“Like” EIA Civic Engagement’s new Facebook page here to receive opportunities and updates!

 Sign up for MLK Day of Service!

Participate in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service this Saturday 1/19 starting at 10:00 a.m. Visit go/dayofservice for more information and to sign up.

Charter House Homeless Shelter Volunteer Info Session

Wednesday 1/16 5:15 p.m. Ross B11

The Charter House winter housing facility that serves as an emergency home staffed 24/7 by trained volunteers who provide a warm, welcoming environment for families in stress. Attend this training to learn more about volunteering at the Charter House over J-Term and Spring Semester. Contact Charlotte Zelle, czelle@middlebury.edu if you have any questions.

Apply for Shepherd Internships (Apps due tmrw 1/15)
Apply for the paid Shepherd Internship Program, uniting students (including up to 5 from Middlebury) from nearly 20 member institutions with agencies that work to benefit disadvantaged communities and members of society. Learn first-hand about the multiple dimensions of poverty in the U.S., while working in an agency focusing on either education, healthcare, legal services, housing, hunger, social and economic needs, or community-building efforts. Questions? Contact Tiffany Sargent, tiffanys@middlebury.edu.

Dance Marathon this Saturday (1/19)

Middlebury’s second annual Dance Marathon to benefit the Vermont Children’s Hospital at Fletcher Allen in Burlington will take place on January 19th (SATURDAY) from 4pm to 4am in the McCullough Social Space. Each year, students and community members join with families and patients who have received support and care at Fletcher Allen for 12 hours of dancing, celebrating, and fundraising for VCH, our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. You must register to enter the event. Registration is $10 at go/dancemarathon. Sign up as a team or as an individual and get your family to sponsor you!!

Workshop: Introduction to Grant Research & Writing

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Thursday, January 17,  LaForce 121

This workshop, delivered by Kate McGowan, Executive Director of the United Way of Addison County, will introduce you to the fundamentals of Grant Writing: how to find Federal, State, Foundation, and Corporate grant opportunities and RFPs; introduction to what elements make a strong written proposal; introduction to preparing nonprofit organization budgets and the important elements of the grant process. Learn how to avoid some of the most common mistakes in grant writing and then use your new skills during a new job or summer internship! Questions? Contact Tracy Himmel Isham, thimmeli@middlebury.edu.

Still looking for mentors!

Middlebury Union High School is launching its mentoring program. Pairing high school freshmen with college students, the program will be the first of its kind in Vermont! Pairs will meet weekly to do a variety of activities based on shared interests—go to a hockey game, explore town! Endless possibilities await. No formal experience necessary, transportation available if needed. Training and strong support will be provided for all mentors. To find out more, please contact Nestor Martinez at nmartinez@middlebury.edu or at 802.443.3010.

Spring-Semester + Summer Orientation Trips Internship: Apply today!
Work with the College’s first-year orientation team to help plan and deliver MiddView (Middlebury Volunteer Initiatives, Explorations, and the Wilderness) trips. The trips are an integral part of our orientation efforts, and include three day, two night off-campus opportunities to engage in some aspect of Vermont’s cultural, community or outdoor landscapes. There are two positions available, one focusing primarily on the outdoor adventure-themed trips and one on community engagement and Vermont Explorations trips. Commitments commence in J-Term, with an average of 5-10 hours per week through the spring term. The position will then be extended through the summer, during which the typical workweek will be 37.5 hours. View the full position description and apply here.

NOM Seeks Food Lovers

NOM (Nutrition, Outreach, and Mentoring) is seeking more willing volunteers to plan and participate in group activities. In the past, NOM has led cooking nights at the local teen center, and nutrition workshops at local schools. Have an interest in local food and or whole, healthy eating? Come share your passions with others, and with the community at large. Plenty of opportunities available, funding provided for programming! For more information, please contact Nestor Martinez at nmartinez@middlebury.edu or at 802.443.3010.

Huertas Assistant Project Coordinator

The Open Door Clinic is seeking a motivated student to help coordinate and develop the Huertas program for the 2013 season. This past year, Huertas worked with Mexican farm workers living and working on dairy farms in Addison County to plant and maintain kitchen container gardens. The goal was to produce fresh healthy vegetables and herbs and provide nutrition education. With support and guidance the student will develop, coordinate and plant gardens with volunteers and participating migrant farmworkers. The student will commit to the full Spring semester, completing a variety of activities. The ideal candidate has garden experience, is proficient in Spanish and English, has a car, and is interested in a unique opportunity to create positive change.Independent study credits and additional paid summer internship may be available. Interested students should send a letter of interest and resume to: Jamie K. McCallum mccallum@middlebury.edu.

