See our *Calendar* for service-related events that are scheduled for the year.
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Click on the links below to see details about our annual events.
Ah-ha (Advocating for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness) Week
Volunteer Appreciation Reception
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The Social Justice Series was begun in spring of 2009 in hopes of promoting the education of Lawrence students on contemporary matters of social justice and specifically injustice. Periodical presentations cover a wide variety of social issues.
Past events include:
November 5, 2009
[Encounter: West Africa] Dry Tears. Malnutrition. AIDS.
Presented by Pete Brokkop, missionary from Burkina Faso
Brokkop examined the reality of poverty, drawing on his 27 year experience in Africa, and associated problems: malnourishment, dehydration, and illnesses such as AIDs and malaria. He spoke of his work on developing people rather than programs through both community health education and formal education, to combat the country’s high illiteracy rate of 85%.
Attendance: 49October 27, 2009
Nibakure Children’s Village, Hope for Orphans in Rwanda
Presented by Floriane Robins-Brown, executive director and CEO of NCV, and Claudia Kaul, Board Secretary
Presentation on the birth and construction of Nibakure Children’s Village, which seeks to house 150 children in a village of family-style homes. Joining the Rwandan government, non-governmental organizations, and individuals, Nibakure Children’s Village is dedicated to the process of rebuilding and providing support for orphans.
Attendance: 26May 2009
Hotel Rwanda and Professor Brozek Discussion
Co-sponsored event with Amnesty International
President of Amnesty introduced the movie, providing a brief background to the issues that occurred in Rwanda during this time. Showed of Hotel Rwanda. Professor Jason Brozek from the Government department gave his reaction to the film and led brief discussion/answered questions.
Attendance: ~30April 2009
Solving Wisconsin’s School-funding Crisis
Presented by Tom Beebe – Executive Director of Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES)
Presentation on the past, present, and future of the state’s school-finance system. It is action-oriented and stresses helping communities understand what they can do to change the system to make sure their children and children throughout the state have access to quality education.
Attendance: 10February 16, 2009
Protection for the World's Battered Women
Presented by Sylwia Matlosz of the VCSC
Around the globe, extraordinary numbers of women are victims of domestic and gender-related violence. Oftentimes, protection from authorities for these women is unreliable or nonexistent. If a woman manages to escape her abuser and flee her country, how should the United States and other first world countries treat her and other women with similar backgrounds? Learn about the forms of gender-based violence and the specific risks facing refugee women.
Attendance: 9
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Saturday of Service (S.O.S.) is an ongoing Volunteer and Community Service Center program designed to encourage students to participate in volunteer opportunities that fit their specific interests, without the fear of making long term commitments. Student interests are gauged based on interest surveys that are completed by students throughout the year.
Past events include:
April 2008
Being-There Reaching-Out Gold Star Family Day
Students chaperoned children at the Gold Star Family Day for families who had lost a dependant or parent in Iraq. The event took place at the Paper Valley Hotel and volunteers did arts and crafts, played on the Wii, and hung out with kids ages 2-16.
December 2007
Fox Cities Salvation Army: League of Mercy
Students interested in volunteering with the elderly delivered holiday gifts provided by the Salvation Army to residents of Outagamie County’s Brewster Village. The program lasted approximately two hours and provided a bit of holiday cheer to the residents and the participating volunteers.
October 2007
Fox Cities YMCA: Make a Difference Day – Freaky 5K Run/Walk
Students interested in volunteering with children were able to do so during the YMCA’s 2nd Annual Freaky 5K. Volunteers ran games, did face painting, and helped with food distribution as well as clean-up.
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The Hunger Banquet is an OXFAM America program organized by the VCSC and co-sponsored by the student organization SWAHP. It usually takes place during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week in November (organized by Students' War Against Hunger and Poverty-SWAHP). This unique dinner presentation gives students the opportunity to experience how the majority of the world eats with an interactive and visual representation of the world's population.
October 29, 2009
Guest speaker Jill Mitchler from the Emergency Shelter spoke about homelessness in Appleton and what LU students can do to make a difference. Hunger Banquet script was adapted and presented by Sylwia Matlosz, Natalie Grattan, and Chelsey Sand. During the meal, images from “What the World Eats” were presented.
Attendance: 20Fall 2008
There were 32 people in attendance this year. Guest speaker Marie Lackore spoke about her experiences abroad dealing with hunger and poverty. Hunger Banquet script was adapted and presented by me (Kaileigh Arnold), Casey Sautter, and Laura Streyle. A short film was shown, "Together, We Can End Poverty" which discussed the global food crisis with examples from Ethiopia and the Midwest of the United States.
