WEServe Week of Service

Wesleyan alumni help their communities every day. The WEServe Week of Service is a time to celebrate this by participating in a service project in your hometown, side-by-side with Wesleyan alumni, students, families and friends.

January 20-26, 2013, marked the first official WEServe Week of Service. It followed the National Day of Service on January 19 and honored Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 21. As part of this initiative, 23 volunteer “project captains” organized 39 community service opportunities in 17 cities and towns around the world.  Projects brought together members of the extended Wesleyan family to paint, sew, feed, read, teach, garden, and more. Plans are in place to repeat and expand WEServe in January 2014 and year-round.  View a map of all 2013 projects, or read about how to plan your own WEServe project in the future.


NEWS AND PHOTOS

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WEEK OF SERVICE CALENDAR

Prefer to see projects by location? Visit the WEServe map.

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

New York: A Hand Up, Not a Handout, for the Homeless - WEServe New York: A Hand Up, Not a Handout, for the Homeless - WEServe

Be a painter for a day! 10 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Maximum of 20 registrants. Organized by Muzzy Rosenblatt '87.

New York: Serving the Underserved - WEServe New York: Serving the Underserved - WEServe

Serve dinner to homeless adults. 4 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. or 4:30- 7:30 p.m. depending on day and location.  Maximum of 4 registrants per location. Organized by Muzzy Rosenblatt '87.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Cromwell: Cleaning the Mattabassett & Connecticut Rivers - WEServe Cromwell: Cleaning the Mattabassett & Connecticut Rivers - WEServe

Clean up the Mattabassett and Connecticut Rivers while kayaking. 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Maxiumum of 10 registrants. Organized by Janit Romayko MALS'10.

Philadelphia: Lunch at Bethesda Spruce Street - WEServe Philadelphia: Lunch at Bethesda Spruce Street - WEServe

Serve and eat lunch with formerly homeless women coping with mental illness while being entertained by Wesleyan's own New Group. 11:30 a.m.- 2 p.m. Organized by Brad Moss '80.

Princeton Junction: Pillowcase Dresses to Protect Girls - WEServe Princeton Junction: Pillowcase Dresses to Protect Girls - WEServe

Sew simple pillowcase dresses to protect girls around the world from trafficking. 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Organized by Peggy Mitchell Redman MA'72.

Chicago: Volunteer at the Uptown Cafe - WEServe Chicago: Volunteer at the Uptown Cafe - WEServe

Serve dinner restaurant style at the Uptown Cafe. 5:30- 7:30 p.m. Maximum of 7 registrants. Organized by Hayley Stokar '06.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Bronx: Public Elementary School Beautification - WEServe Bronx: Public Elementary School Beautification - WEServe

Put together a creative display of student art work. 8:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. Maximum of 15 registrants. Organized by Jeho James Seo '97. 

Nicaragua: Workday at a Youth Agroecology Farm in Nicaragua - WEServe Nicaragua: Workday at a Youth Agroecology Farm in Nicaragua - WEServe

Enjoy the tropics while planting, harvesting, and maintaining the farm...then join in a game of soccer! 2 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. Organized by Rachel Lindsay '05. This project is sponsored by the Class of 2005 and Long Lane Farm Alumni.

Santa Monica: Feeding the Homeless - WEServe Santa Monica: Feeding the Homeless - WEServe

Prepare and serve dinner for residents of a temporary housing facility. Maximum of 7 registrants. 4:30-6:30 p.m. Organized by Charlie Smith '55.

Boston: COMPASS for kids Goes Viral - WEServe Boston: COMPASS for kids Goes Viral - WEServe

Build a social media plan to promote COMPASS for kids and help spread the word about the great work that they do. 5 p.m.- 7 p.m.  Organized by Jodi Wilinsky Hill '78.

