Office of Active Citizenship & Service

2013 OACS Spring Break Photo Competition Winners

lauren.moon@vanderbilt.edu — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:23:26 +0000

2013 Spring Break Photo Competition

Drumroll………….

Congratulations to our winners of the First Annual OACS Spring Break Photo Competition!


1st Place – Manna International Project at Vanderbilt – Ferry, Jamaica

: 2nd Place – Alternative Spring Break – “Work It Out”

: 3rd Place – Alternative Spring Break – “Welcome, This is a Farmhouse”

Check out all of our amazing entries below. And be sure to visit the OACS Facebook page!

Thanks to all who contributed!

EVERY/THING IS ILLUM/NATED

lauren.moon@vanderbilt.edu — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:35:03 +0000

INTERACTIVE ART INSTALLATION!

Volunteer with OACS and other groups from around campus as we work together to install a beautiful and mysterious piece of art from 4-8pm on Monday, March 25th. Sign up for a one hour shift (or more!) on Anchor Link. And be sure to visit the OACS Facebook page!

Is art a form of service?

OACS Student Service Night!

lauren.moon@vanderbilt.edu — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:04:42 +0000

OACS STUDENT SERVICE NIGHT

TUESDAY MARCH 19th, 5PM

RAND 305

Join us this Tuesday to celebrate service in the community, our service organizations, and recent 2013 spring break service trips. We’ll be getting input on redesigning our office space and planning for the future. We want to put your ideas into action, so please join us! All are welcome!

We’ll also be selecting the winner of our photo competition! $150 for 1st place, $100 for 2nd and $50 for 3rd! See all the entries or upload a photo from your spring break service trip on the OACS Facebook page!

Photo Competition & Free Food!

2013 William Aaron Pathfinder Award for Outstanding Community Service

amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:29:43 +0000

Do you work hard to give back to the community? Get nominated for the Pathfinder Award, one of eighteen Magnolia Awards presented by LDIA!

OACS is seeking nominations for the 2013 William Aaron Pathfinder Award for Outstanding Community Service, one of eighteen Magnolia Awards presented by the Office of Leadership Development and Intercultural Affairs. With awards ranging from demonstrated leadership in intramural sports to commitment to cultural education, the Magnolia Awards recognize outstanding leaders across the campus community. Current juniors or seniors who wish to be considered for the Pathfinder Award should submit all nomination materials to oacs@vanderbilt.edu by Friday, February 15^th. A completed *nomination form will include the following:

Statement of support by applicant’s nominator
Comprehensive list of all student’s community service activities and leadership roles
Resume

The William Aaron Pathfinder award is named in recognition of William Aaron (Class of ’89), whose own path-finding led to the creation of the Office of Volunteer Activities – now the Office of Active Citizenship and Service. The award acknowledges students whose uncommon community service efforts and leadership skills demonstrate vision, creativity, and innovation. This award also celebrates Vanderbilt University’s extraordinary history of service to the Nashville community.

A selection committee, formed by the Office of Active Citizenship and Service, will review all nominations following the February 15^th submission deadline and notify the chosen award winners. Recipients will each receive a $250 honorarium.

*Nomination forms: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/leadership/wp-content/uploads/William-Aaron-Pathfinder-Nomination-20131.pdf

MLK Weekend of Service: Participant Sign-ups Now Open!

amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:49:25 +0000

MLK Weekend of Service

Participant Registration is now open!

Below is a list of all current MLK Weekend of Service opportunities. To sign up for a project click the corresponding blue link and it will direct you to the registration page. Please note all sign-ups are on AnchorLink, so you will need to log in first, before you are able to view the sign-up form. Thank you!

You can also download the available opportunities here: MLK Participant Registration. Project Descriptions2013.

