science, reading and many others. Working in community gardens is a great chance for environmental earth science majors to apply what they are learning in class to help improve the effectiveness of the garden.

Don't think, however, that you have have to choose only opporunities that are close to your major. You may find yourself discovering something you did not know you enjoyed or maybe you find that the experience was not the best. The important thing is that you are finding out what you enjoy, what you dislike, what you are terrible at and what you are really good at before you have to step out into the "real world."

Building relationships is another important aspect of getting involved in activities outside of school work. Some find that they find friendships that last a lifetime through shared volunteer, internship and club experiences. I met one of my closest friends through my involvement with People Helping People (PHP) freshman year. You just never know who you will meet and where that relationship will lead you.

One last piece of advice: do not be afraid to step out of the crowd and do something different than what everyone else is doing. Doing something outside of the box is what makes your experience unique from everyone else's and if anything, it will give you an interesting story to tell.

~Nicolle, CCE Intern

Join the CCE Movement!

 

 

Eastern Students are making a difference! If you have ever wondered exactly what kind of impact the CCE is making on Willimantic and surrounding communities, this blog post is for you!

 

It is estimated that Eastern students provide essential tutoring and mentoring services to local schools worth $147,000.

 

During the 2012-2013 academic year alone:

•  1,066 Eastern students did a total of 13,137 hours of service
• 609 students who worked with children enrolled in Windham Public Schools completed 5,199 hours of service
• 417 Eastern student who worked with local youth did 2,108 hours of service
• 211 students served as tutors or mentors in the local schools completing 2,603 volunteer hours

This was all done by EASTERN students.

 

We want to see that number of hours increase this academic year! If you want to be part of the movement, come visit the CCE at 333 Prospect Street or send an e-mail to cce@easternct.edu.

Goals Goals Goals!

 

We want to know: what are YOUR goals for this fall semester? What is it that you want to get out of your time serving the community either through a community program, special event or service club?

 

Goals are important to set for ourselves. They can help up look beyond community service as just a way to fulfill a class assignment, a club obligation or even just serving for the fun of it (not that these are bad things!). Instead, goals help us look at what we are hoping to accomplish and the skills we hope to gain.

 

Are you hoping to gain teaching skills, learn more about nutrition, learn how to bond with high school students, obtain better public speaking abilities? Their is an endless number of goal possibilities! Take a minute to really think about it.

 

Now that you have taken a moment to really think about your goals for this semester, you can start to make a plan. What community service events, clubs, or services are available to help you achieve those goals? If you already have an event or program that you are invovled in, how can your goals become a part of your time serving there? Is there a way that the CCE can better help you achieve those goals? If so, let us know! Comment below, visit our Facebook page (Eastern CT-Community Engagement) or e-mail us!

 

Sometimes we go out in the community with the intent of helping others, when what happens is the community ends up helping us figure out who we are and what we want to be.

Hi Everyone!

My name is Nicolle and I am interning at the Center for Community Engagement this semester!

The photo/quote above was something that I saw when I was scrolling through Pinterest. I love Pinterest. It always amazes me how many great ideas people have. Not only that, but I have gotten some great recipies off of Pinterest! There are also days when I go on Pinterest and I feel so encouraged by quotes, such as the one above, and the stories that people are able to share just by "pinning" something on their "board."

Yesterday, I felt so inspired, and it was not because of something I saw on Pinterest or another social media site. I felt inspired because of what I saw at the Service Fair that took place alongside Eastern's Activity Fair. There was table after table exhibiting all the amazing community programs, alternative break opportunities and special events taking place this academic year. Student leaders sat next to community members conversing about their projects and why they were important to them. Posters, flyers, stickers, sunglasses and candy made the tables look so interesting and engaging.

As I watched Eastern students, from freshmen to seniors, walk up to these tables, I saw faces light up with passion as genuine conversations took place on what issues interested them. Pages and pages were filled on student interest sheets with names, phone numbers and e-mails of those interested in reaching out to the community through volunteering.

There were tables featuring the CCE, the Food Justice Committee, the Alternative Break Program, The Access Agency, WAIM, Relay for Life, afterschool programs, The Journey House, tutoring programs and so many more!