Las Vegas: Food Backpacks for Three Square - WEServe Las Vegas: Food Backpacks for Three Square - WEServe

Prepare "food backpacks" for Clark County School District children. 5:15-7:30 p.m.  Organized by Pam Greenspon '89.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Washington DC: More than bread at Bread for the City, DC - WEServe Washington DC: More than bread at Bread for the City, DC - WEServe

Sort donations at a food pantry. 5:30- 8 p.m. Maximum of 12 registrants. Organized by Gabriel Gonzalez-Kreisberg '09 and sponsored by the Wesleyan DC Club.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Brooklyn: Read Aloud at Riverdale Ave School - WEServe Brooklyn: Read Aloud at Riverdale Ave School - WEServe

Read aloud to pre-K through second graders. 8:30-10 a.m.  Maximum of 11 registrants. Organized by Jennifer Robinson '07.

Birmingham: Nourish the Needy - WEServe Birmingham: Nourish the Needy - WEServe

Prepare and serve meals for homeless women and children. Maximum of 10 registrants. 4:30-6:30 p.m. Organized by Chinelo Dike-Minor '00. Sponsored by the Alumni Elected Trustee Nominating Committee.

New York: Serve Dinner at The Bowery Mission - WEServe New York: Serve Dinner at The Bowery Mission - WEServe

Serve dinner to homeless and unemployed men, women and children.  6:30 p.m.- 8 p.m. This project is full to capacity. Organized by Donna Temple '95.

Friday, January 25, 2013

New Haven: Kindergarten Guest Readers - WEServe New Haven: Kindergarten Guest Readers - WEServe

Read aloud to students, and do one-on-one literacy work if time allows. 8:30-10 a.m. Organized by Makaela (Steinberg) Kingsley '98.

Middletown: WesAGE Social Hour - WEServe Middletown: WesAGE Social Hour - WEServe

Enjoy games, conversation, and cross-generational connections with residents of One Macdonough Place. 1:50-3 p.m. Maximum of 15 registrants. Organized by Shane Donahue '14.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Ellicott City: Million Kid Movement - WEServe Ellicott City: Million Kid Movement - WEServe

Participate in hands-on activities and learn how to help children of Rwanda. Organized by Lisa (Middleton) Brown '87. 

Boston: Food Distribution with the Red Cross Food Pantry - WEServe Boston: Food Distribution with the Red Cross Food Pantry - WEServe

Prepare emergency food bags and distribute to low-income clients. 8:30 a.m.- 12 p.m. Organized by Linden McEntire '04.

Fort Lauderdale: Garden Cleanup at Intercession Fort Lauderdale - WEServe Fort Lauderdale: Garden Cleanup at Intercession Fort Lauderdale - WEServe

Help the Church of Intercession clean up its garden area which helps provide food to a local food bank. 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.  Organized by Charles Gregory '74.

Los Angeles: Spruce Up A Youth Center for Spring Semester! - WEServe Los Angeles: Spruce Up A Youth Center for Spring Semester! - WEServe

Spruce up the warehouse, maintan the garden, and set up a community sale! 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. Organized by Rebecca Friendly '11.

Bethesda: WeServes NCCF - WEServe Bethesda: WeServes NCCF - WEServe

Volunteer at the National Center for Children and Families Boutique and storeroom and help prepare a mailing. 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Organized by June Jeffries '75.

Greece: Athens Playground Facelift - WEServe Greece: Athens Playground Facelift - WEServe

Clean up and paint a neighborhood playground. 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Organized by Efrosini Camatsos '98. This project is sponsored by the Class of 1998.

  
Interested in planning a WEServe project in the future? Visit Resources for Project Captains.

Prefer to view the project list on a map?

WEServe STEERING COMMITTEE

  • Makaela (Steinberg) Kingsley ’98, Associate Director, Alumni and Parent Engagement and Events
  • Cathy (Crimmins) Lechowicz, Director of Wesleyan’s Center for Community Partnerships
  • Paul Gagnon, Civic Engagement Coordinator and Career Counselor
  • Stephen McCarthy ’75, Co-Founder, Wesleyan Alumni  in Philanthropy and Public Service (WAPPS)
  • Izzi Greenberg ’05, Executive Director, Middletown’s North End Action Team
  • Shane Donahue '14, student representative, Wesleyan Office of Community Service

QUESTIONS

Contact Kathleen Spignesi in the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement & Events at (860) 685-2116 or kspignesi@wesleyan.edu.


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