Events Calendar

Join Friends of East Rock Park members and park staff for spring park maintenance including clearing brush, planting bulbs and raking. Come prepared for outdoor work, bring water, and gloves if you have them. Tools provided. Children welcome.  

Who's Coming

Contact: Christina Coffin '74

Help sort donations and stock the showroom at A Wider Circle, a local nonprofit organization that helps people living in poverty furnish their homes free of charge. This is a family-friendly community service opportunity!

The mission of A Wider Circle is to end poverty. A Wider Circle’s holistic approach integrates on-the-ground services for the creation of stable homes, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization. They also seek to develop large-scale solutions that incorporate greater awareness and engagement by the community.

In this volunteer opportunity, you’ll be helping out with A Wider Circle’s Essential Support program. The program focuses on providing basic need items for the home to our neighbors seeking to rise out of poverty. The donations A Wider Circle receives include household furniture, linens, kitchen items, toys, and professional clothing and accessories. Volunteers will help to sort donations and stock the showrooms A Wider Circle’s clients select their items from. With the help of volunteers like you, A Wider Circle is able to furnish 10-20 homes free of charge each day for neighbors in need.

Kids are welcome to join their parents for this volunteer opportunity, and can earn community service hours doing so! Please register your children if you plan to bring them. 

Age Requirements:
Volunteers who are 14 or older are welcome to join us on their own, but we do ask that anyone 13 or under volunteer with a parent or guardian.

What to Wear:

- Closed-toed shoes (sneakers are best)
- Family-friendly comfortable clothes (no political messages) 
- Our center is not fully temperature-controlled, so please dress for the weather

Directions and Parking:
We do not have parking onsite for volunteers, other than for those with mobility concerns.

Offsite parking:
Drive to - 2101 Luzerne Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (use this as a landmark)
Park - Anywhere along Luzerne Ave (except #2201 &  #2203), Louis St., Louis Ave. Glen Ross Rd.

PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON WARREN STREET 

When you arrive - please head inside the double glass doors. A staff member will sign you in and lead you to the orientation room. 

Waiver:
All first-time volunteers or those who have not completed a waiver in the past 5 years will need to sign this waiver. A parent or guardian will need to verify the waiver for anyone under the age of 18. 

Clients Privacy:
As much as we would love for you to keep great memories of your experience at A Wider Circle, we would love to also preserve the privacy of the people we serve. Therefore, we would appreciate you not taking pictures in the showroom, where clients are. Pictures can ONLY be taken in the warehouse downstairs while sorting and preparing items that families take home.

Contact: Ethan Dodd '22 

Who's Coming

Roll up your pants and join us on the lake for a morning beach clean-up and seaweed removal. Rakes will be provided. Please dress warmly, and wear water shoes, waterproof shoes, or work/”junk” shoes. Bring a water bottle and work gloves, if you have them. Children are welcome, but note that we will be near open water without the presence of a lifeguard.

The beach has not yet been selected, but it *might* be Vilas Park Beach (don’t write it down yet!)

Who's Coming?

Contact: Jeannine Ruby '03, '08 MD

You are invited to join us for a fun card making event with residents at a local Senior facility. All materials will be provided to create decorative cards for the residents to display or give away.

Due to COVID restrictions, the number of volunteers is limited.  All volunteers must be vaccinated and wear a mask.

Light refreshments will be provided.

If you are unable to join us, please create decorative cards at home with your family that can be shared with elderly residents who are memory impaired and either living in Senior Living facilities, your neighborhood or your own family and friends. The cards can be for any occasion – Happy Birthday, Thinking of You, tell a Joke. Draw a picture using materials you have on hand such as paper, markers, crayons, stickers, glitter - whatever you think will bring a smile or cheer to a senior who is unable to get out and about.

Who's Coming?

Contact: Kyle Higgins, Yale School of Public Health
 

Join us outside for a joyful afternoon at Lake Park! We will be removing garlic mustard, an invasive weed. Work supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring a water bottle, gardening gloves, knee pads, or kneeling cushion if you would like. Come alone or with your family.

In the event of inclement weather, all registered participants will be contacted by email to confirm if the event is cancelled. Park near Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro.

Who's Coming?

Contact: Jeannine Ruby '03, '08 MD

It is the mission of Trees for Oakland to contribute to the urban forest in all of Oakland by planting and maintaining trees in the city, with emphasis on areas with limited canopy.   An Oakland that is lusher, and more beautiful, with better air quality will lead to the improved well-being of people who live, work, and visit the city.  Save the Trees hosts events in a different Oakland City Park on the third Sunday of each month with a priority for parks in low-income communities. 
 
On May 21st we will care for newly-planted trees at Arroyo Viejo Park. Please meet at the recreation entrance 7701 Krause Avenue in Oakland.  The workday will be from 9:45 am to 12:30 pm.  Children of all ages are welcome; waiver forms will be provided at the site.

Please bring work gloves, water, and a light lunch if you can stay after the event.

Who's Coming?

Contact: Paul Chapman '70 

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 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. See who's coming! 
• 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”
• 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.

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.

Join us and the Nature Nexus Institute (formerly part of the Los Angeles Audubon organization) at your local state park--the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City! This has been one of our most popular service sites for the Yale Day of Service, so sign up early!
 
We will be helping to restore and maintain one of the last coastal sage scrub communities in the area. We will be weeding and planting native plants; tools will be provided. Children with parental supervision are welcome (release form to be sent to registered participants in advance and/or provided onsite).

Space/Capacity Limit is 30 people.
 
Recommended Attire:
Wear long pants, a hat, sunscreen, and closed-toed shoes, bring your own reusable water bottle (pre-filled), and gardening gloves if you have them. No single-use plastic water bottles, let's do our part to eliminate plastic pollution.

Parking & Meet-up Location:
Free parking passes will be provided for volunteers when you arrive at check-in. Meet outside the visitor center (by the parking lot all the way at the top of the hill). 

Agenda:
9:00 AM - Check-in & Registration
9:30 AM - Main Activity Begins
12:00 PM - End of Activity and Bring Your Own Lunch (BYOL), Networking/Social Time

Who's Coming?

Contact: Tony Bancroft and Kohei Kuwahara