Brock Cares Day of Service, October 1st, 2011
Student Community Outreach
Brock Cares Day of Service, October 1st, 2011
Brock Cares Day of Service October 2011 was a huge success! We sent over 100 students to 13 different project sites! Below are descriptions of the projects that were completed by the student volunteers:
Service Project #1: Port Cares Reach Out Food Centre
Description of Agency
Port Cares (Port Colborne Community Association for Resource Extension) is a community organization that provides leadership, support, and resources to enhance the quality of life for individuals in Port Colborne and the surrounding Region. Port Cares has many programs that assist people in the community. They achieve their goals by instilling values to ensure that they make a difference in their community.
Port Cares has recently expanded their Reach Out Food Centre, creating much more space for their community meal programs as well as a room on the brand new second floor! This room will be used as a classroom for a food associates training program for individuals in the community looking to get into the food industry. Volunteers at this project will be helping to prime and paint the classroom.
If you are a gardener (or if you’d like to try something new) The Reach Out Food Centre is also in need of a little curb appeal. We will supply the gardening materials; all we need is your effort and enthusiasm! The Reach Out Food Centre also appreciates donations to its garden – if you have some perennials that are growing wild in your backyard, consider transplanting a few plants into a pot and bringing them with you to plant in the garden at the Reach Out Food Centre.
The work of The Hope Centre is much more than charity. The Hope Centre provides a full continuum of services and supports to individuals and families who are struggling with poverty related issues. The Hope Centre is committed to building and strengthening the Welland community by attending to the basic needs of our marginalized citizens and by advocating change in existing social structures which contribute to poverty, homelessness, and compromised health.
Warm food and warm hospitality are key for this project. Volunteers will be working in the Hope House kitchen to prepare and serve lunch the residents of the Hope House emergency hostel. After the meal students will have the opportunity to interact with clients as well as The Hope House staff.
Climate Action Niagara (CAN) is an exciting environmental community-based, not-for-profit organization. The mission of CAN is to enable residents of Niagara to achieve environmentally sustainable practices through education and actions.
The Niagara Community Garden Network (NCGN) is made up of interested residents and organizations from across Niagara who are making community gardening an integral part of city life. Community gardens are located in municipal parks, building rooftops, at senior’s residences, school board properties, beside churches, and more.
The students who sign up for this project will be putting their green thumbs to work in order to tidy up the Centennial Community Garden, located in Centennial Park in St. Catharines.
Environment Day (E-Day) is an annual event hosted by the Niagara Region. This year E-Day will be taking place in Niagara Falls. This event gives Niagara region residents an opportunity to drop off various items for recycling free of charge. These items can include household hazardous waste, reusable household building materials, scrap metal, electronic equipment, reusable clothing and small household items and appliances.
We need a couple able-bodied volunteers to help unload vehicles and also to assist with traffic direction and control during E-Day.
Start Me Up Niagara works with individuals to improve life quality and level of self sufficiency by providing opportunities to improve health, increase level of community integration and support employment.
Volunteers at this project site will be assisting with the weekend meal program. Students will be helping to prepare and serve lunch to clients as well as helping to clean up after the meal.
Start Me Up Niagara works with individuals to improve life quality and level of self sufficiency by providing opportunities to improve health, increase level of community integration and support employment.
Volunteers will be assisting with the Second Annual Harvest Festival in Centennial Park. We will be helping with the set-up of the event, monitoring and traffic control, helping at booths and chatting with visitors.
Hope Furniture Bank collects gently used home furnishing in order to provide individuals and families in Niagara Region with the beds, tables, chairs and other furnishings that turn “shelter” into “homes”. The members of your community that receive these items are referred by organizations like: Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Programs, Canadian Mental Health Association, Public Health, Family and Children’s Services, YWCA – Shelters and Transitional Housing, Hope Centre, Port Cares and Community Care St. Catharines. Since becoming a charity January 1, 2008 Hope Furniture Bank has been helping families and continues to grow within the Niagara Region. The organization has provided furnishings to 289 households since inception. In 2009 Hope Furniture Bank furnished 53% more homes.
Students who select this project will have the opportunity to help sort furniture, organize household items such as dishes, linens, pots and pans and empty boxes of donated items.
This on-campus or “close to campus” project is divided into two parts involving the United Way and TESL Niagara in the morning and the Adopt-A-Road program in the afternoon.
The United Way funds many programs and charitable organizations that benefit our community. It helps to fill the gaps left between government programs and the available funds of low income families. It is a staggering reality that 1 in 6 families in the Niagara Region live in poverty. Each year Brock University’s faculty and staff host a United Way campaign to raise funds for the United Way and the 65 programs funded by the United Way of St. Catharines & District. Last year Brock’s campaign rose over $102,000 for the United Way and October will mark the launch of the 2010-11 campaign.
Collate United Way information and donor packages for Brock’s Annual United Way Campaign
TESL Niagara is a small non-profit organization that seeks to help English Second Language Teachers and students. It supports teachers by offering workshops and conferences that help fulfill the requirements of qualification. TESL Niagara works extensively with the DALS department at Brock and Niagara College to support students training to enter the field. It also assists ESL students by providing literacy awards and additional educational support.
Stuffing envelopes with donor request letters and adding mailing labels.
Brock has adopted stretches of St. David’s Road and Glenridge Ave as part of Niagara Regional’s Adopt-A-Road Program. Volunteers from the University are responsible for cleaning the designated area three times a year. In addition to the satisfaction gained by providing a cleaner environment, a sign has been erected by the Region acknowledging the efforts of Brock volunteers on the adopted roads.
General clean-up and garbage pick-up along the roadways adjacent to the Brock campus.
Register for this project here.
Service Project #11: Big Brothers and Big Sisters
Back to Project List.
In the afternoon, volunteers will be working on designing and painting posters to promote the fundraising initiative, Brock Bowls for Kids.
Register for this project here.
Back to Project List.
Register for this project here.
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