A Program Coordinator Reflection: The end of Spring 2013

I would like to give a very special shout out to my absolutely fantastic Thursday Boys & Girls Club volunteer group. These six individuals have impacted so many children’s lives. Listed left to right are Tyler Peper, Haylee Brewer, Sadorah Anderson, myself, Olivia Beard and Rae Hines. (Not pictured Cierra Perry.)

Sadorah and Rae have been volunteering with me for three semesters now. Olivia and Cierra have been volunteering with me for two semesters now; although Tyler and Haylee have joined our group this semester it feels as if they have been here since the beginning. I am very thankful for having these wonderful volunteers, not only to have in my program but to brighten my everyday life.

As it saddens me every semester to say goodbye until the following semester; I am proud to say I will retain at least half of my volunteers and all of the friendships which have been created.

- Sophomore Program Coordinator and Telecommunications Major,  Jes Wade

An SVS Chat: Students from an English 104 class sit down with SVS President, Angelina Zulas to discuss civic engagement

25th Annual Lend A Hand Day

Here is a wonderful reflection from PC Ashley Smith on her experience
with the Lend A Hand Day drive & distribution!

I had been a part of LAHD since my joining SVS 2 years ago, but this year I was actually a part of the committee that makes it happen. Every year is an attempt to make LAHD bigger than the last and have more community involvement and awareness. For that, we've instituted the Rock the Cause event to kick off the donation drive. Only 2 years old, it looks to be gaining attention. Due to setbacks in collecting items in a time frame we normally had, we looked to other means of collecting additional items: Resident Hall lost and found and Greek life support. Both proved successful as we actually collected more items than last year (despite the shortened collection time).
Though a significantly less amount of people came through [this year], those who did (many repeat returners) were just as appreciative as ever, and that's what makes it all worth it: knowing that there are people that can benefit from this event and seeing people get such a good deal on clothes. You can't beat free! Hopefully we can get the word out more effectively next year and have even more people share in LAHD. 

- Ashley Smith, PC at Boys and Girls Club Muncie

ICC Conference 2013

Ball State's SVS sent a group of Program Coordinators to the
Indiana Campus Compact Conference on April, 5 2013.
Here are some reflections from their experiences.

I had way too much fun at ICC for waking up at 7am on a Friday. It was a great bonding experience between me and the girls that went. I got to know them more on a personal level from the group sharing. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I got to the conference; however the breakout sessions really put my life into perspective. This conference coerced me into thinking about my future and what I can accomplish with life.

- Jes Wade, PC at Boys and Girls Club Muncie

Indiana Campus Compact [held] a fantastic conference. The speakers renewed my desire to be civically engaged. At first, listening to the speakers describe all of their goals and accomplishments made me feel guilty because I felt like I hadn't been doing enough for my community. However, as the conference went on, I became inspired to put more effort into making my community a better place. I even wrote out a step by step process to implement a new volunteer program I have wanted to establish since last semester. Yesterday, I took the first step of that plan and can't wait to see how the whole idea turns out. I encourage everybody to attend the conference because I believe everybody could benefit from attending Indiana Campus Compact [Conference]. I know I certainly did.   

- Jessica Burger, PC at  Ross Community Center, Inc.

8th Annual Spring Fling

It's time that time of year again, where we celebrate Spring with those in full bloom.

Do you like throwing themed parties? Interested in spending time with people from a different generation?
Volunteer for Spring Fling!

Join SVS on April 20th, 2013 from 12:30PM until 5:00PM as we celebrate the new season. Volunteers will serve at local nursing homes to put on spring parties for the residents. Volunteers will help set up, run, and tear down the party. They will also participate in various activities with the residents.

Transportation will be provided!

We will be hosting at four separate nursing homes with four separate themes:
> Patriotic @ Liberty Village
> Luau @ Lynd House
> Western @ Parkview Nursing Home
> Under the Sea @ Willowbend Living Center

Pick one and sign up today! www.bsu.edu/svs

Homelessness Panel - WCRD 91.3 - 5:30 PM tonight

Tune into WCRD 91.3 tonight at 5:30 to listen to a panel discussion on homelessness in Delaware County. One of our own, Vic Scotland, will be talking about his volunteer experience working with this population among a panel of other community members. 

Check out the special report here: http://wcrd.net/2013/04/wcrd-news-special-report-homelessness/

Lend A Hand Day Update

1,884 items have been collected so far for the Lend A Hand Day drive including clothes, toiletries, and cleaning supplies!

SVS challenges you to help us get to 2,000 donations by Monday, April 1. Can you dig it?!

Interested in volunteering for the distribution? Call us at 765 285 3535