Events Calendar

The Mercy Learning Center (MLC) mission is to provide literacy and life skills training to low income women in Bridgeport, CT. The center serves about 1,000 women per year, from 50 countries of origin, and teaches English, Math, Science, Social Studies/Civics and computing/technology to prepare students for High School Equivalency diplomas, U.S. Citizenship exams, job interviews and college careers. MLC has a holistic approach and also offers social services, counseling, food and diaper assistance and childcare. CEO Jane Ferreira, Yale YDS Class of ‘89 often says, “When you educate a woman, you educate a family” and all donations will stretch across generations.

Donation Drive: What is Needed and How to Contribute:
The MLC is in urgent need of donations and family friendly Food Pantry & toiletries for their members for at home use. Given the pandemic’s impact on their community there are multiple ways to engage and contribute as follows:

• May 12: Virtual Conversation: Optional Zoom call Friday afternoon, May 12 with Jane Ferreira, President & CEO of The Mercy Learning Center and Guest Speakers on “The Urgency of Accelerating Women’s Literacy”. See who's coming!
• Ongoing: Cash/Credit Donations: Send directly to MLC and note YDOS 23
• Ongoing: Food Pantry & Toiletries: Non-Perishable Healthy Foods and Toiletries can be sent via Amazon.com or Walmart.com for Monday to Friday delivery dates at any time to The Mercy Learning Center, 637 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604-4611.
  • Please note YDOS 23 in gift receipt comments for tracking.
  • Favorites of their families would be healthy cereal, soup, canned tuna and chicken, bags of rice and dried beans, pasta and sauce, canned vegetables and fruits, peanut butter and jelly for groceries
  • Priority toiletries include toothbrushes (adult and child), toothpaste, floss, soap, shampoo, deodorant, baby wipes, tampons and sanitary napkins for toiletries.
• May 22: In Person Drop Off: For those interested, we will drop off a care package on Monday, May 22, and take photos with The MLC staff and families, as available. Exact time to be scheduled in mid April 2023.

Site Contacts: Lee Race '93 MBA & Kylie Race

Social Sharing: If you’d like to include words of encouragement and name and Yale affiliation or a photo as part of our care package and social post for our YDOS for The Mercy Learning Center please email Lee & Kylie.

Thank you to past participants, it’s been an incredibly meaningful effort to support The Mercy Learning Center mission, staff and community.

*Please note: this project has reached volunteer capacity. Please consider registering for another project nearby.*

Volunteer tasks include sorting and bagging food items and/or assembling meal packages for our clients. Please note that our volunteer opportunities often involve handling meat, nut, and dairy products. Children must be 15 years or older to participate in the kitchen.

Please register by May 5th for this Friday service project. Arrive 15 minutes early (12:15 PM) for orientation. Parking is extremely tight. Public transit is highly recommended. POH is about a 10-minute flat walk from Civic Center BART and Muni Stations. 

Shift: 12:30 - 2:30 PM
Limited to 10 volunteers 

Volunteer Waiver
Please complete this one-time volunteer waiver prior to your arrival. If you are registering more than one volunteer, please complete the form for each member in your party.

Dress Code

• Closed-toed shoes, shirts with sleeves, full-length pants, and a hat to cover your hair (hairnets are available on-site)
• A mask (without a valve) or face covering

COVID-19 Guidelines

• Provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination in-person to a Volunteer Coordinator on the day of your shift.
• Check your health prior to arriving to your scheduled volunteer shift. If you feel sick, please stay home.
• Practice proper social distancing and wear a mask or face covering at all times.
• Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer when a wash station is not available. 

Who's Coming?

Contact: Julie House '78 

We’re so happy to return to Feeding San Diego for YDOS23! Your support of Feeding San Diego on this year's Day of Service will help end hunger in San Diego County, and enables Feeding San Diego to serve over 40.3 million meals in the community annually. You are making an impact.

We have reserved this time for up to 12 volunteers.

All volunteers that are part of our group should sign up to participate by using the easy steps provided below. Each individual volunteer should complete this step themselves (or on behalf of a minor child) versus having one person do it for everyone.

