One Man. One Walk. 3,000 Miles Across America

What do the words community, movement and engagement all have in common? A sense of empowerment to provide individuals with an experience that will change their life.

Jonathon Stalls, an Alum of Metro State just got back from an amazing journey. Jonathon and his dog, Konoa walked 3,000 miles from Delaware to San Francisco, to empower individuals to build community and raise awareness of Kiva ,http://www.kiva.org/ which provides micro-credit to individuals wanting to start their own business.

On Monday February 28^th, 2011 from 11:30 to 1pm,come hear this fascinating story about his journey, the Kiva Walk. This event is located in Tivoli 320. A light lunch will be provided.

Come here their story and have an inspiring, engaging afternoon!

For more details about this event please contact: Kelly Felice, The Association for Non Profit Professionals or the Center for Urban Connections.

We hope to see you there!

Ways to Give Love to Others

When I was looking into doing potential blog postings today, I thought it would be interesting to create a post that doesn't talk so much about love or the depressing side of this holiday, but instead from the perspective of giving to others. I happened to come across an article at The Case Foundation, http://www.casefoundation.org/spotlight/valentines, and this article talks about exactly what I thought would be a cool twist.

Being valentines day and all, it can be a challenge to not think positively to the whole part of what love really means. I think that if we can center ourselves to understand that the act of love means a lot of things,we can bring light to many things, including giving back to the community. Here are a couple of the ideas that I liked or was inspired by. These fun and interesting ideas, help to enlighten the inner volunteer in you. 1. If you chose to go out for dinner, chose a simple restaurant instead of a fancy one, and donate the half that you would have spent to your favorite non-profit organization. 2. If there is a non-profit that you care for, take the time to give them an valentine appreciation letter! 3. Donate clothes to local thrift stores to give back to your local community, to love & clear things out from your wardrobe! 4. If your buying flowers or chocolates, look into how local and/or fair trade they are. Re-think these questions: are they coming from a local floral shop? Is the chocolate that you are buying made in a sustainable and healthy manner? 5. This week, February 12-18, is Small Random Acts of Kindness. From saying "you're awesome" to a friend or volunteering for a couple hours at a soup kitchen, you can give back by being generously simple and kind.


For more ideas promoting random acts of kindness visit: http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/. Hope that one of these ideas sparked for you on this day, and encouraged you that there are many ways to celebrate what is lovely about life!

Thanks for reading!

Rachelle
Media/Events Assistant
Center for Urban Connections

Tolietries Drive!

Is your bathroom overflowing with any unwanted items such as sample soaps, toothpaste given at dentists offices & shampoo bottles ? If so, you can donate all of those items to our Toiletries Drive for the African Community Center! For this year's Alternative Spring Break in conjunction with doing a three day service project, the Student Leadership board is doing a toiletry drive. This drive benefits the non-profit the African Community Center, http://www.acc-den.org/g/ whose mission is to help refugees build a safe, sustainable lifestyle in Denver through a support system of people, programs, and services.

All donations from this drive, will go directly to refugees. Please help the Student Leadership Board and our office bring in lots of helpful items for these individuals. The items that we need are: deodorant, soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, tissues,and women's items.

We will be collecting donations until March 18th. You will see boxes out by the departments and one in our office, Tivoli 243.


Thanks for reading!


 Rachelle Media/Events Assistant
 Center for Urban Connections

Once Gumballs, Now Change Seeds in Urban Communities

Have you ever seen a vending machine on the street and wondered could that be used for social change? Word on the street says that it can.

I found a very interesting concept article on http://www.good.is/ It is about how one couple decided to up-cycle and use bubble gum machines as seed bombs. These things that look like falafel balls are "packed with native wildflower seeds ready to land in unsuspecting sidewalk cracks, vacant lots, and parking medians".

With these change seeds in place, this L.A. nonprofit, Project Green Aid, gives individuals an opportunity to put their spare change in to help their community and refresh its resources. It also creates "casual activism". This project has been funded by the Pepsi Refresh Project, which is an incentive project that helps people to come together, think of ideas, and take action.

Here at Metro State, we have the compost program. Our compost program helps the community by initiating a student impact to help our lovely environment.

Thanks for reading!


Rachelle
Media/Events Assistant
Center for Urban Connections

Its Not Too Late to Sign Up for the Bed Races!

Hello Enthusiasts of Service Learning and Engagement!

This is a friendly reminder that there are still a lot of spaces left for the upcoming Bed Races coming up in February!

The Bed Races requires a team ( of 5 people, 4 who push the bed and 1 who rides as a passenger) and a 50 dollar registration fee that supports Denver's Road Home and the Denver homeless community.

The rules for the bed race are as follows: The bed must be pushed down the driveway, where the passenger must dismount the bed, don pajamas ( and button them fully), get back on the bed, which is then pushed back to the original start line.

If you have any questions about this event, do not hesitate to visit http://pjday.org/ or come into our office, The Center for Urban Connections at Tivoli 243 or call (303) 352-7129.

Have a wonderful day!

Rachelle

Media/Events Assistant

Center for Urban Connections

MLK Peace Breakfast: A Reminder to be a Social Activist in the Community

Black and white decor and old timey vintage newspapers covered the bare tables in the Turnhalle, as a layer of awareness struck the individuals on Friday January 18th. This day was the 20th anniversary of the MLK Jr. Peace Breakfast.