More information on each opportunity is below, but participating groups include (in the order they are listed below):

Vanderbilt Juggling and Physical Arts
Vanderbilt College Republicans
Alpha Phi Omega
Alternative Spring Breaks
Are you Making a Difference?
Glamour Gals
Grassroots
Manna Project International
Circle K at Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Garden Initiative
Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science

12. Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science

13. Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science

14. Vanderbilt Wishmakers

15. Alpha Epsilon Delta

16. Sierra Club

17. International Student and Scholar Services

18. Peabody Graduate Student Association

19. Vanderbilt Internship Experience in Washington (VIEW)

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS:

Vanderbilt Juggling and Physical Arts

MLK Service Project at Tools for Schools

Saturday, January 19^th

10:00am – 3:00pm

Nashville Tools For Schools provides supplies to public schools who are in desperate need of furniture, repair work, etc. We will be working on some of the orders that come in over the holidays. Tasks include assembly, wood work, etc.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17440

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Vanderbilt College Republicans

MLK Service Project at Room at the Inn

Friday, January 18th

4:30pm -7:00pm

We will be preparing dinner for the 90 residents at Room at the Inn.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17437

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Alpha Phi Omega

MLK Service Project at Meals on Heels

Saturday, January 19th

1:00pm – 3:00pm

We will be making sack lunches and passing them out to people experiencing homelessness in the Nashville area.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17442

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Alternative Spring Breaks

MLK Service Project at Thirftsmart

Saturday, January 19th

9:00am to 12:00pm

We will be sorting clothes to help ensure all of their stores are completely stocked.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17424

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Are you Making a Difference?

MLK Service Project at Dismas House

Friday, January 18th

12:00pm – 3:00pm

We will be making physical, internal (and weather-dependent, external) repairs to the Dismas House, a temporary living arrangement for those released from incarceration until they secure independent housing and stable income.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17444

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Glamour Gals

MLK Service Project at Belmont Village

Friday, January 18th

3:00pm to 5:00pm

We will be going to a local Nashville nursing home to interact with the women. We will be painting their nails with them and getting to know each other.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17346

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Grassroots

MLK Service Project at 2nd Harvest Food Bank

Friday, January 18th

1:00pm – 4:00pm

We will be helping the food bank out by sorting through food donations. We will be packaging boxes of food that will be going to families and food relief efforts in Middle Tennessee, making sure that the food is not expired.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17438

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Manna Project International

MLK Service Project at the Boys and Girls Club

Friday, January 18th

3:00pm to 5:00pm

We will be helping the club run some of its weekly afternoon programs, such as tutoring kids or playing with them.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17414

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Circle K at Vanderbilt

MLK Service Project at Hands on Nashville

Friday, January 18th.

We will be going to local fire stations across Nashville and help fix up their firehalls and get to know some of Nashville’s heroes. Also, we will learn about fire safety and will enjoy camaraderie by working with fellow volunteers from around the Nashville area.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17426

Vanderbilt Garden Initiative

MLK Service Project at Vanderbilt Garden Intiative

Saturday, January 19th

11:00am – 3:00pm

We will construct raised gardening beds in two shapes. The first shape will be a pyramid planter. The second shape will be a vertical stack of 4-5 levels of beds about 8ft in length. The raised beds will provide our service-organization with many benefits including a massive reduction in laborious weeding, more produce per square foot, more efficient irrigation, and increased visibility. Our site leaders will undergo training in how to construct the beds, and we will organize an assembly line system that allows each volunteer to participate in the process to his/her desired skill level. We are excited to work with volunteers to get this great garden intiative rolling. It’s going to be a real milestone in VGI history.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17430

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Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science

MLK Service Project at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital

Friday, January 18th

1:00pm-4:00pm

Vanderbilt students will be stationed in the stage area of the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital near the food court. There will be six stations: UV Light and Sunprints, Straw Rockets, Cyrogenics, Lava Lamps, and Polymer Worm. Patients at the Children’s Hospital will be able to freely move from station to station to explore our fun science experiments.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17447

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Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science

MLK Service Project at Vanderbilt for a Middle School in Robertson County

Friday, January 18th

1:00pm – 4:00pm

This semester, VSVS is reaching out to Robertson Co. as part of an effort to be more involved in rural communities. The service will be making components for VSVS kits that will be used by middle school students in Robertson Co. Tasks will include labeling and filling bottles with chemicals, labeling and packaging minerals and rocks, and putting together circuits for electricity kits.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17448

