Make a Difference day was a big hit, both for YVC and for the Volunteer Center!
In Collin County, the students painted a maze for the kids coming to the Halloween carnival, learned about stage directions, and draped the theatre in scary spiderwebs. Everyone had black paint all over them by the end of it, but it was great!
In Tarrant County, the project at Universal Health was a lot of fun, even despite being interrupted by a tornado warning, and in Dallas County, Dallas Heritage Village reaped many benefits from our service.
Our next big national service day is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and YVC is already planning some great projects for it!
The Youth Advisory Council is going to do a needs assessment soon so we can develop some ideas for our Global Youth Service Day projects, another national service day. Keep checking the YVC blog for more details coming soon!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Make a Difference on Make a Difference Day!
YVC of North Texas invites students in all counties in the DFW area to make a difference in their communities this Make a Difference Day on October 23, 2010! Along with the Volunteer Center's big event, the North Texas Volunteer Challenge, an annual fundraiser and rally for volunteerism in the DFW area, YVC is hosting three projects where students can come learn and serve and impact their communities!
In Collin County, YVC will host a project painting sets and setting up a haunted house for Plano Children's Theatre from 9am-12pm. Students will learn about the importance of the arts, play some silly theatre games, and impact the theatre in a big way for their upcoming Halloween event. Plano Children's Theatre is also looking for volunteers to staff the Halloween event on October 30th. Check out their calendar for more details on upcoming shows and how to get involved!
In Dallas County, Dallas Heritage Village is hosting a project for students from Peak Preparatory School. If your school is interested in doing a project with YVC or learning more about how to make service-learning opportunities and activities a part of your school's culture, contact Jonathan Wallace, jwallace@vcnt.org.
In Tarrant County, Universal Health is hosting a Fall Festival and Chili Cook-Off that needs to be staffed with volunteers in 2 shifts from 9am-12:30pm or 1-4pm. Students will be working different kiosks in association with the festival and will get to participate in the events and have a great time as well! We still need more volunteers for this event, so please email Sara Key at skey@vcnt.org if you are interested in making a difference!
We are very excited here at YVC North Texas to make a difference on Make A Difference Day, and we hope you go out and serve in your community, whether it is with YVC and the North Texas Volunteer Challenge, or otherwise!
In Service,
Youth Volunteer Corps
In Collin County, YVC will host a project painting sets and setting up a haunted house for Plano Children's Theatre from 9am-12pm. Students will learn about the importance of the arts, play some silly theatre games, and impact the theatre in a big way for their upcoming Halloween event. Plano Children's Theatre is also looking for volunteers to staff the Halloween event on October 30th. Check out their calendar for more details on upcoming shows and how to get involved!
In Dallas County, Dallas Heritage Village is hosting a project for students from Peak Preparatory School. If your school is interested in doing a project with YVC or learning more about how to make service-learning opportunities and activities a part of your school's culture, contact Jonathan Wallace, jwallace@vcnt.org.
In Tarrant County, Universal Health is hosting a Fall Festival and Chili Cook-Off that needs to be staffed with volunteers in 2 shifts from 9am-12:30pm or 1-4pm. Students will be working different kiosks in association with the festival and will get to participate in the events and have a great time as well! We still need more volunteers for this event, so please email Sara Key at skey@vcnt.org if you are interested in making a difference!
We are very excited here at YVC North Texas to make a difference on Make A Difference Day, and we hope you go out and serve in your community, whether it is with YVC and the North Texas Volunteer Challenge, or otherwise!
In Service,
Youth Volunteer Corps
Monday, September 27, 2010
Fall Activities
Hello everyone! Youth Volunteer Corps is back for another great Fall semester!
We started off the semester with a teen fair hosted in Collin County at Strikz Entertainment in Frisco. 10 nonprofit agencies were present to recruit students and tell Collin County teens about the great work they've been doing. Before the teen fair, we hosted a service project at Connemara Conservancy in Allen, TX. We had 40 people come out to clear trails and learn about why it's important to restore our native prairie. The project was a success, and Connemara thought very highly of the Youth Volunteer Corps volunteers. We're really glad we got to go out and help!