Easy Steps to Sign Up Online:

1. Visit the Feeding San Diego registration site
2. Complete the registration steps by completing the Golden volunteer account.
3. Click the orange register button to confirm the event.
4. You will automatically be registered with the group and added to the volunteer opportunity.

Each volunteer will receive a confirmation email when signed up successfully.

Before You Arrive, Don’t Forget!
- All volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes.
- Volunteers must be six and older to volunteer.
- Any volunteers not signed up online must bring a paper waiver, to include a parent or guardian signature if under 18 years.

Contact: Megan Schirmacher '93

Taimaka is a non-profit focused on tackling childhood malnutrition, supported by a recent Yale alum. Taimaka runs an incubation lab in northeastern Nigeria where we offer clinical treatment to roughly 5,000 children with acute malnutrition and incubate a portfolio of research projects to improve the efficacy and cost of treatment for the 45.4 million children who need it. In short, we save lives, then learn how to do it better.

Taimaka is a relatively young organization and as we scale, we’d love the support of Yale alumni on areas we have less expertise in, even if it’s just 1-2 hours! If you're interested in supporting us, you can sign up for any number of hours from May 13th - May 27th and we'll coordinate a time to work together! 

Here are some examples of tasks we'd love help with based on your expertise: 

Legal Advice 
(e.g., work with our CEO to build better employment policies) 

Tax Support
(e.g., work with our CEO ensure that we’re compliant with our non-profit filing requirements this year!)

Finance
(e.g., work with our CEO to think about how to better project our financial needs/what we should be thinking about as we scale)

Consulting
(e.g., work with our fundraising director to red-team our strategy for scale and help brainstorm creative ideas for how we can pitch ourselves!)

Communications/Graphic Design
(e.g., work with our fundraising director to revamp some of our materials or think about how we pitch ourselves)

Think Tanks/Journalists/Writers
(e.g., help us proof some of our external materials to ensure that they read cleanly and effectively to non-Taimaka audiences)

Government/Policy/Lobbying
(e.g., work with our gov’t relations lead to brainstorm how to better advocate for malnutrition as a priority at USAID and other government agencies)

Fundraising/Marketing
(e.g., work with our fundraising director to brainstorm how to put together a better high net-worth donor strategy)

Public Health/Research
(e.g., work with our research director to help us review some literature for our research portfolio)

Business generally
(e.g., mentor our executive leadership team in thinking about how to build a stronger organization!)

Contact: Olivia Shoemaker '21

We will work with the Gallatin Valley Food Bank to do some spring soil remediation and planting (weather depending).  All are welcome!

As the date gets closer and the exact project is determined, we will send out additional information (such as when to meet). 

Please bring a water bottle, gloves, and appropriate work shoes/clothes. We will provide tools.

Who's Coming?

Contact: Angie Rutherford '08 MESc

Taimaka is a non-profit focused on tackling childhood malnutrition, supported by a recent Yale alum. Taimaka runs an incubation lab in northeastern Nigeria where we offer clinical treatment to roughly 5,000 children with acute malnutrition and incubate a portfolio of research projects to improve the efficacy and cost of treatment for the 45.4 million children who need it. In short, we save lives, then learn how to do it better.

Taimaka is a relatively young organization and as we scale, we’d love the support of Yale alumni on areas we have less expertise in, even if it’s just 1-2 hours! If you're interested in supporting us, you can sign up for any number of hours from May 13th - May 27th and we'll coordinate a time to work together! 

Here are some examples of tasks we'd love help with based on your expertise: 

Legal Advice 
(e.g., work with our CEO to build better employment policies) 

Tax Support
(e.g., work with our CEO ensure that we’re compliant with our non-profit filing requirements this year!)

Finance
(e.g., work with our CEO to think about how to better project our financial needs/what we should be thinking about as we scale)

Consulting
(e.g., work with our fundraising director to red-team our strategy for scale and help brainstorm creative ideas for how we can pitch ourselves!)

