Help with Diversity Week at Middletown High School — May 2

Please see below for the details about Diversity Week at Middletown High School. I’ve signed up as a speaker, and I hope you will consider doing so as well.  It’s a fantastic opportunity to enrich the lives of local students in just one hour, but it can only succeed if we get enough speakers to enable meaningful personal connections and small group discussions.
Thanks!  Allegra Stout

BIGGEST DIVERSITY WEEK YET!

Middletown High School has a long tradition of supporting diversity in our community.  As part of that tradition, for the last several years MHS has hosted a Diversity Week devoted to raising awareness and encouraging acceptance of diversity.  To that end, the school has sought to bring in speakers who can share personal experiences that are relatable to our students and provide insights regarding the issue of celebrating, rather than fearing, diversity.  This year MHS is planning its biggest coordinated effort yet.  The school hopes to bring in 50 different speakers, discussing a variety of different experiences from a multitude of different backgrounds, to share their stories and highlight the beauty of diversity.  Every student in the building will have the opportunity to select and listen to a speaker/topic of individual interest.  This ambitious event requires a great deal of coordination, and we need help attracting and lining up speakers. 

 The details of the event are:   When: May 2nd from 9-10am     Where: Middletown High School

Format: One speaker for twenty five kids in a classroom setting with two faculty members to assist, for approximately 50 minutes of discussion.

Who: Anyone who has a story to share and inspire kids? Specific areas of diversity include race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic, physically handicapped, learning disabled, sexual orientation, gender, military service, political, or anything else that might relate to diversity or discrimination.

What is essential to this task is that we have the required number of speakers to be successful.  If you know anyone who would be willing to participate in our event and volunteer their time to speak with kids for a worthy cause, please contact Trevor Charles at charlest@mpsct.org.

 

 

Bone Marrow Registry Drive — 12/2

The Wesleyan American Medical Student Association is hosting a Bone Marrow Registry drive this Friday, December 2nd, at USDAN 110 from 1:30-5 to find a match for Louis, a 6-yr old who has been diagnosed with leukemia. Participating only takes a few minutes so please stop by to potentially save a life.

Book Drive for Macdonough Elementary School

Bring Back a Book Drive: Thanksgiving Break

Drop off an elementary level book after Thanksgiving Break!!!
Help a student in need!

Macdonough Elementary is located in Middletown’s North End.  Seventy-six percent of Macdonough students are on the free/reduced lunch program.  Remember these students over your Thanksgiving Break and donate a book.  Book type ranges from a picture book level to basic chapter books. 

COLLECTION BINS will be located in Exely, Freeman Athletic Center Lobby, PAC, Usdan, Olin, North College, and outside of Weshop after Thanksgiving Break.

Fast-a-thon for Amazing Grace Food Pantry–Thursday

         What: Fast-a-Thon 2010 
     When: Thursday, September 30th, 5:45pm
     Where: Beckham Hall and DFC

Do you remember last year’s Fast-a-Thon? 

1200 Wesleyan students, faculty, staff, and local residents participated to raise over $16,000 for the local food pantry.   This year the Fast-a-Thon is going to be BIGGER and BETTER than ever, but we need your help!

Different ways to donate points:

1. fill out a donation slip that you can find in your mailbox

2. donate at different tables set outside of Usdan marketplace, WesWings, and Summerfields

3. go to: www.wesleyan.edu/ocs/fastathon.html

The idea behind the Fast-a-thon is to donate the points/meals that you would have eaten that day towards Amazing Grace Food Pantry. It is recommended to fast just to experience what Ramadhan is like, but it is by no means required.

On the day of the event we will begin with a number of speakers to introduce the event and explain its significance. Then we will break our fast with dates and eat a delicious Indian feast from Haveli’s.

Remember to get there early to get

a t-shirt and food!

Sponsored by: IJL, MSA, SBC, ResLife, SALD, Chaplain’s office, Haveli, Bon Appetit, OCS

Free Ice Cream!

The 9th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social!
Thursday, September 30, 2010     5-8 P.M.
Middletown’s Cold Stone Creamery

A 3 oz. portion of ice cream, developed by a Make-A-Wish child, will be given out.

Donations are encouraged.

Middletown’s Cold Stone Creamer is located at 100 Riverview Center, Suite 125, just off Main St. between Court and College.

Pakistan Flood Relief Initiative Meeting — 9/19

Wesleyan University’s Pakistani Students’ Association has launched the “Pakistan Flood Relief Initiative,” to form an action team which will coordinate a number of fund-raisers throughout the year to help the victims of the deadly floods that hit Pakistan recently.

The Pakistan flood crisis began in late July when unusually heavy monsoon rains swept across the country. Currently 20% of the country is under water. About 1500 people have died as a result, and more than 21 million people are homeless. The United Nations has declared it to be the worst crisis to have ever occurred in the UN’s history. Red Cross has called it a massive crisis which has not received the massive support it needs. One flood worker said that the floods are the scale of the Tsunami, destruction of the Haiti and the complexity of the Middle East.

The aid required is huge but donations have been slow to come by. People in Pakistan are trying their best to help the flood victims, but Pakistan cannot overcome this crisis without help from other countries.

If you are interested in helping with the crisis, please join the Pakistan Flood Relief Initiative meeting on Sunday (September 19th) at 4pm at PAC001. During this meeting, ideas will be discussed for potential fund-raisers that will be held throughout the year to help the victims of the worst humanitarian crisis in decades.

Here is a link to a video that summarizes the current situation really well

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6798975n

For more information, please contact Ali Chaudhry (achaudhry@wesleyan.edu) or Zuleikha Hester (zhester@wesleyan.edu).

Wednesday: Community Engagement Fair

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FAIR

Wednesday September 15, 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Usdan Courtyard    Rain Site: Beckham Hall

Connect with the Middletown community
Volunteer and Work study opportunities
25 Local agencies and Student groups will be there to share opportunities

Sponsored by the Center for Community Partnerships
Questions, contact Cathy Lechowicz (clechowicz@wesleyan.edu)
Can’t make the Fair?  CCP will be at the Student Activities Fair

Community Service Week Sign-up

Don’t miss out!

Sign-up for Service Week ends this Wednesday at 5 PM.

Please join us in making this a memorable event!

Click here to sign-up: http://www.wesleyan.edu/ocs/serve.html

 Also make sure to check out the new events that have just been added on…

The Annual Spring 3 v 3 Grassroots Soccer Tournament on Sunday, April 25th

This tournament is a fundraiser for Grassroots Soccer, an organization that works to use the power of soccer in the fight against HIV and AIDS and provides African youth with the knowledge, life-skills and support to live HIV-free.

·       The tournament is on Sunday, April 25th at 2:00 PM on Jackson Field.

·       $5 per person and $20 per team. Teams can have 3-5 people on them

·       Training shoes only. NO CLEATS!!!!

·       1 varsity soccer player per team allowed. 1 boy and 1 girl varsity player is permissible

·       Prizes for the winning teams including gift certificates, t-shirts etc.   

This is an event organized by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. It is a great cause and always a fun time.

If you would like to participate or receive more information, contact Jory Kahan at jkahan@wesleyan.edu

The 2nd Annual Community Health Fair on Saturday, April 17th

This event, hosted from 10AM to 3PM, will take place at the YMCA on Main Street. It will feature health professionals and workers displaying resources available to members of the Middletown community. There will tables devoted to specific specialties and services with fun activities such as healthy cooking demos and self-defense and yoga presentations.

If you would like more information, please contact Fludie Naka, President of the American Medical Student Association here at Wesleyan at fnaka@wesleyan.edu