Volunteer and Community Service Center

Just another weblog

Learn about your new Appleton community and go “into the streets” with the VCSC!

Into the Streets provides first-year students with an introduction to the Fox Cities area and the needs of the community. Lawrentian volunteers will be afforded the opportunity to tour an agency and learn about the mission, goals, and community issues addressed at each agency. Following a brief overview of the agency, students are asked to participate in a service project together.

Through involvement in the Volunteer and Community Service Center (VCSC), we hope students will become exposed to new ideas that may influence their future perspectives on community, social justice, and humanitarian issues. Please register by THURSDAY, 9/10.

Welcome First-year students!

We look forward to meeting new students during our Into the Streets event, during welcome week, on Saturday, September 12 from 1-5 pm. We invite all new students to venture “into the streets” to get to know Appleton and to learn about the service needs and opportunities in a new community. Additional details will be on this page shortly and will also be shared with you during your first hall meetings. Welcome!!

Goodbye 2013-14 school year! Hello summer!

Lawrence University does not provide instruction during the summer months and students are now entering their summer break. A few students remain on campus to pursue internships in the Fox Cities or on-campus research/employment. All VCSC programs are now closed and will resume late September/Early October 2014. Thank you for a successful year!

Civic Life Project: Facilitators Needed!

Civic Life Project- Facilitators Needed!
Once again volunteers are needed to help facilitate discussion around five short documentary films produced by Lawrence students. The films raise awareness about disproportionate imprisonment of minorities, challenges faced by individuals with dementia, challenges sex offenders face with reintegration, the achievement gap, and domestic violence effects on children. The event will take place Wednesday May 14, 2014 from 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM in the Somerset Room, Warch Campus Center.

Reading Period Service Trip (To The Twin Cities)

What does “Food Justice” mean to you?

The event is a four day service trip over reading period (May 8-11) to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) exploring the topic of food justice. Food justice is exercising the right to have access to health and culturally appropriate food. This access to healthy food is especially an issue in low income neighborhoods. For example there are areas in cities, even in Appleton, that are considered ‘food deserts’ because there is no access to food other than corner stores with gas station food nearby. The grocery stores are farther away and this distance can be a barrier for people of lower income who can’t afford to travel or don’t have the time to get to a grocery store. If you’re interested in taking part on this trip, please click on the link below. Cost = $25 and includes housing, transportation and food.

https://www.lawrence.edu/students/resources/volunteer/rpst

7 Days Of Service (A Volunteer Competition)

Get all of your ducks in a row . . . volunteer! Starting April 19th, the Volunteer Center will be hosting a week long volunteer competition to offer Lawrentians the chance to engage with the Appleton community. Opportunities to volunteer will be provided at the Building for Kids, Boys and Girls Club, Brewster Village, and more! The deadline to register is April 16th so start getting your ducks in a row now and sign up today. There will be prizes for both individual volunteers and teams of volunteers; including a $50 Toppers gift card for the team with the most hours and a $25 Appleton Downtown, Inc. gift card to the individual with the most hours.

Click here to sign up!

**In addition, there will be an exciting kick-off event on April 19th from 1-3pm to start things off. Students will be assigned to a team and will experience a campus wide scavenger hunt to learn more about volunteer opportunities in the Appleton area. Registration is not required for the event kick-off event so please just show up at the Wriston Amphitheater**

MLK, Jr. Day of Service 2014 registration is now closed. See you Monday, Jan. 20, 2014!

11-12:30 pm: What Do You Believe? Read & Reflect: A Brunch Discussion, Warch Campus Center, Esch/Hurvis Room: Over 200 members of the Lawrence community will read This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman and will gather to participate in a discussion, including how the insights of many might help our Lawrence community better respect one another despite differences in beliefs.  Sponsored by the offices of the Dean of Students, Provost & Dean of the Faculty and the Volunteer and Community Service Center. NOTE: Online registration is now closed.

1-4:00 pm: Student-led On Campus Volunteer Opportunities, Warch Campus Center: Participate in hands-on volunteering activities, from knitting items for the homeless to working in the SLUG garden, sponsored by LU organizations. Each 45-minute activity/workshop will enable students to volunteer from right on campus while learning about future ways to get involved with LU organizations. Sponsored by: Volunteer and Community Service Center and LU student organizations. NOTE: Online registration is now closed.

1-5:00 pm: Community Volunteering, Meet in Warch Campus Center, Esch/Hurvis Room: Join the Volunteer Center as we travel to eight non-profit organizations in the Appleton area (no experience necessary). Activities include baking treats, organizing a thrift shop, maintaining a hoop house garden, caring for animals, playing with children, engaging with the elderly, and serving at a historical museum.  Sponsored by: Volunteer and Community Service Center and the Appleton community. NOTE: Online registration is now closed.

6:30 pm: Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, Memorial Chapel: “Dr. King’s Non-Violence, Today’s Non-Violence” Celebrate a successful day of service with keynote speaker Dr. Margaret Rozga. Vocal performances provided by Lawrence University alumna Erica Hamilton and Appleton West Chamber Choir.  Sponsored by: LU Office of Multicultural Affairs and Toward Community: Unity in Diversity. Registration is not required.

 

This I Believe – Essays on the beliefs of the LU community

Inspired by the book This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Jay Allison, LU student leaders are collecting essays from interested students, staff and faculty. Essays should strive to capture ones personal philosophies and how a thing, person(s), situation, etc. influenced ones beliefs. Learn about the beliefs of your campus community here.