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Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science

MLK Service Project at Vanderbilt for the Aspirnaut Program

Friday, January 18th

1:00pm – 4:00pm

We will be preparing science demo kits to be shipped to rural schools in multiple states for use with the Aspirnaut BEAMING Science education program for the Spring of 2013. The kits will include demos from all areas of science including chemistry, biology, geology and physics. The kits are made from pre-purchased supplies and need to be packaged, labeled, and boxed accordingly.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17517

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Vanderbilt Wishmakers

MLK Service Project at Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee

Friday, January 18th

2:00pm – 6:00pm

Vanderbilt Wishmakers will be helping Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee prepare for Stars for Wishes, a fundraising event that brings together celebrities and Middle Tennessee Wish Kids as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Season of Wishes campaign. This is the Middle Tennessee chapter’s first year with this project, and their only internal event. Volunteers will be helping collect items, organizing, loading cars, and anything else that needs to be done for the event on Saturday.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17434

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Alpha Epsilon Delta

MLK Service Project at Project C.U.R.E.

Friday, January 18th

3:00pm – 5:00pm

We will be sorting donated medical supplies to be sent to remote health clinics around the world. We will have the opportunity to learn about the use of various medical equipment as well as help serve communities abroad.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17436

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Sierra Club

MLK Service Project at Tennessee Warner Parks

Saturday, January 19th

9:00am – 1:00pm

Vanderbilt Sierra Club will participate in a number of projects under the direction of Volunteer Coordinator Paul Fowler. These include but are not limited to: invasive species removal, creating trails along the scenic route, and planting trees along new trails.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17441

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International Student and Scholar Services

MLK Service Project at the Dismas House

Friday, January 18th

5:00pm – 8:00pm

We will be preparing dinner and sharing a meal with Dismas House residents. For more information about the Dismas House click here: http://www.dismasnashville.org .

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17342

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Peabody Graduate Student Association

MLK Service Project at Fannie Battle Day Home for Children

Friday, January 18th

Three sessions: 9am-12pm, 12pm-3pm and 3pm-6pm

We will be putting on an MLK-themed program for the after-school students, as well as helping teachers in the infant-Pre-K classrooms during the day.

Please sign up below.

https://anchorlink.vanderbilt.edu/form/start/17308

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Vanderbilt Internship Experience in Washington (VIEW)

MLK Service Project with Hands on Nashville & Local Fire Stations

Saturday, Jan. 19^th from 10am – 1pm

We will be going to a local fire station in Nashville on Lebanon Road to help paint and clean the fire-hall and get to know some of Nashville’s heroes. Also, we will learn about fire safety and will enjoy camaraderie by working with fellow volunteers from around the Nashville area.

Please visit: www.hon.org to sign up

Thank you for preserving the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. by joining in action that promotes the presence of justice and strives to benefit the common good.

We are honored to share in this with you.

There’s still time to spend May 2013 in Ecuador!

amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:08:02 +0000

OACS has extended the deadline for applications to the Ecuador Project 2013

Experience one of the most fascinating countries in South America through the lens of service this coming May 2013!

Cultural & Language immersion, service work, and new friends from Vanderbilt to experience it with!

The deadline for applying to this transformational project has been extended to the 14th of January 2013. We encourage you to review the opportunity over winter break and complete your application during the off-time while classes are out. More information can be found at: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/oacs/oacs-programming/ecuador.

Undergraduate and/or graduate students will have the opportunity to work at service site(s) related to their personal and professional interests in and around the capital city of Quito during the week and on weekends tour many amazing facets of Ecuador’s landscape and dynamic culture! Explore the Amazon, hike various mountain ranges & peruse local towns and markets. Particular emphasis this year will focus on sustainable farming and land development.