Communications/Graphic Design
(e.g., work with our fundraising director to revamp some of our materials or think about how we pitch ourselves)

Think Tanks/Journalists/Writers
(e.g., help us proof some of our external materials to ensure that they read cleanly and effectively to non-Taimaka audiences)

Government/Policy/Lobbying
(e.g., work with our gov’t relations lead to brainstorm how to better advocate for malnutrition as a priority at USAID and other government agencies)

Fundraising/Marketing
(e.g., work with our fundraising director to brainstorm how to put together a better high net-worth donor strategy)

Public Health/Research
(e.g., work with our research director to help us review some literature for our research portfolio)

Business generally
(e.g., mentor our executive leadership team in thinking about how to build a stronger organization!)

Contact: Olivia Shoemaker '21

The Oregon Humane Society's Doggie Dash Walk/Run is their biggest fundraiser of the year. OHS is the largest and oldest humane society in the Northwest. Please join the wonderful group of volunteers who make this event happen. 

Do not bring your dog to this event as you will need both hands free to help take care of the participants. 

This year there are three options for YDoS volunteers. The minimum age to volunteer is 12.

COURSE MONITORS: 
7:30am – 11:30am 
Need to be assertive; only adults or adult/kid combos. Cheer on all participants and point them in the right direction.  Some positions will be stationed at water stations to hand out water to people and dogs.  Volunteers for this job must be able to stand for long periods, problem solve and follow instructions.   

STARTING LINE MONITORS: 
8:00am - 10:30am 
Need to be loud and cheerful. Help direct people where to line up and make sure they don't step into the side of the street open to vehicles.  Requires standing for long periods.  Must be 18 and over for this position.   

FINISH LINE MONITORS: 
8:00am – 11:30am 
Need to be loud and cheerful. Assist with filling and handing out water bottles to participants as they finish.  Standing for long periods required. ned at water stations to hand out water to people and dogs.  Volunteers for this job must be able to stand for long periods, problem solve and follow instructions.

Public transportation is a good option for this event. If driving, there are several SmartPark garages that serve this area, and street parking is often available. The garage nearest the Doggie Dash at Waterfront Park is on SE 3rd and Alder – 620 SW 3rd Ave.

***Note:  Please email Genevieve Fu to  RSVP for this event, then go to the link provided to register with OHS.  I will be in contact with details about meeting up at the event for a group photo and regrouping afterwards over brunch.

Contact: Genevieve Fu '05 MArch

All Yale alumni are welcome to join this Habitat for Humanity Chicago Team Build Day hosted by the Yale Black Alumni Association Chicago Chapter!

This is your opportunity to help make a difference for the 1 in 10 Chicagoans currently living in inadequate housing. Our team will be working alongside Habitat staff and future Habitat homeowners on a house currently under construction in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on our city's South Side. Our projects for the day may include anything from framing to painting, and Habitat staff will be available to teach you anything you need to know. No construction experience or skills needed, just a positive attitude and a willingness to learn!

Lunch will be provided.

Each member of the team must pledge to fundraise or donate at least $50 to contribute to the team's fundraising goal. All donations will support Habitat for Humanity Chicago, a nonprofit committed to building a city where every resident lives in a healthy home in a stable community.

Email Cynthia Okechukwu '08, '13 JD if you are interested in joining the team or have any questions. Once you are added to the team, you will receive a link to register and set up your fundraising page. Please note that the team size is limited to 15 people.

GallopNYC offers therapeutic horsemanship programs to New Yorkers with disabilities and special needs, including veterans, seniors, and at-risk youth. Volunteers support our programs by working with our riders in their lessons and providing care for our therapeutic horses. Our Sunrise Stables is in a verdant NYC park - join us for a fun day! 

Volunteer requirements
Age 16+ or by special permission
Ability to stand and walk for an extended period (at least 30-minute intervals) 
Ability to briefly jog with the horse and rider
Ability to lift at least 25lbs
Interest in kids, people with disabilities, animals, and the outdoors is encouraged! No experience is necessary. We provide all required training.

Who's Coming?

Contact: Alicia Kershaw '78 JD