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May Volunteer Opportunities

Dear Penn Community,

Following is our monthly posting of community service opportunities. Each month, Penn Volunteers In Public Service (Penn VIPS)  posts a list of volunteer opportunities representing the many requests we get from the surrounding community for assistance/partnerships.

Earlier this semester, Penn VIPS undertook its Annual Penny Drive. This year the $700.68 proceeds will go to the Paul Robeson House Museum. Thanks for your support of this venture.

Please contact me via e-mail sammapp@pobox.upenn.edu or call (215) 898-2020 to volunteer for any of the programs. Thank you for your continued support.

--Isabel Mapp, Associate Director, Faculty, Staff and
Alumni Volunteer Services
Director, Penn Volunteers In Public Service,
Center for Community Partnerships

Move Out Drive; MOD Squad, Penn VIPS, UCD, and Dan DeRitis, owner of Apartments at Penn, are working together to help you travel light as you leave campus at the end of the spring semester. Donate your small electronics, small furniture, computers and other articles. Donations will be distributed to area agencies free of charge to help deserving families. Look for trucks near dorms or bring donated items to the front entrance of the Dan DeRitis Apartments at Penn Warehouse located at the corner of 42nd and Chestnut Streets on the following dates and times: Thursday, May 6 and Friday, May 7, noon-5 p.m. Donations will also be accepted at CCP, 133 South 36th Street, Room 507, on Wednesday, May 5, 9 a.m.-noon. Contact: John Fenton, director of operations, UCD, 3940 Chestnut Street, (215) 243-0555, john@ucityphila.org or Isabel Mapp. 

Interested in participating in "Race for the Cure"? Help us create a Penn Team for the Race. Join the 14th Annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's Philadelphia Race for the Cure on Sunday, May 9 at 8:30 a.m. for the 5K Run/Walk at the steps of the Art Museum.

Philadelphia Cares About Fairmount Park Day Saturday, May 15 help keep it clean and green for generations to come. Sign up today.

Computers Needed! Is your department upgrading its computers? Would you like to donate your used computers to a worthy cause? The Center for Community Partnerships and a group of volunteers are working to provide computers to West Philadelphia schools, churches, families and nonprofit agencies. Join us by donating your used computers to this cause. Visit our website at:  www.upenn.edu/ccp/computerdonations.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania has been successfully providing mentoring services to children for more than 80 years. Our mission is to provide a professionally supported service for youth so that they might achieve their highest potential. Through a one-to-one relationship, a committed and caring adult acts as a friend, mentor, and a positive role model to a child in this program. Mentoring a child is an exciting and rewarding experience for volunteers. If you're over the age of 18 and can be a good, reliable and responsible friend then you will be a great Big Brother or Big Sister! Penn has partnered with the following neighborhood elementary schools to provide mentors for the 2004-2005 academic year: students from St. Ignatius Prep, Wilson Elementary, Powel Elementary, McMichael Elementary and Caring People Alliance. Your time is extremely valuable, so we get to know you first, so we can find the best Little Brother or Little Sister for you. We are the nation's preeminent youth-service organization and have proven success in creating and nurturing relationships between adults and children. Bigs and Littles share everyday activities: playing sports, seeing movies, cooking, going over schoolwork, visiting museums, washing the car, taking walks, volunteering in their communities, or just hanging out. Being a Big Brother or Big Sister is absolutely free... other than providing your enthusiasm and the desire to include a child in your spare time. We also provide a listing of low cost and no cost events (tickets to sports and cultural events) for you and your Little to engage in. The focus of your match is not on spending money, but on spending time together.

June Preview: On Friday, June 4, Penn is hosting its Faculty/Staff Blood Drive. Please sign up at http://penn.givesblood.org.