Volume XVI | April 2022

I have always found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” Maya Angelou

Message from the Associate Director

I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on this year. It was a tough year adjusting back to in-person activities and still dealing with COVID-19. However, Community Outreach could have not done all the work we did without the support and hard-work from our staff members, student leaders, and participants. There is definitely room for improvement, but I am proud of where we are and where we are heading. Good luck to the folks that are moving on, and we look forward to connecting again with those returning in the fall of 2022. Thank you and be safe!


Miguel A. Colón

Director of Community Outreach

Program Spotlights

America Reads



America Reads is continuing to operate in-person and virtual sites smoothly! We are wrapping up the semester this month, and it has been great to meet with our volunteers and community partners to get feedback that will help us improve our programs.


As always, students interested in getting involved next year can send a message to uconn.co.americareads@gmail.com.


Shout-out to our very own Site Manager, Emilia Hovseb, who is going to be a CO Coordinator next year. We will miss you, but are excited to see all the great things you accomplish.



Amy O'Rourke, America Reads Student Program Director



Interested in America Reads? Learn more here!


Jumpstart



As the program year comes to an end, our Team Leaders are planning Jumpstart Graduations with their teams for the children we serve. We'd like to recognize all our Corps Members for their outstanding work! The children are always looking forward to seeing Jumpstart come to their classrooms, and we're so thankful they've welcomed us in.


This program would not exist if it weren't for all the dedicated individuals that help Jumpstart thrive, so thank you! Lastly, our AllCorps took place on Friday, April 29th. We celebrated a successful year with lots of food and fun.



Soribel Torres-Jimenez, UConn Jumpstart Co-Coordinator



Interested in Jumpstart? Learn more here!


Mansfield Middle School Tutoring



Mansfield Middle School Tutoring is coming to a close during the last week of April, and we are looking forward to the fall semester already! We hope to focus the program even more on mentoring in addition to tutoring next semester. We also plan to introduce more in-person team-building events! 



Early next semester, we hope to welcome a large group of dedicated and excited participants during recruitment.



Hannah Dinowitz, Mansfield Middle School Tutoring Program Director



Interested in Mansfield Middle School Tutoring? Learn more here!


Welcoming Back

Alternative Break Volunteers

We had four very successful alternative breaks head out during Spring Break!


This year, participants attended trips on topics of Civil Rights and Racial Justice (DC), Determinants of Health (Boston), Food Insecurity and Poverty (New Haven / Hartford), and Healthcare Access & Education (Philly). We also held one Spring Weekend alternative break for HIV/AIDS Awareness & Advocacy.


We finished the year strong by hosting an alternative breaks reorientation event, where all the alternative break participants from the year gathered to talk about their programs. All participants presented what they learned from the community partners they worked with and the social issues they discussed. To end the evening, former Alternative Breaks Trip Director and Coordinator Lexy Cortes spoke about ways to stay active after an alternative break.



Lucas Knight-Vezina, Alternative Breaks Student Coordinator



Interested in Alternative Breaks? Learn more here!


Healthcare Access and Education



Traveling all the way to Philadelphia, Amisha, Ashley, Jamie, Sumrina, Veena, Rachel, Marielys, Erika, Joshua, Kathrina, Fiona, Delia, Avadhut, Shanelle, and Brianna served communities impacted by non-communicable diseases, injuries, interpersonal violence, and infectious diseases.


Assisting the Share Food Program, volunteers distributed 280 boxes of food! Volunteers also assisted the Institute for Community Justice, a comprehensive prison services and reentry program providing health linkages, supportive services, education, and advocacy for families and communities affected by mass incarceration. Working with Project Cure, volunteers packed medical equipment for Ukraine relief efforts. On behalf of Cradles to Crayons, participants served at The Giving Factory, where donations are sorted.

Food Security and Urban Poverty



On this trip, Kii, Abby, Andrea, Ariel, Cindy, Erin, FiFi, Olivia, Shannon, and Valerie sought to serve populations facing food insecurity and learn more about barriers to accessibility that affect communities such as New Haven and Hartford.


Our volunteers sorted food with FoodShare in Wallingford, CT, and seeded, planted, and cleaned up gardens with the NHS division in New Haven, CT. In Hartford, volunteers cleaned and organized households and clothing items with South Inn Park, and organized FreshPlace food items at the Chrysalis Center. They assisted the Downtown New Haven Soup Kitchen with distributing food to the community, and organized classrooms, farmhouses, and kitchens in Bloomfield, CT. 

Civil Rights and Racial Justice



On their trip to Washington, D.C., Jamin, Shreya, Sarah, Matthew, Joanna, Dariana, Soribel, Harpreet, Samantha, Hayden, Cristal, Sydney, Andrew, and Dominique conducted education on the history of racial justice, from the origin of race and slavery in the United States to connections back to D.C. and ways we as a society can work toward achieving racial justice today.


Throughout the week, participants met with Senator Murphy and the Executive Director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, asking questions about racial and ethnic policies, the crisis in Ukraine, and methods of improving services and support for people of color and people with disabilities.


Participants also bagged fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats with Bread for the City and Martha's Table. Additionally, they packed boxes filled with juice, milk, and non-perishable food items to support their Senior Brown Bag program. On behalf of Community Family Life Services, volunteers set up tables with clothing items for their Clothing and Services Fair, where those in need in the DMV area could pick out as many clothing items and housewares as they needed.

Determinants of Health


On their trip, Megha, Mya, Megan, Heather, Justin, Chase, Paige, Bailey, Seema, Nanditha, Talia, and Victoria set out to actively engage the community to provide scratch-made medically tailored meals to individuals and their families experiencing critical or chronic illness and nutrition insecurity.


These volunteers packed and prepped over 100 bags with soups, frozen meals, and snacks for the families they served. Working with the Boston Rescue Mission, they helped to prep and cook meals for lunch and dinner in addition to serving populations suffering from homelessness. With Room to Grow, volunteers sorted and folded hundreds of baby clothes by age, season, and type of clothing. Also assisting the Boston Public Health Commission, they toured women's shelters, observing the various programs and services on-site, and then prepared and served lunch and dinner for the community.

Looking for a Campus Job? CO is Hiring!

Written Communications Assistant



Do you have writing experience and a love for community service? Community Outreach is hiring a Written Communications Assistant for the upcoming academic year! Apply on UConn Job X and search for job #12803.


Position: Student Written Communications Assistant — Public Relations (Class II)


Position Summary: Under the direction of the Administrator of Marketing & Graphic Design, Community Outreach staff, and the Student Communications Coordinator, the Community Outreach Written Communications Assistant will assist in creating content and writing articles for Community Outreach print and online communications.


Duties and Responsibilities: The Written Communications Assistant will help write articles and press releases, develop content for newsletters, work with student leaders in developing written content for their programs, create a weekly online newsletter, participate in CO meetings, trainings, seminars and workshops, and attend meetings with staff and supervisor.  


Commitment: The Written Communications Assistant will work up to 10 hours per week in the Department of Student Activities office (Student Union, Room 307) or remotely.


Minimum Qualifications: Superb writing and communication skills, experience with social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Hootsuite), ability to meet deadlines, proofing experience, ability to stay organized and on task, attention to detail, ability to work independently with minimum supervision, flexibility to work at different times throughout the week to cover events, etc., and participate in training sessions and staff meetings, including required Community Outreach training August (move in early with assistance from CO). Some of the training will be paid, but most will be volunteer hours.


Preferred Qualifications: Prior experience with writing published materials, experience using Constant Contact for email communications, previous experience and passion for volunteering and Community Outreach, journalism or similar Communications Major.

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