Coming up in Tarrant County, we have a project on October 9th at the Community Enrichment Center, where we are helping to deconstruct and do some landscaping in the Emerald Run Apartments. Students can go to www.handsonnorthtexas.org to sign up for the project or contact dpandya@vcnt.org or skey@vcnt.org
On October 23, Make a Difference Day, the Volunteer Center will be hosting the North Texas Volunteer Challenge. Students can learn about opportunities at the North Texas Volunteer Challenge on the Volunteer Center website: www.vcnt.org
Apart from projects, YVC has been assisting with a Community Works classroom at Irma Marsh Middle School in Castleberry ISD. The classroom is service-learning based, and students investigate a variety of community issues, conduct community needs assessments, and aim to serve with everything that they do.
Keep checking the blog or the YVC facebook page for more information about our upcoming events and other news from YVC!
In Service,
Youth Volunteer Corps
We started off the semester with a teen fair hosted in Collin County at Strikz Entertainment in Frisco. 10 nonprofit agencies were present to recruit students and tell Collin County teens about the great work they've been doing. Before the teen fair, we hosted a service project at Connemara Conservancy in Allen, TX. We had 40 people come out to clear trails and learn about why it's important to restore our native prairie. The project was a success, and Connemara thought very highly of the Youth Volunteer Corps volunteers. We're really glad we got to go out and help!
Coming up in Tarrant County, we have a project on October 9th at the Community Enrichment Center, where we are helping to deconstruct and do some landscaping in the Emerald Run Apartments. Students can go to www.handsonnorthtexas.org to sign up for the project or contact dpandya@vcnt.org or skey@vcnt.org
On October 23, Make a Difference Day, the Volunteer Center will be hosting the North Texas Volunteer Challenge. Students can learn about opportunities at the North Texas Volunteer Challenge on the Volunteer Center website: www.vcnt.org
Apart from projects, YVC has been assisting with a Community Works classroom at Irma Marsh Middle School in Castleberry ISD. The classroom is service-learning based, and students investigate a variety of community issues, conduct community needs assessments, and aim to serve with everything that they do.
Keep checking the blog or the YVC facebook page for more information about our upcoming events and other news from YVC!
In Service,
Youth Volunteer Corps
Friday, August 6, 2010
Parting is such sweet sorrow...
Today is the very last Friday, and the very last day of our four week program. The Summer of Service students graduate tomorrow. We are very proud of them, but we're sad to see them go. We've spent the day reflecting on not only this past week, but the entire four weeks of service, and reinforcing just how proud of them we are.
We've also got some State Farm folks with us, and the students have been having a great time telling them all about the service that they've done. Our speaker today was Carol Clyde from SMU, who spoke to us about the interconnectedness of leadership and service, and we took some great pictures with her and in our teams.
We've also got some State Farm folks with us, and the students have been having a great time telling them all about the service that they've done. Our speaker today was Carol Clyde from SMU, who spoke to us about the interconnectedness of leadership and service, and we took some great pictures with her and in our teams.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
State Farm Week
This week, our students are lucky to have employees of our amazing sponsor, State Farm, come out to their service sites and serve with them. Students get to mentor another volunteer and help get them engaged, and they have already made some memories and taken some pictures with their State Farm volunteers.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Summer of Service is almost over!
This past Friday, the Summer of Service students did an "Open Mic Night" reflection on their week. There is only one more week left, and the students wanted to share their creativity with each other. Some people read poems. The following were submitted for the blog:
In Summer Ministries
By Carlissa Cole
In the summer heat, I sweat very heavily.
In the summer days, I stayed and buried; plants.
In the church we painted. In Central Dallas Ministries
We planted. In my heart, I loved to see the beautiful day that I created.
My group and I held our heads high when we saw all of our goals being accomplished.
We loved our plants with much passion.
Musings from late July: A collection of haikus
By Audra Martin
Ridding soil of weeds
Mists of water to parched plants
Shovels in the clay
Brick lined flower bed
Children taught in the garden
Sprinkling cinnamon
Noon rays bake our flesh
Hide in room with no windows
Grumbling stomachs fed
Painting with colors
Making something from nothing
Bonding like family
Leaving sweat and love
Central Dallas Ministries
Pass on: Petunias
We took some great pictures, and painted a mobile mural to donate to another YVC Site!
In Summer Ministries
By Carlissa Cole
In the summer heat, I sweat very heavily.
In the summer days, I stayed and buried; plants.
