A Day to Make a Difference
Saturday, September 6, 2007 and Sunday, September 7, 2008
Join us to make a difference in the local community!
You are cordially invited to join the Wellesley College Alumnae Association and the Center for Work and Service for the ninth annual A Day to Make a Difference. This event is a worldwide celebration that offers Wellesley College students, alumnae, faculty, employees and families the chance to participate in service projects in their communities. Due to the overwhelming success over the past eight years, we are pleased to continue Wellesley’s rich tradition of service and citizenship.
We invite you to take part in this year’s campus-wide event and collaborate with students, faculty, staff, and local alumnae on a wide variety of service projects on Saturday, September 6, or Sunday, September 7. Family members and friends are also welcome to join us. Last year, faculty, staff, and union members contributed over 1,500 volunteer hours to this event.
Please check back for details on 2008 service projects and registration details.
The following service projects were arranged for Saturday, September 8, 2007:
- COASTSWEEP 2007 Beach Clean-Up is sponsored by the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management, a group dedicated to keeping beaches clean, alive, and accessible. Each fall, they hold an annual clean up of area beaches. Volunteers will to pick up debris at Revere Beach. This is a great project for families with young children! For more information, visit http://www.coastsweep.umb.edu/. The bus will leave at 9 a.m. and return by 2:45 p.m.;
- Community Harvest Project is a nonprofit organization in North Grafton that grows fresh produce for the Worcester County Food Bank. Volunteers will harvest vegetables and box them for transportation. This is a great project for families with young children! For more information, visit www.community-harvest.org. The bus will leave at 8:30 a.m. and return by 1:30 p.m.;
- Cradles to Crayons provides poor and homeless children with everyday supplies, from strollers and car seats to books and clothing. Volunteers will work at the warehouse inspecting books, packing clothing, sorting through toys, stuffing backpacks, and a dozen other tasks that directly help the organization to process and fill orders for hundreds of children each week. Volunteers must wear closed-toed shoes. For more information, visit www.cradlestocrayons.org. The bus will leave at 9 a.m. and return by 3 p.m.;
- Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary strives to promote awareness of the interdependence of people, land, and wildlife. One of the ways they do this is through sustainable agricultural practices that do not include pesticides or monocultures. Help in the fields could include harvesting, weeding, or preparing produce for market. Come with hats and sunblock. This opportunity is for volunteers 14 years of age and older. For more information, visit http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Drumlin_Farm/index.php. The bus will leave at 9 a.m. and return by 2:30 p.m.;
- Freedom House Inc. is an historic community-based, civic action agency in the Grove Hall neighborhood of Boston. Freedom House’s mission is to promote the long-term sustainable economic and social development in Boston's communities of color. Volunteers will work on various maintenance tasks throughout the building including painting and yard work. This project is organized by the Wellesley Multi-faith Council in partnership with Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM), an interfaith association that mobilizes congregations in greater Boston across economic, religious, racial and ethnic boundaries to work in partnership for a just society. For more information about Freedom House, visit www.freedomhouse.com. For more information on CMM, visit www.coopmet.org. Project orientation will take place from 9:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. Your confirmed reservation will include where to meet on campus for your orientation. The group will leave campus at 11 a.m. and return by 5 p.m. Participants must attend the morning orientation in order to participate in the afternoon service project;
- Greater Boston Food Bank: Founded in 1979, the Greater Boston Food Bank is a nonprofit clearinghouse for food donated by over 500 supermarkets, wholesalers, manufacturers, caterers, restaurants, and individuals to help provide 465,000 meals each month. It is the largest hunger-relief program in New England and annually distributes 13 million pounds of food to soup kitchens, food pantries, and homeless shelters. While on location, volunteers will be inspecting, sorting, and repacking food in the product recovery warehouse. This project welcomes those 16 years of age and older. For more information, visit www.gbfb.org. Volunteers will depart Wellesley at 8 a.m. and return to campus at 1 p.m.;
- Stone Zoo: Located in Stoneham, the Stone Zoo is a nonprofit organization committed to teaching wildlife and wildland preservation, developing and pursuing conservation, and fostering awareness of the environment and interdependence of our global ecosystem through these community and recreational centers. At volunteers will help with set-up for “A Wild Affair,” a zoo fundraiser that will take place that evening and zoo clean up. Participants must be 14 years old. For more information, visit www.zoonewengland.org. The bus will leave at 9:15 a.m. and return by 2:45 p.m.;
- This year’s On-Campus Project will focus on planting and improvement projects around campus, including planting day lilies around Founders Parking Lot. Volunteers should wear work clothes and gloves and be ready to do some serious planting! This project begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 1 p.m.
On Sunday, September 9, 2007 volunteers worked at the Community Farms Outreach - Waltham Fields Community Farm in Waltham. The projects and programs of Community Farms Outreach (CFO) are inspired by their mission, one that integrates hunger relief, education and the promotion of community farms. Waltham Fields Community Farm (WFCF) supports local hunger relief efforts by providing fresh produce to local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. Since its germination in 1995, WFCF has donated over 150,000 pounds of produce. For additional information on this organization, visit www.communityfarms.org/index.html. The group will leave campus at 9 a.m. and return by 1 p.m.
To reserve a space in a service project, please return or email the registration form by Monday, August 25, to Melissa Hawkins at mhawkins@wellesley.edu with your request.
Space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. We will try to accommodate your first or second choice. All service projects meet in Founders Lot at the time of departure listed above. If you are planning to bring children under the age of 12, please contact us for more information about volunteering with children. Questions can be directed to Melissa Hawkins at the Center for Work and Service at 781-283-2357 or Sally Meredith at 781-283-2333.
Please bring a bag lunch to your volunteer site or plan to eat ahead of time. Refrigerators/coolers will be available to keep your meals cold.
Upon returning to the College after your day of service, please join us at the steps of Founders and Green Halls (next to the Founders Parking Lot) for ice cream. Each volunteer will also receive a t-shirt commemorating these special days.
We look forward to you joining us for what promises to be a memorable experience!
Sincerely,
| Melissa Hawkins Director of Service and Stipend Programs Center for Work and Service |
Sally Meredith DS’99 Director of Classes and Reunion Alumnae Association |
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