New Student Volunteer Day draws 75

More than 75 new students volunteered on Monday, Aug. 24, for New Student Volunteer Day. For two hours, the students helped local non-profits in the community and cleaned up Gilmore Creek. This was a new addition to New Student Orientation, and Volunteer Services was excited to see the tremendous turnout. If you have students who are interested in volunteering, or you if you require volunteering for a class project, contact Katie LaPlant, kalaplan@smumn.edu, for assistance.

Volunteer Services gets grant from Campus Compact

Volunteer Services received a $350 Grant from Campus Compact as recipient of the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service mini-grant, administered by Minnesota Campus Compact on behalf of North Carolina Campus Compact and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Other recipients include Gustavus Adolphus College, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Concordia University, Lake Superior College, North Hennepin Community College and Normandale Community College.

In 1994 Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the King Holiday as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of a day off from work or school, Congress asked Americans of all backgrounds and ages to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy by turning community concerns into citizen action. The King Day of Service brings together people who might not ordinarily meet, breaks down barriers that have divided, leads to better understanding and ongoing relationships, and is an opportunity for service organizations to recruit new volunteers.

Students encouraged to use Dumpster Diversion

The Office of Activities Leadership and Services and the SMU Chapter of Habitat for Humanity have teamed up with Habitat Restore and The Catholic Worker Houses for Dumpster Diversion.

Students can place unwanted clothing, food, appliances and furniture in their hall’s lounge, and Habitat and the Catholic Worker volunteers will come by and pick it up. All donations go to aid in the work that these organizations participate in.

For more information, contact Katie LaPlant, Ext. 6936.

Volunteer Committee events

A tentative schedule for future “Let’s Do Lunches” includes:

April 19 — “Let’s Do Lunch,” featuring a potato bar and hosted by the Education Department
May 18 — “Let’s Do Ice Cream”
June 22 — “Let’s Do Ice Cream”
July 20 — “Let’s Do Ice Cream”

The annual “Spruce Up Winona” day with WSU and Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical has been set for Wednesday, April 25. Faculty, staff and students can volunteer from 1 to 3 p.m. or 3 to 5 p.m. Projects will include painting and school-yard cleanups. Contact Katie LaPlant at Ext. 6936 for more information.

Faculty, staff and students are joining together April 24 to clean up Gilmore Creek as part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s Adopt-a-River program.

Volunteers will clean a 2-mile stretch of the creek surrounding our campus. The cleanup will run from 3 to 6 p.m. Materials and instructions will be given out at 3 p.m. near the Information Desk. Please call Deb Nahrgang at Ext. 6966 or e-mail dnahrgan@smumn.edu and sign up. Please also specify which hours you will be able to work.

Gloves, bags and water will be provided. Please wear comfortable clothing that can get wet and dirty.

WSU, SMU students donate to ‘Empty Bowls’ fundraiser

Winona State University will present the popular fundraiser “Empty Bowls” Thursday, April 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in WSU’s Watkins Gallery.
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WSU and Saint Mary’s University art students and area potters are collaborating with local restaurants and bakeries to offer bread and soup in handmade pottery bowls. Adults donate $12, students $8 for lunch and a pottery bowl they can keep. All donated funds go to the Winona Volunteer Services Food Shelf.

In addition to WSU and SMU students, local ceramic artists Chuck Aydlett, Charley Campbell, Marilyn Klinker, Mike Knox, Michelle Maslowski, Anne Scott Plummer, Lynette Power and Teresa Schumaker have produced more than 250 wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware bowls.

There will also be a selection of ceramic pieces offered for silent auction. Area restaurants donating homemade soup and bread are Beno’s, the Blue Heron, Chartwells, Good Harvest, Signatures, and Bread and Bagel.

For more information, call WSU professor and Gallery Director Anne Scott Plummer at 457-5393 or e-mail: aplummer@winona.edu.

Faculty/staff group forming for April's Relay for Life

Winona State University and Saint Mary's University are co-sponsoring the fourth annual Relay for Life April 21-22 in the WSU Courtyard. This year’s theme is “A Night with the Stars.” Activities include live bands, theme laps, prizes, a silent auction, games and salsa lessons.
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Last year, the two universities raised more than $50,000. Their goal is to raise more than $65,000 this year. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society to aid cancer research and help in the fight.

Several SMU student teams and one faculty/staff team have formed. If you are interested in joining the faculty/staff team, contact Jason Richter, Ext. 1648, or Laurie Erdmann, Ext. 1464.

Relay for Life is a fun-filled overnight event (though participants do not need to stay overnight) designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money to help the American Cancer Society save lives, help those who have been touched by cancer, and empower individuals to fight back against this disease. During the event, teams of people take turns walking or running laps. Each team keeps at least one team member on the track at all times. But Relay for Life is much more than a walk around a track. It is a time to remember those lost to cancer and celebrate those who have survived.

To raise money for this important cause, the faculty and staff team is planning a number of fundraisers this spring.

A silent auction, planned for mid-April, will feature homemade/handmade arts and crafts. Anyone who would like to donate items for the auction should contact Erdmann or Richter by April 11. The auction will be held in the Admission conference room April 12-13. Auction ends at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 13.

During a Pampered Chef fundraiser, 20 percent of all sales will go to the American Cancer Society. Return orders with payment by April 3. Call Erdmann at 1464 or Janelle Ansell at Ext. 1464.

Read more about Relay for Life at www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=19055.

SMU hosts high school bands

SMU will host area rock bands Saturday night, April 21, in the gymnasium. Cotter and Winona Senior High School bands will participate. Donation is a canned good for the Winona Food Shelf.

Volunteer Committee events

A tentative schedule for future “Let’s Do Lunches” includes:

April 19 — “Let’s Do Lunch,” hosted by the Education Department
May 18 — “Let’s Do Ice Cream”
June 22 — “Let’s Do Ice Cream”
July 20 — “Let’s Do Ice Cream”

The annual “Spruce Up Winona” day with WSU and Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical has been set for Wednesday, April 25, and the Gilmore Creek cleanup has tentatively been scheduled for April 24. Watch for more details!