In the church we painted. In Central Dallas Ministries
We planted. In my heart, I loved to see the beautiful day that I created.
My group and I held our heads high when we saw all of our goals being accomplished.
We loved our plants with much passion.
Musings from late July: A collection of haikus
By Audra Martin
Ridding soil of weeds
Mists of water to parched plants
Shovels in the clay
Brick lined flower bed
Children taught in the garden
Sprinkling cinnamon
Noon rays bake our flesh
Hide in room with no windows
Grumbling stomachs fed
Painting with colors
Making something from nothing
Bonding like family
Leaving sweat and love
Central Dallas Ministries
Pass on: Petunias
We took some great pictures, and painted a mobile mural to donate to another YVC Site!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Week Three Begins!
Week three got off to a great start yesterday, with the Snapdragonz working at Fair Park, the Shasta Daisies at Central Dallas Ministries, and the Petunias at the Dallas Zoo.
The Shasta Daisies have already had some great moments at CDM.
The Shasta Daisies have already had some great moments at CDM.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Halfway Celebration!
Our Summer of Service class is once again at the Dallas Public Library celebrating the end of week 2. We can't believe it's half way over already!
The students went and visited a local non-profit--The Stewpot and learned about their mission and some of their operations and goals as a homeless resource center. In addition to their regular operations, they operate a therapeutic art program and have paintings hanging all over their walls. The students and team leaders admired the paintings and the good work done at the agency.
The students went and visited a local non-profit--The Stewpot and learned about their mission and some of their operations and goals as a homeless resource center. In addition to their regular operations, they operate a therapeutic art program and have paintings hanging all over their walls. The students and team leaders admired the paintings and the good work done at the agency.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Shasta Daisies at Mosaic, Inc.
The Shasta Daisies have been creating a disaster preparedness handbook and plan for Mosaic, Inc. this week. While they were hard at work, the folks at Mosaic decided to take some pictures of the students.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Training Academy Moments
It's already half way through Week 2 for our Summer of Service Teams. All the students and all the teams have bonded, but the AmeriCorps Team Leaders remember when they were just getting to know each other. Here are a few pictures from Training Academy at the Dallas Public Library and Trinity River Audubon Center.
Our very first team builder:
Team building and our first service project at the Audubon Center:
Our very first team builder:
Team building and our first service project at the Audubon Center:
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Week One Draws to a Close
We have had a fantastic first week for Summer of Service! Our three teams, the Petunias, Shasta Daisies, and Snapdragonz have been working hard at each of their agencies.
The Petunias were at Central Dallas Ministries, helping out in the garden and painting a model of the city for a display. They hung a trellis for cucumbers, staked black eyed peas so they could grow tall, and helped water the garden.
The Shasta Daisies were at Texas Trees Foundation's tree farm at Richland College. They did some planting, weeding, and mulching. They had an interesting time of it too!
The Snapdragonz worked on a comprehensive disaster plan for the Pre-GED School. They inventoried the entire building, created a manual in case of a tornado, fire, or health-related emergency, highlighted fire escape routes for each room in the building, and even had some time to help the staff move offices. Jonathan Wallace from the Volunteer Center came in to talk about his experiences as an AmeriCorps member with the Red Cross during hurricane Katrina, and the need to be prepared in case of a disaster really hit home.
Everyone's looking forward to a day of reflection on Friday and a successful conclusion to the first week of service!
In Service,
YVC North Texas
The Petunias were at Central Dallas Ministries, helping out in the garden and painting a model of the city for a display. They hung a trellis for cucumbers, staked black eyed peas so they could grow tall, and helped water the garden.
The Shasta Daisies were at Texas Trees Foundation's tree farm at Richland College. They did some planting, weeding, and mulching. They had an interesting time of it too!
The Snapdragonz worked on a comprehensive disaster plan for the Pre-GED School. They inventoried the entire building, created a manual in case of a tornado, fire, or health-related emergency, highlighted fire escape routes for each room in the building, and even had some time to help the staff move offices. Jonathan Wallace from the Volunteer Center came in to talk about his experiences as an AmeriCorps member with the Red Cross during hurricane Katrina, and the need to be prepared in case of a disaster really hit home.
Everyone's looking forward to a day of reflection on Friday and a successful conclusion to the first week of service!
In Service,
YVC North Texas
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