Baptist Church collects 1,300 pairs shoes for Haiti

Pastor Mark Freeman at the pulpit, with a small portion of the collected shoes

 Second Missionary Baptist Church reached its goal of shoe collection for Haiti --  many times over.

At the start of May, Pastor J. Mark Freeman had a vision to help the people of Haiti by collecting 200 pairs of shoes for the shoeless. Under the Bible’s commandment to “take off your sandals for the place you stand his Holy Ground,” Exodus 3:5, the church along with the Racine community collected over 1,300 pairs of shoes for the Haitian relief effort.

On Sunday May 30, before packing and shipping these items, the church, located at 1250 Lathrop Ave.,  displayed the community’s generosity during its 10:45 a.m. worship service.

 Still more shoes, in one of two more rooms full of them. The shoes are mostly new

Youth as Resources elects new board officers

Youth As Resources, a community investment committee of United Way of Racine County, has elected the following officers for its 2010-2011 program year:

Board Chairperson - Shan Sivanushanthan, Case High School; Adult Co-Chair - MaryBeth Kallio, United Way of Racine County; Secretary - Jenny Craig, The Prairie School; and Historian/Service Project Leader - Milan Myers, Walden III Middle School.

These board officers will lead a group of 24 youth and adult members responsible for awarding grants to youth-designed, youth-led community service projects throughout Racine County. During the 2009-2010 program year, YAR awarded $9,373 to 11 community service projects completed by youth groups.

To learn more about Youth As Resources, youth and adults are encouraged to contact program coordinator Jessica Safransky at 898-2251.

Two Case HS seniors are All-State Scholars

Two Case High School seniors were recently named All-State Scholars.

Allison Jopke and Nicholas Kucera were two of just 120 graduating seniors in Wisconsin to be honored for their academic achievement at an Honors Banquet in Madison.

All-State Scholars are chosen by a committee of school administrators, based on students’ overall grade-point average and ACT or SAT scores. All-State Scholars receive the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship, which supports future academic studies. The Byrd scholarship can provide up to $1,500 per year for up to four years.

Junior League gives Prairie senior its volunteerism scholarship

A high school senior who performed 3,000 hours of community service and still had the highest GPA in her class has won a $2,000 scholarship from the Junior League of Racine.

 Yijing “Jean” Xin who is graduating from The Prairie School was awarded the Junior League's 2010 “Volunteerism in the Racine Community” scholarship.

The Junior League cited two excerpts from Jean’s essay that "reveal the depth of her compassion for others."

First, “Volunteerism is both a cause and effect of a flourishing community.  A community is more than just a group of people living in the same geographical location – it is a group of people who care about each other.” 

Second, “Volunteerism, overall, is humanity.  It means that we have the capacity to care and to give back.  It means we are not content to rest on the laurels of our blessings, but would rather see others offered the same opportunities we were.  Volunteerism means that we want life, not just a living.”

Jean will study biological engineering at MIT in Cambridge, MA.

Volunteer Opportunities: Nature program leaders; Work the Farmer's Market

FARMERS MARKET VOLUNTEER FOR CUP OF HOPE HOPES Center’s Cup of Hope is looking for volunteer teams to sell coffee and baked goods at the Downtown Racine Farmers Market (corner of State and Erie). Volunteer assistance may include, but is not limited to, preparing for the sale, setting up in the allotted space, decorating and clean up. Volunteers would be asked to use the cash box and track sales. At least 2 people are needed for a team and teams will be asked to work one Saturday a month from May to October from 7AM-12PM. This is a great opportunity for family volunteering.  At least one person on each team will be asked to read, write and complete sales transactions accurately.  SENIOR COMPANION PROGRAM SEEKS VOLUNTEERS The Senior Companion is constantly seeking volunteers who have a few hours each month to spend visiting or calling an older person who is homebound.  The Program’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for older adults through friendship, socialization, and advocacy.  This is a Ministry of the Racine Dominican Sisters.  Your time can be a priceless gift to someone. NEW “SCHOOL TO NATURE” PROGRAM  NEEDS VOLUNTEER LEADERS Do you like working with 5th and 6th grade students?  Enjoy working with small groups of kids out in nature?  The Caledonia Conservancy at Tabor Woods will be hosting children from Gifford Elementary and McKinley Middle schools. 10 volunteer leaders are needed to guide students through established lesson plans. Training is provided. Courses will be scheduled sometime in early May. INTERGENERATIONAL FAIRS The Intergenerational Fairs is an ongoing program in cooperation with RSVP.  Fair organizers need YOU to help keep this 20 year plus tradition alive.  If you are over 55 and you have a hobby you would like to share with elementary aged school children several times per year, please call.  In this age of computers and technology, hand crafts and hobbies are a novelty.  Share your talents. The kids love it! RSVP TO SENIOR COMPUTER HELPERS Are you 55 or older?  Would you be interested in coaching other new computer using seniors on the basics of internet usage? Generations on Line a software program that helps seniors (age 65+) feel more confident as they negotiate the internet (including Medicare websites).  The fonts are big and instructions are very user friendly and age appropriate.  You don’t have to be a computer whiz to volunteer!  Training is provided. DON’T MISS THIS YEAR’S CROP WALK Volunteer to walk for hunger. Walkers of all ages are encouraged to participate. This event is a fund raiser that benefits the local food banks and Church World services to assist the hungry. Mark your calendar today to plan for the September 26th, 2010 walk. Talk with your pastor or priest and organize a group.

If you are interested in any of the listed volunteer opportunities or others on file at the Volunteer Center of Racine County, call 262-886-9612 or toll free (Racine County only) at 1-800-201-9490 or email us at volunteer@volunteercenterofracine.org or visit our web site at www.volunteercenterofracine.org. Office hours are weekday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 6216 Washington Avenue, Suite G.