I just wanted to thank everyone who came to run a table and everyone who supported the Service Fair. I love that I do not have to just read the quotes  on Pinterest, or  just hear about great things happening around the world on the news to be inspired. By seeing how many people were interested in signing up and wanted to find out more information about all the community service opportunities happening this year, I know that there is going to be some amazing, encouraging and inspiring things happening right here in Willimantic, Connecticut!

The Service Fair was only the beginning; Let's get started Eastern Connecticut State University Student Volunteers!

 

"The ones who are crazy enough think they can change the world are the ones that do." ~Gandhi

We are half way through September! I am sure by now you have come across your first paper to write, your first quiz to take, maybe even your first exam to study for.

Before you start making a to-do list of everything you have to catch up on, take a moment to think about what you are passionate about. Why are you majoring in that particular field of study? What is it that you love to do?

The Center for Community Engagement is here to provide ways for you to use your passions to help others. You can find some amazing community programs and special events happening this semester by visiting the CCE website www.eaternct.edu/communityengagement or visiting the CCE at its new location, 333 Prospect Street.

This week, there will also be an opportunity for you to talk to CCE staff and community members in person. Where you ask? At the...

Student Activities and Community Service Fair, Webb Lawn

Wednesday, September 18th from 5-7pm

This is an event you don't want to miss! If you are unsure about how you want to get involved or even what event/program to take part in, this is the place to be.

So before you plan out your week, make sure you mark this event in your planner, your smart phone or iCalendar. We look forward to meeting all of you and hearing all about what you want to accomplish this semester!

 

Keep Calm and Volunteer On

This is our unofficial motto at the CCE right now. 

We have had a hectic beginning of September. With our Warrior Welcome Service Project, move to a new location (333 Prospect St., the beautiful big yellow Victorian house right by Nutmeg), and our Service Fair (Sept. 10) coming up, and beginning to plan for all of Community Programs, Special Events, and Alternative Break Trips, we have been going non-stop. 

Many of you who are reading this are Eastern students and are probably feeling overwhelmed with your classes, work load, and the many opportunities that Eastern has to offer through internships, jobs, and leadership opportunities on and off campus. 

The last thing you may want to think about right now is that someone may be depending on you to tutor them, provide guidance and mentorship, or need your help to make sure a homeless shelter can operate for someone to have shelter. These responsibilities may seem like an extra burden rather than something fun and you may think you have absolutely positively no time in your schedule to take them on. 

Take a step back now from all of the chaos and work that comes with being a college student. Think about what it is like to tutor a child or play a sport with a high school student and show them that its cool to play by the rules. Think about how that one moment can impact that person for the rest of their life. 

Walking into the CCE, you may feel uncertain about what you want to do or how you will ever fit volunteering into your schedule. But that's why we're here! Our jobs revolve around finding opportunities that match your passion or helping you explore careers or general volunteer opportunities that you're curious to learn more about. We offer Community Programs, Alternative Break Trips, and Special Events so that there is enough variety for anyone to get involved.

You can find us at 333 Prospect St. (a.k.a. the aforementioned big beautiful yellow Victorian house right by Nutmeg Hall) or contact us at cce@easternct.edu. You can also give us a call at 860-465-0090.

We look forward to meeting you this year!

-Jacqui De Cormier, AmeriCorps*VISTA

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

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!

 

 



Puentes al Futuro (Bridges to the Future)

Puentes al Futuro (Bridges to the Future) is a grant-funded program for at-risk youth living in Greater Windham, Connecticut. The program is sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement and is staffed by Eastern student volunteers. Below is an account from one of the Eastern volunteers about her experience: 

Puentes met on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week after the students get out of school, on Eastern’s campus as well as at Windham Middle School. Each time we met there was an opportunity to participate in an activity with the students to help them explore their culture, and then we helped them complete their homework. This past semester, on Thursdays, we studied poetry and worked on creating a Puentes-specific cook book. Talking about recipes and foods that are special to the children gave us another chance to share about ourselves and our families. It truly is amazing the type of connection that you build, even though you only spend a small portion of your week with these students. I love the way that Puentes helps students embrace and truly love their culture. The program helps students build a foundation based on understanding themselves and their heritage in order to promote their success in the future. I remember finding out when one of our Puentes students got into Windham Tech, after having applied only a few weeks earlier. Not only was everyone excited that she had chosen to tell us first, but we were so excited to see her become so thrilled about something directly related to her future. 

Guest Post: Kim, '15