Community Service Bulletin

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Spotlight

Apply for a Public Service Center Fellowship! The Public Service Center is offering paid Fellowship opportunities for the spring semester and the summer! If you are an MIT student, you can work on a project by yourself, with friends, or apply to join a team selected by the Public Service Fellowships staff. You can create your own project or select an advertised project to work on from the PSC website. All Fellows work on projects that bring sustainable benefits to communities around the world. Check out the opportunities at web.mit.edu/mitpsc/fellowships/. Applications for summer fellowships are due at noon on March 21. Applications for spring fellowships are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, contact Alison Hynd, hynd@mit.edu.

One-Time Opportunities

Mingle and Discuss Issues on US Involvement Abroad with Author Jane Collins. (3/19)
Volunteer with the Charles River Conservancy over Spring Break! (3/22 & 3/29)

Ongoing Opportunities

Spice up a Tired Website for YWCA Boston!
Become a Mentor to a Child with a Disability and Help Them Become More Active.
Help Print-Disabled Students Succeed in their Education.
Be a Coach, Be a Leader, Be a Mentor! Join Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring.
Invest in a Child. Inspire a Future. Tutor for the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club.

Fellowships and Funded Opportunities

One-Time Opportunities

Mingle and Discuss Issues on US Involvement Abroad with Author Jane Collins. (3/19)
Jane Collins compiled the stories of military families taking action against the war, some of whom have experienced the ultimate loss. She and a few subjects from her book will be speaking from their unique perspective on the issue on Wednesday, March 19, 7pm in Stata Center room 123.

A mixer with free food will follow. Mingle and discuss the myriad issues concerning our part in this national and international issue, avenues for opposition with impact, andpractical steps for US involvement abroad.

For more information email Nadeem Mazen, nadeem@mit.edu.

Volunteer with the Charles River Conservancy over Spring Break! (3/22 & 3/29)
Volunteer with the Charles River Conservancy (CRC) over spring break to promote stewardship of the beautiful river that banks our communities, have fun and meet new people!The CRC is a nonprofit citizens’ advocacy group dedicated to the renewal and stewardship of the Charles River Parklands. The Conservancy works to make these parklands more attractive, active and accessible to all.

The last open tree pruning events of the year will be on March 22, 9:30am-2pmand March 29, 10am-2pm. Event location and directions are given uponregistration. Spots are limited and a waitlist will be started if necessary.

You can also schedule a special event for your community group, school, or company. And remember, it’s not too early to schedule an event for the fall!

To sign up or schedule an event, please contact Evan Moss, 617-619-2853, edm@thecharles.org.

Ongoing Opportunities

Spice up a Tired Website for YWCA Boston!
Update the web design of one of Boston’s historic human service organizations. YWCA Boston, established in 1866, has a terrific mission (“empowering women, eliminating racism”) and a variety of outstanding programs. Their website is uninspiring and does not reflect their current programming. They would like to update it ASAP, as their major fundraising event of the year is June 4.

Interested? Contact Catherine Coleman, ccoleman@ywcaboston.org, 617-585-5482.

Become a Mentor to a Child with a Disability and Help Them Become More Active.
Project Adventure of Children’s Hospital, Boston seeks volunteers 2 hours per week at a local YMCA. The goal of Project Adventure is to help children with special health care needs and disabilities have an inclusive recreational experience in local YMCA’s. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in sports/recreation or the medical field and working with children with disabilities and special health care needs.

For more information, contact Jenna Curry, Jenna.Curry@childrens.harvard.edu, 617-556-4075, x15.

Help Print-Disabled Students Succeed in their Education.
Come to Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) studio to digitally record textbooks in a wide variety of subject areas.

Two-hour recording sessions take place daily, throughout the morning and evening. Ultimately flexible scheduling; you record when it is convenient for you. "Last-minute" and "walk-ons" welcomed. RFB&D records in all academic areas, but there is an acute need for readers in the sciences.

The RFB&D digital-audio recording studio is located at 58 Charles Street, Cambridge, near the Galleria Mall -- a ten-minute, safe walk from Kendall Square.

For a complete information kit, email volboston@rfbd.org.

Be a Coach, Be a Leader, Be a Mentor! Join Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring.
Adoption and Foster Care (AFC) Mentoring has a growing waiting list of boys who would like a male mentor in their life. By spending time with a young boy, you can provide him with the opportunity to grow and succeed, but mostly just be a friend. Mentoring with AFC can open the doors to many new opportunities for you and your mentee. AFC has sent matches to Red Sox games, Celtics games, museums, the zoo and many more events!

Volunteer mentors must be over 18 and have an interest in working with youth who have personal experiences with adoption, foster care, and/or similar situations. All mentors attend an information session and two AFC Mentors trainings. Mentors must pass through a screening process, including six hours of training and an interview, and commit to meeting with their mentee at least eight hours a month, for at least one year.

If you are interested in becoming an AFC Mentor, sign up for an upcoming information session at www.afcmentoring.org.

For more information, contact Abby Austin, Recruitment and Volunteer Coordinator, abby@afcmentoring.org, 617-224-1302.

Invest in a Child. Inspire a Future. Tutor for the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club.
Tutor in a fun and exciting environment to encourage students to excel in school while assisting kids, 13-18, with their academic studies and future. Available times are Monday-Friday, 3-8pm at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club Teen Center.

Requirements: CORI & SORI forms, valid drivers license or passport, minimum commitment of 1 hour per week for 12 weeks. Tutors are needed in the subjects of math, physics, science, English, and Spanish.

To become a tutor, contact Rachael Lyon, 617-242-1775, x234.

For more information about the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club, visit www.bgcb.org.

Fellowships and Funded Opportunities

The MIT Public Service Center is not responsible for the quality or safety of outside service agencies, and does not screen volunteer placements or projects.

The Community Service Opportunities bulletin is published once a week by the staff of the MIT Public Service Center. To access information about previously published opportunities, please visit the archives on the right column. If you have questions, feel free to call us at 617-253-0742, or stop by 4-104.

To be removed from this list, please email psc@mit.edu.

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