SERVICE AREAS INCLUDE:

Early Childhood Education
Special Education
Public Health
Environmental Education

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Application Form
Two Letters of Recommendation
3.0 GPA*
Financial Aid Forms
Current Resume

Scholarship funds are available in limited quantities and more information on financial aid can be found online or by emailing OACS staff listed below.

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/oacs/oacs-programming/ecuador

Or please contact: Amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu or clive.mentzel@vanderbilt.edu or call (615) 343-7878 for more information.

MLK Weekend of Service: Register a Project Now

amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:22:29 +0000

Registration is now open for the MLK Weekend of Service, Friday, Jan. 18th & Saturday, Jan. 19th, 2013

Join students, staff, and faculty across the Vanderbilt campus as we serve in a diverse array of community projects during MLK Weekend, Friday, January 18th and Saturday, the 19th. Various group leaders will develop projects that address community needs and foster community engagement through intentional service and action. Not only will we be asking “Where you see justice in the community,” but also, “What are you doing to promote it?” Join Vanderbilt as we explore in action the various ways in which those questions are being answered, and sign up to lead a project now!

To register a project on January 18th or 19th, please click on this link: https://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/form/j9k5SE

For more information on service opportunities or if you have questions, please contact oacs@vanderbilt.edu.

Deadline for submissions is December 5th. Service opportunities will be made available to all VU students, staff, and faculty on December 11th, 2012.

We will also be hosting a reflection on Monday, January 21st from 4:00 – 4:45pm in Rand 305, following the Weekend of Service. Please plan to join us for this time together to discuss your project, investing in our community, and what it means to be an “active citizen” and to engage in service.

Thank you for your consideration! We look forward to hearing more about your project.

-OACS

Give Back Night at Chili’s is Today

amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:33:34 +0000

Eat food. Support Relief.

The Vanderbilt American Red Cross student organization is sponsoring a Give Back Night today at Chili’s on West End in support of Hurricane Sandy relief. Please print this flyer and go grab some food for a great cause. Anytime between 11am and 10pm today 10% of sales will go to the Red Cross to donate for relief, as long as you present this flyer. Please spread the word!

The link to the Facebook event is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/132941253520571/?notif_t=plan_user_joined. If you have questions please feel free to email: jaclyn.m.quartner@vanderbilt.edu.

Please let us know if you have any questions or ideas about further relief efforts in response to Hurricane Sandy.

-OACS Staff

Hurricane Sandy: A message from OACS

amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:46:44 +0000

The Vanderbilt Emergency Relief Coalition convened last week to discuss Hurricane Sandy and its incredible impact all over the East Coast. According to CNN and other news outlets, Hurricane Sandy has reportedly left behind at least 108 deaths from Haiti to Canada, over eight million people have been without power, and transportation systems and other infrastructure severely damaged or ruined, among other effects.

There are several ways that we might be able to help, and the coalition began thinking about potential responses including a donations drive, a new blood drive, using revenue from a “Vandy Rocks the Vote” t-shirt coming out soon to donate to relief efforts, as well as the possibility of various student organizations and campus partners teaming up to send groups of students to various sites over spring break to work in relief. We are looking into finding organizations and/or individuals in affected areas who can help us identify places to focus on and/or ways to help.

We are open to all suggestions and are still actively recruiting information and ideas. If you know of students who have been affected or of ways to help, please email amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu with that information or contact.

Finally, below are some immediate ways to help. If you hear of someone who is anxious to assist in relief efforts, you may refer them to these items or to anyone on the OACS team. It is our hope that the Emergency Relief Coalition can work to create a unified response to this across campus, in order to make as strong an impact as possible. Your involvement and input would be greatly appreciated in achieving this.

OACS Emergency & Disaster Response page: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/oacs/get-involved/emergency-response

more ways to help:

If you aren’t able to personally provide shelter and supplies to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, it doesn’t mean you can’t help at all. There are many organizations along the East Coast that are providing shelter, food and other supplies to victims of superstorm Sandy.

