March 8, 2008

Alumni, students, and friends we invite you to participate in Bridgewater College's annual Alumni Day of Sharing on March 8, 2008. As a service volunteer you can provide valuable help to the various agencies as well as build good will by representing the College in various communities.

The way that the Alumni Day of Sharing will work is that Office of Alumni Relations will make some contacts with agencies that have existing opportunities for that day. This list will be posted on this page as contacts are made, so be sure to check back as we get closer to the date. As a volunteer you will need to contact the agency directly to make arrangements for helping them and to make sure that they still have openings available. This would be a great opportunity for you to contact some of your alumni friends to volunteer as a group.

If there aren't any agencies listed below that are near you or you'd like to volunteer with other agencies, we would encourage you to find an opportunity in your local area. If you have a service opportunity for us to list on this webpage, please let us know. You can reach the Office of Alumni Relations at 540-828-5451. A few suggestions for you to check with would be things like:

- Local United Way Office
- Soup Kitchens
- Food Pantry
- Salvation Army
- Thrift Stores
- Parks and Recreation Dept.
- Your Local Church

Be sure to call all agencies a few weeks prior to March 8 to make your arrangements as they might need to make special preparations for you to be there. Also, whether you are contacting an agency from the provided list or contacting your own local agency, here are a few important questions to ask:

- What kind of work might you be asked to do?
- Is this an existing project or will they have to create a new one for you?
- What is the maximum number of volunteers the agency can accommodate?
- Are there spots available for you, your family, or your alumni friends?
- Is there, and if so, what is the RSVP deadline (when the agency will need to know that you are committing to come on March 8 and how many are coming) and who should you contact?
- What clothing would be appropriate to wear?
- Will your agency provide water for you or should you bring your own?
- Any other items that you should bring along?

TELL US HOW IT WENT. If you participate in the Alumni Day of Sharing event we want to hear about it! Be sure to take a camera along, wear some Bridgewater College gear and get some good action pictures of you performing the volunteer service. Then send your photos and your stories to the Office of Alumni Relations at alumnews@bridgewater.edu or College Box 40, Bridgewater, VA 22812.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE BUT CAN'T ON MARCH 8TH? That's ok, you can volunteer to do service work on another date as well. It will still be part of the Alumni Day of Sharing effort and you are welcome to do so.

POTENTIAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

(PLEASE CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR UPDATES!)

AGENCY: Trinity Clothes Closet - OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE ONLY Sat. March 1st
LOCATION: Harrisonburg, VA
PROJECT: Clothes closet for area residents
DESCRIPTION: Sorting clothes, lifting boxes
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Max. of 4
ATTIRE:  Casual
RSVP: Contact Janet Slough at 540-433-2296 or Melodie Davis at 540-833-5106 by Feb. 23, 2008.

AGENCY: Brethren Woods - Camp and Retreat Center
LOCATION: Keezletown, VA
PROJECT: Beautification of the grounds.
DESCRIPTION: Clean up from recent ice storm damage. Dragging and stacking of down limbs, brush and debris.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: 12 MAX.
ATTIRE:  Outdoor work clothes and work gloves.  NO open toe shoes.
RSVP:  Contact Doug Phillips at 540-269-27412 or 820-4735 by March 6th.

AGENCY: SERRV International
LOCATION: 500 Main Street, New Windsor, MD
PROJECT: Nonprofit organization that reduces poverty aroudn the world by offering high-quality and unique products through a nationally distributed catalog and website.
DESCRIPTION: Volunteers would unpack boxes, checking them for quality control, putting prices on items, repacking items individually, and putting them in boxes for distribution.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: 10-40, anytime during 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ATTIRE:  Comfortable clothes. Bring your own water.
RSVP:  Contact Mary Ann Grossnickle at 888-821-1114 or email maryanng@serrv.org
by March 6th to reserve a complimentary lunch.

AGENCY: Harrisonburg Baptist Church
LOCATION: Harrisonburg, Va.
PROJECT: Serving bag lunches
DESCRIPTION: Assisting church volunteers in the kitchen; preparing, providing and distribution of bag lunches to underprivileged. In addition, serving as a social catalyst for the morning for all people participating.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: 4-5 max.
ATTIRE:  Comfortable clothes. Bring your own water.
RSVP:  Contact Cindy Skelly at 540-434-8046, no later than March 6th.