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Make A Difference Day is the nation’s largest day of helping others. It is most commonly called a day of “neighbors helping neighbors”. Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place the fourth Saturday of every October and offers students a chance to reach out to the Appleton community and serve.
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The Martin Luther King Jr. day of service is a way to remember and recognize the life and teachings of one of the greatest civil rights leaders into volunteerism and community service that helps the community. This is a national day of service in which students across America help serve to meet a social or community need. Check out these other sites that talk about Martin Luther King Jr. and the National Day of Service:
Details of past events:
2009
Day spent volunteering at different service sites through out the Appleton community. Sites included Edison Elementary, Pioneer Village, Harmony Cafe, Fox Valley Literacy Coalition, Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, Appleton Housing Authority, COTS, Inc. Men's Shelter, and COTS, Inc Women's Shelter. Volunteer activities include teaching a diversity activity to students, making valentines, organized and cleaning, tutor training, and cooking a meal.
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Turn Off the TV Week is a tribute to Kevin Kendall, a young AmeriCorps* VISTA worker who made it his mission to persuade people to ignore their TVs and get outside. Kendall died in a car accident in 2004. Turn Off the TV Week involves elementary students from all over the area who pledge to turn off their TV and, in turn, the community provides fun and exciting programs for the students to participate in
Details of past events:
Spring 2009
54 community members (30 of which were kids) and 25 LU volunteers attended this event. Student orgs and LU volunteers put together games and activities on Main Hall Green for local school-aged kids for TV Turn-Off Week. We had volunteers from ORC, SAAC, SLUG, Circle K, SWHAP and CADY. ORC set up camping equipment for the kids to play in, SAAC had sports activites, SLUG led garden tours, and Circle K made a finger paint mural. The other groups helped with reading Earth Day related stories, face painting, coloring, or carnival games.Spring 2008
Lawrence hosted their event on Earth Day Tuesday, April 22nd from 4-6pm. Over 60 parents and elementary students came to the LU campus to participate in activities planned by LU student organizations. Students were able to work with the Sustainable Lawrence University Gardens (SLUG) group in the fruit and vegetable garden, played outdoor games with the Outdoor Recreation Club (ORC), and painted a mural with the Wriston Art Collective. Many other organizations pledged their time to make this a great and worthwhile event for the community.
Here is a campus map of the activities that occurred at LU's 2008 TV Turn-Off Event.
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Ah-ha (Advocating hunger and homelessness Awareness) Week
Advocating for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week was started by a Lawrence Student. This week usually leads up to the campus-wide Shack-a-thon weekend sometime in May. In the past Ah-ha week has involved various activities related to hunger and homelessness for students to participate in. Student organizations have also been involved in Ah-ha week, by promoting awareness for the issues by posting signs, signing petitions, and hosting documentary viewings.
Details of past events:
Spring 2008
Student Organizations SLUG and SWAHP got involved in the VCSC's Ah-ha week, displaying facts about hunger in the appleton community and throughout the world. Additionally, SLUG hosted a movie showing of "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Oil" and invited students and Appleton community members to join them in their Sustainable garden on the LU campus. The VCSC staff also hosted an informal discussion with community representatives from The Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley and The Housing Partnership on the issues of homelessness in the Fox Cities area. During the annual Shack-a-thon event held at the end of Ah-ha Week, Darfur Now the documentary was shown.Spring 2007
Student Organizations helped the VCSC spread awareness about hunger and homelessness issues in our local, national, and global community. SWAHP placed a stuffed figure around campus with different stories depicting how people become homeless. VCSC staff hosted an informal lego-house building event in the coffee house as preparation for Shack-a-thon. Service opportunities to local agencies related to hunger and homelessness were provided for interested students.
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Volunteer Appreciation Reception
The Volunteer Appreciation Reception was put together by the VCSC in order to further recognize those outstanding volunteers on our campus. Lawrence is ranked high in the nation for its volunteerism and the students who make that true often go unrecognized and unthanked. This event is to honor their mighty contributions!
Details of Past Events:
Spring 2009
Volunteer Recognition Reception, held on April 30th, 2009 from 7-7:45pm, was a gathering for Lawrence University volunteers who have made a significant contribution of their time and talents. After an introduction on volunteerism at Lawrence, Jessica Patenaude ’05 shared her experiences being a volunteer at the Emergency Shelter and reflected how those experiences prepared her for her current job with Habitat for Humanity. Subsequently, awards were presented to the thirteen volunteers who have been nominated as outstanding volunteers. Snacks and refreshments were provided. Attendance: about 15