Nearly 100 Red Cross blood drives were canceled because of Sandy, so blood supplies are low in the areas affected the most. The Red Cross asks that those who can donate to schedule an appointment to give blood. The New York Blood Center is urging people to donate blood for those in the New York/New Jersey area. To donate, call 800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.

One way to help is by donating to the Red Cross. All donations will provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by the storm. To donate, visit www.redcross.org, call 800-Red-Cross or text the word “Redcross” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

The Salvation Army has dozens of mobile feeding units and shelters along the East Coast that are working to serve thousands in the most heavily hit areas. Visitwww.salvationarmyusa.org to donate.

AmeriCares is providing medicine and other supplies to people affected by Hurricane Sandy. To donate, visitwww.americares.org.Feeding America has thousands of pounds of emergency food, water and supplies in the disaster zone that it is working to distribute to the storm’s victims. To donate, visitwww.feedingamerica.org or call 800-910-5524.

World Vision is distributing flood clean-up kits, personal hygiene items and emergency food kits to people hit by the hurricane. To donate, visit www.worldvision.org.

Save the Children is also working to provide relief to families and their children. Visit www.savethechildren.orgto donate.

Samaritan’s Purse is asking for volunteers to help storm victims. To volunteer, visit their website.

(abc.com, CNN, Redcross.org)

Ecuador Project Applications Now Out

amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:10:11 +0000

Applications are due November 30th at 4pm

The Ecuador Project – May 2013

The Ecuador Project introduces students to cultural, social, and environmental issues facing the Ecuadorian region through community-based service.

Upcoming Information Sessions:

Monday, Nov. 12: 6pm

Tuesday, Nov. 13: 6pm

Wednesday, Nov. 28: 6pm

Location: OACS Conference Room, Sarratt | Rand 304

Students will have the opportunity to work at a service site related to their personal interests in the city of Quito during the week and tour many amazing facets of Ecuador’s landscape and culture on the weekends! Explore the Amazon, hike various mountain ranges & peruse local towns and markets. Particular emphasis this year will focus on sustainable farming and land development.

SERVICE AREAS INCLUDE:

1. Early Childhood Education

2. Special Education

3. Public Health

4. Environmental Education

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Application Form

Two Letters of Recommendation

3.0 GPA

Financial Aid Forms

Current Resume

*The program fee is $1,650, not including airfare, vaccinations, or additional extracurriculars. Scholarship funds are available in limited quantities.

www.vanderbilt.edu/oacs/oacs-programming/ecuador

Please contact: lisa.kendall@vanderbilt.edu or (615) 322-7859 for more information!

Office of Active Citizenship & Service

2013 OACS Spring Break Photo Competition Winners

2013 Spring Break Photo Competition

Congratulations to our winners of the First Annual OACS Spring Break Photo Competition!

Thanks to all who contributed!

EVERY/THING IS ILLUM/NATED

INTERACTIVE ART INSTALLATION!

Is art a form of service?

OACS Student Service Night!

OACS STUDENT SERVICE NIGHT

Photo Competition & Free Food!

2013 William Aaron Pathfinder Award for Outstanding Community Service

MLK Weekend of Service: Participant Sign-ups Now Open!

MLK Weekend of Service

Participant Registration is now open!

More information on each opportunity is below, but participating groups include (in the order they are listed below):

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS:

There’s still time to spend May 2013 in Ecuador!

OACS has extended the deadline for applications to the Ecuador Project 2013

MLK Weekend of Service: Register a Project Now

Registration is now open for the MLK Weekend of Service, Friday, Jan. 18th & Saturday, Jan. 19th, 2013

Deadline for submissions is December 5th. Service opportunities will be made available to all VU students, staff, and faculty on December 11th, 2012.

Give Back Night at Chili’s is Today

Eat food. Support Relief.

Hurricane Sandy: A message from OACS

more ways to help:

Ecuador Project Applications Now Out

Applications are due November 30th at 4pm

The Ecuador Project – May 2013

The Ecuador Project introduces students to cultural, social, and environmental issues facing the Ecuadorian region through community-based service.

Upcoming Information Sessions: