Uncw Otm Award Program Community Service National Volunteer Week

OTM Award Month and Year: April 2009 Nominee’s School: UNC Wilmington Region: SAACURH Category: Community Service Program of the Month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Title: National Volunteer Week Person in Charge: Melissa S. and Scott B. Nominator: Scott Busiel Address: 601 S. College Road Address: 601 S. College Road Phone: (910) 962-3877 Phone: (910) 962-5821 E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On-Campus Population: 3,100 Chapter Size: 31 Target Population for Program: 100 Attendance: 900 Number of People to Organize: 7 Time Needed to Organize: 1 Month Date of Program: April 18-25, 2009 Cost of Program: $150.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Description: National Volunteer Week is a program that many universities have caught on to over the past couple of decades. This is one week in April, and it is dedicated as a National Week. The Center for Leadership Education and Service (CLES) and a number of student volunteers wanted to create the first annual National Volunteer Week at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Over the course of the month, we contacted a variety of organizations both on- and off-campus and came up with this amazing week of events: On Saturday, the 18th of April, CLES worked with the Good Shepherd Center in Wilmington to help those in the local community. Around five student volunteers created meals for the less fortunate in our own community. This was a popular event and due to space and the amount of other volunteers, we could only bring five students. Sunday, April 19: Melissa Salvatore and Amnesty International showed the film, The Day My God Died. This educated 20 students on issues involving sexual slavery in third world countries. Along with the movie, they organized a discussion for the participants. Starting today, Melissa and other CLES students placed school supply collection boxes in the residence halls in support of the organization in the film: Friends of Maiti Nepal. This will help further the education of many of these children.

Monday, April 20: A passive campaign took place within our student union. Facts indicated numbers involving volunteerism within college and the Wilmington community. That same day, we appreciated our 900 volunteers with a Volunteer Appreciation Social. Our office provided cookies, lemonade, and a slideshow with pictures from throughout the year. Tuesday, April 21: Amnesty International, the Residence Hall Association, and CLES organized a Blood Drive with the American Red Cross. This was the last blood drive of the year, and we had many students, staff, and faculty support the event. Wednesday, April 22: Scott Busiel, the National Residence Hall Honorary, Amnesty International, and CLES helped to organize tabling for our first annual Sustainability Fair. Local businesses and student organizations participated and introduced our student body on their ways to become a sustainable society. Saturday, April 25: Working with Surfrider, CLES participated and brought volunteers to the last Carolina Beach Sweep. Music, food, and giveaways were provided in a way to thank individuals for volunteering throughout the year. Word Count: 392 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Origin: This is the first time that this program took place at UNCW. Melissa and Scott, two student workers at the Center for Leadership Education and Service, spoke about potentially creating a community service week, as our department focuses on civic engagement and leadership. With the help of our director, we created this week during the actual National Volunteer Week. This was something that we wanted to develop this spring and improve upon in the next couple of years. Our university has begun focusing on creating traditions and a greater sense of school spirit. This was another reason this program developed. Along with all of these ideas, CLES also wanted an opportunity to continue working with local, regional, and national service-based organizations. Forming and building these relationships has been what helps our office in creating new opportunities for programming and networking. Word Count: 140 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Goals of Program: There were a variety of goals that CLES and the committee wanted to commit to with our National Volunteer Week program. For one, our office is constantly in search of new and innovative ideas to get students active in the local Wilmington community. We have our

traditional programs that continue to grow year-after-year, but these new opportunities are what make our department one of the strongest at UNCW. Another goal our committee had was to create another tradition in which our campus is known. While this may take years, and we definitely considered that, CLES was up for the challenge. And while creating this new program and potential tradition, our students and committee wanted to have fun and connect with the local community. Service and recognition should not be solely based on work. This was our last program of the year, and we wanted to go out with a bang. Our committee wanted us to finish up the year strong and not have any regrets. Word Count: 165 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Positive and Lasting Effects of Program: Some of the positive and lasting effects of the program include some of the connections made during the planning and implementation phases. We have never worked with the Good Shepherd Center in Wilmington, and they were extremely thrilled to have college students helping with this noble cause. This could potentially be a future series of programs that our office develops. CLES and UNCW also wanted an opportunity to thank and recognize our volunteers. This year, we had over 900 students participate in our programs alone! That is over 400 students more than our previous best. Our Volunteer Appreciation Social helped these individuals feel like their work was significant. We hope they will continue volunteering with our office in their future years. A third and extremely important impact would include our involvement with numerous campus organizations and resources. Our students worked with those in Amnesty International, the Residence Hall Association, the National Residence Hall Honorary, and Surfrider. These groups dedicate their time to service and social justice issues. We can hopefully continue to work with these students in future projects and programs. Word Count: 181 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Short Evaluation of Program: For a first year program, National Volunteer Week turned out to be a great success. With nearly 900 students volunteering and getting recognized throughout the week, we hope that this enthusiasm will continue in years following. Some of the successes include our developed relationships with on-campus and outside organizations and departments. We worked with some amazing groups with missions that are similar to our own. Hopefully these relationships will continue. Our students also had

a great deal of positive feedback from the week. Many students wish they could have gotten more involved if their schedules had allowed them to. The Sustainability Fair also turned out to be fun and engaging. CLES and some of its student leaders were encouraged to use this idea with local elementary schools in sustainable and environmental education. This may become a future project for our office. One of the improvements that will need to be made for next year includes advertising and making sure this was done in a timely manner. Due to the sudden interest in creating this program, many students did not know some of the days the events were taking place. This has become a priority for change in next year’s planning. Word Count: 200 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How Could the Program Be Adapted to Other Campuses? This program can easily be adaptable to other campuses. If a student group is interested in putting on a National Volunteer Week, contact your civic engagement office or department on-campus. They will likely be in support of this idea and will be able to provide the contacts and other resources to make this possible. A great way for the success in any large-scale program is the formation of a committee. Gather a group of dedicated student leaders that want to make a difference. Have individuals contact outside non-profit organizations to plan service events for the week in April. Make sure to begin planning at the start of the spring semester, at least, as this event requires a great deal of time for contacting organizations and for marketing. Another way to ensure your success is to work with service and social justice-related student organizations on your campus. Make this program as large or small as fits the campus. And make sure to market far in advance, even if that includes teasers to start. When all is said and done, have fun! It is going to take a lot of work, but in the end, it will be meaningful and rewarding. Word Count: 199