The 300 people in attendance varied from students, faculty to numerous community activists who believe in the ethic of social justice and peace. The breakfast started out with social advocates within the school, then moved onto musical acts, storytelling and a wonderful vocalist who was a Metro alumni.

This breakfast honors 4 unique individuals who believe in social equality and equal rights, in the community with a peace award. This gives awardees , an item of applause and appreciation , for all of the work they have done in the Denver community to bring awareness to diversity and equality among all individuals.

Master of Ceremonies, donnie betts, believes that bringing the generational gaps inward and to a close, would make room for open discussions and a plethora of ideas to promote action in the community.

He stated that if community organizations, but most importantly Auraria Student Organizations interweave to create a sense of connection and deepening of a progressive movement, there would be more togetherness to bring allies in support of each other, together to take action.

betts said, " We must find out how we all can now , like the 60's and 70's, come together and work for a common good."

As much as our school and community can, we all should work on being positive, helping out each other reach our dreams, and be able to go through all social justice with an open mind and heart.

The highly popular " I have a dream..." speech gave individuals of all race, sex, religions and beliefs a dream of understanding. Now, we need to re-invent that dream to balance the chaos of everyday life. We need to have dreams and not be afraid to do so, and lastly we need supporters like friends, family,and the community to give us the ability to make it possible and believe in us.

To find out more about our center or volunteer opportunities, please visit us in Tivoli 243 or call (303) 352-7129. Our website is:http://www.mscd.edu/urbanconnect/

Thanks for reading!

Rachelle

Media/Events Assistant

Center for Urban Connections

Some Reasons Why Volunteering Is Awesome!

What is a green festival? A Green Festival, http://www.greenfestivals.org/ promotes environmental awareness, fair trade and sustainability. The organization that puts on this festival, recently put out an article that lists the top ten reasons to volunteer. I found that this is an essential to have with all of our students, faculty and staff because we all have busy lives, and sometimes volunteering for something is not our number one thing we need to do, although it should be integrated into our weekly schedules.

There is a lot of promotion for Green Festival Volunteers. I know from volunteering at the Green Festival in Denver in 2009, that this a legitimate organization and one with a lot of passion and dedication to what it means to be green.

I also want to mention, on the subject of green, that the Auraria Campus is composting! This is our first semester of having compost and composting classes available to all students, staff and faculty! The green bins are located all throughout the Tivoli. If you could please be mindful and look out for them, our center, as well as Compost Auraria would greatly appreciate it and our campus could be one of few, who composts in an urban community.

Here is what Green Festivals aka Global Exchange and Green America Say Why Its Important to Make Time to Volunteer:

1. Joy of Giving

Involvement in a cause steeped in creating a better life for the world and all of its inhabitants brings a joy that is unlike any other. It will give you a unique feeling of purpose and power that will feed your spirit, expand your mind and boost your self-esteem.

2. Networking and Career Advancement

Volunteering can contribute to your career in a number of valuable ways. It strengthens your resume, boosts your visibility in the community and can connect you to valuable references. Plus, listing your volunteer experience on a resume demonstrates to prospective employers that you are conscientious, engaged in your community and able to manage your time to include giving back.

3. Fun with Friends and Family

Rewarding experiences are best shared, and volunteering is certainly more fun with two, four or six. Many of the volunteer roles at Green Festival can be shared with friends or family. Bring a youngster to partner with you; those who begin volunteering during their youth will typically become life-long volunteers.

4. A Step out of your Normal Routine

Volunteering is a great way to learn a new skill, explore new interests, discover untapped talents and meet new people. You may have social skills underutilized in your daily life that can be a valuable tool as an educator on the Green Team, or you may be a real kid-magnet, perfect for the Green Kid’s Zone. Find a hidden strength!

5. Make a Difference that will Reach Around the World

When you volunteer for the Green Festival, you are contributing to an event that promotes sustainability, human rights and environmental responsibility in the U.S. and around the world. By contributing your time, you are ultimately participating in promoting responsible energy sources, changing the life of a coffee farmer in Mexico or opening the door of opportunity for an African seamstress or an Indian jewelry-maker.

6. Connect with your Community

Volunteering is a powerful tool that brings together individuals with similar goals and ideology. Share the day with hundreds of like-minded volunteers, and you could meet your next boss, the love of your life or a magnetic new friend.

7. Gain Valuable Service Hours

Most high schools and some universities now require a certain number of service hours be earned before graduation. Have a great time fulfilling your school’s requirement; there are so many volunteer roles and shifts at Green Festival that, if you were so inclined, could earn you upwards of 20 hours in a weekend!

8. It’s Healthy

Volunteering gets you up, out and moving. It improves your mood with feelings of joy and optimism which relieves stress, boosts your immune system and slows the aging process. Invest your time in a healthy pursuit while making a real difference in your community.

9. Free Admission and Great Benefits

Let’s be frank, one of the reasons to volunteer for Green Festival is to gain that Free Admission all weekend! Plus, you get the exclusive, organic cotton, sweat-shop-free event tshirt, free memberships in Global Exchange and Green America for one year and access to food, relaxation and a free coat check in the Volunteer Lounge all weekend.

10. It Saves Resources for your Cause

Volunteers at the Green Festival save us up to $40,000 in staffing costs at each event. That means there is that much more funding to spend on promoting social justice and environmental responsibility. Though your service is more valuable than money, we recognize this is a piece of your contribution that is tangible and measurable.