Support the Middlebury Alternative Break Trip Fundraisers!

MAlt Grille Delivery: Sunday-Thursday during J-Term 9:00 – 11:00 p.m., CALL (802)443-5014

Apply to the Flex Fund to finance your initiatives!
Whether it is transportation expenses, pumpkins to carve with Porter hospital residents, or turkeys to cook at the local shelter, we want to help you serve others. Visit go/funding to find our application under Civic Engagement Funding. Email scboard@middlebury.edu for more information.

Questions? If you have questions about any of these volunteer opportunities or want to learn more ways to get involved in the local community, contact Ashley Calkins, Community Engagement Coordinator, jcalkins@middlebury.edu, 802.443.3099

Both DREAM and Community Friends, two of the mentoring programs on campus, held their end-of-semester events right as exams rolled in this past weekend.

DREAM, which meets with children from the Pine Meadows and John Graham neighborhoods of Middlebury, took the group to Whirlie’s World on Exchange Street. Among other things, the children were able to play on arcades, explore the bouncy castle, and have an excellent lunch of pizza alongside college mentors. Who knows what sorts of prizes they walked away with after winning all of those raffle tickets! Over twenty-five DREAMers were in attendance!

Community Friends hosted a Gingerbread House Decorating party for mentor-mentee pairs. Children were able to decorate a gingerbread house from a large array of candy, make small craft items like bead necklaces, and enjoy holiday cookies and music. Some friends decided to head outside and toss a football around in the cold! All in all a very successful gathering.

Mentors came together this past month to celebrate both the spirit of mentoring and to share stories and insights with each other. Both DREAM and Community Friends, two student organizations on campus that work with local children of Addison County, held a training / retreat event in November with the aim of building upon the skills of new and older mentors. Discussions between newer and older mentors, perspectives from community partners, and guidelines for effective mentoring were among some of the integral parts of each event.

DREAM mentors participate in reflection activity during retreat.

DREAM, a group-based mentoring program, works with children of both the Pine Meadows and John Graham communities of Middlebury. Ranging in ages from 5 to 14, the children meet with college mentors on Friday afternoons to partake in a number of activities, ranging from themes such as “Science Day” to fun events like horseback riding. Working with Sarah Caliendo, Program Director of DREAM, mentors got together for their fall retreat. They were led through a variety of activities that centered around best practices for mentoring youth, as well as reflective activities on what it means to be an effective, responsive ally for them.

Community Friends mentors, new and experienced alike, share stories and insight on what it takes to be an effective mentor.

Community Friends, a one-on-one mentoring program, pairs college students with children of Addison County. Meeting individually on a weekly basis, pairs enjoy access to campus facilities or explore the local communities during their time together. During their fall training, both new mentors and older mentors were led through a discussion of challenges and strategies on mentoring children by Bridport Central School principal Kathleen Kilbourne and Mary Hogan Elementary School counselor Jeff Lester. Experienced mentors shared tips and ideas with new mentors, and many asked questions about potential challenges and setbacks. Mentors were provided guidelines on communication styles as well as other training tips.

Both events only helped to reinforce the notion of the importance of training and reflection when working with communities and particular populations, youth in this case. To the benefit of all, trained mentors are better equipped to address challenges as they arise and understand that they are not alone. Keep up the good work, DREAM and Community Friends!

Interested in education? Enjoy making a difference for others?

Consider being a mentor for a local high school teenager! Middlebury Union High School is ready to kick off its mentoring program, which will pair Middlebury College students with local high school students of Middlebury Union High School. College students will provide support in helping students graduate high school and assist them in building their own post-graduation plans.

Attend an interest meeting about the program on Thursday, November 5^th at 5:30 pm in Hillcrest 103. Questions? Please contact Nestor Martinez at 802.443.3010 or at nmartinez@middlebury.edu.

Looking for new opportunities, or want to make a difference? Have a passion and want to discover ways to continue exploring it? Come to the Fall MiddAction Fair  to get some information on ways to do this and more!

The 2011 Fall MiddAction Fair was highly successful and well attended.

At the fair, you’ll get a chance to meet representatives from over 50 non-profit organizations and student service groups to learn how you can get involved with our local community and our wider world. The MiddAction Fair will provide you with the opportunity to engage directly in local activism, volunteering, social justice, and service-learning activities in areas such as education, literacy, youth mentoring, environment, emergency services, public health, poverty, hunger, housing, and much more.

Please stop on by. Information on the fair provided below!

When? September 19, 2012, 6 – 7:30 PM

Where? McCoullough Social Space

Questions? Contact Ashley Calkins ’06, Community Engagement Coordinator, jcalkins@middlebury.edu, 802.443.3099.