Tag Archives: community service

Online Students Participate in Alternative Spring Break

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This weekend Student Life participated in their third annual Alternative Spring Break Volunteer Experience. Students from every campus, online learners included, rode down to Roanoke, Virginia to stay with Mt. Zion AME Church. They were able to donate their time and energy to The Rescue Mission, a local homeless shelter, Habitat for Humanity, and to various projects around the Church. They immersed themselves in a different culture by staying in a city surrounded by The Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. Students reflected on the privilege they all have and how important it is to serve others. The experience was an exploration of personal heritage and values while learning about some of the social justice struggles in the United States.

We are so excited online learners participated in this valuable experience! Learning online does not exclude you from getting involved with Student Leadership and College Engagement.

#NOVAServes

Happy Earth Month!

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Happy Earth Month! With Earth Day being celebrated on April 22nd, we wanted to highlight service opportunities that support environmentally conscious efforts. Check out these great resources where you can find opportunities not only to give back to your community by volunteering, but also being mindful about the future of our planet.

The Nature Conservancy–  This organization is focused on nature conservation all over the world and focuses on the science of how our world works to determine the areas and projects that are in need. View this video to find out more about the mission and vision of the organization: Who We Are &What We Do. On behalf of Earth day, The Nature Conservatory is offering several volunteer opportunities across all 50 states and several countries in the world to help promote the care for our Earth! Visit the site to find out more about a volunteer opportunity near you!

VolunteerMatch.org– Volunteer Match provides a great resource for anyone looking for volunteer and community service opportunities. The reason this site is highlighted is not only due to its large database of opportunities, but also the ability to search virtual volunteer programs as well. Take a look at the site and type “earth day” in the search bar to find several in-person and virtual opportunities to volunteer to promote environmental action and green living.

How are you celebrating Earth Day? Did you know we have been celebrating Earth Day in the U.S. since 1970? We celebrate Earth Day each year to bring attention to peace, justice, and the care of the Earth!

Do you know of any other volunteer opportunities you would like to share? Let us know in the comments!

Giving Back to Your Community

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With springtime quickly approaching, it is a perfect time to think about how to give back within your community! Have you recently taken time to reflect on the impact your community has had on you and how you can civically engage in return? Here are some great ideas on how to do so:

4 Ideas for Giving Back Over Spring Break

The Difference Between “Civically Engaged” and “Volunteer” and How to Turn one into the Other

8 Ways College Students are Giving Back to Their Communities

We want to learn more about how NOVA Online students are engaging with the community! Email us at elistulife@nvcc.edu and tell us where and when you are volunteering and we will send you
a FREE NOVA Student Life T-shirt to wear!

Take Back the Night

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sas2Take Back the Night is an event held around the world to raise awareness about sexual and domestic violence and to promote a community that stands up against this violence. Decades ago in Europe, women from many countries met together as a tribunal council to discuss women’s safety when walking down public streets. This was the first ever Take Back the Night. In later years, a rally and march has been held in several cities around the world to protest several issues around women’s safety.

The first Take Back the Night came to the United States in the late 1960s. In 1973, Take Back the Night was held to protest pornography in San Francisco, and serial murders of women of color in Los Angeles. In October 1975, a march was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after the murder of Susan Alexander Speeth, who was stabbed to death while walking home alone. Since the 1970s in the United States, Take Back the Night has focused on eliminating sexual and domestic violence in all forms. Thousands of colleges and universities, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers have held this event all over the country.

NOVA has had three Take Back the Nights in the last year. We hold Take Back the Night twice a year, in April and October. NOVA’s most current Take Back the Night was held on April 21, 2015 at the Loudoun Campus. This event consists of a resourcSAS1e fair and rally followed by a candle light march around the campus. We invite resources within the NOVA community, as well as outside resources. During our rally, we invite sexual assault, domestic violence and/or stalking survivors to talk about their experiences. If you would like to participate in the next Take Back the Night at NOVA, please contact Angela Acosta at aacosta@nvcc.edu or 703-323-2406.

If you are in need of services or have questions, please contact NOVA SAS at nova.sas@nvcc.edu or text/call 703-338-0834 (24 hours / 7 days a week).

-Written by: Angela Acosta, Sexual Assault Services (SAS) Outreach Specialist, NOVACares Office 

Community Service Spotlight: Earth Month

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earth_day_2010_by_CrypticDisdainHappy Earth Month! With Earth Day being celebrated on April 22nd, we wanted to highlight service opportunities that support environmentally conscious efforts. Check out these great resources where you can find opportunities not only to give back to your community by volunteering, but also being mindful about the future of our planet.

The Nature Conservancy–  This organization is focused on nature conservation all over the world and focuses on the science of how our world works to determine the areas and projects that are in need. View this video to find out more about the mission and vision of the organization: Who We Are &What We Do. On behalf of Earth day, The Nature Conservatory is offering several volunteer opportunities across all 50 states and several countries in the world to help promote the care for our Earth! Visit the site to find out more about a volunteer opportunity near you!

VolunteerMatch.org– Volunteer Match provides a great resource for anyone looking for volunteer and community service opportunities. The reason this site is highlighted is not only due to its large database of opportunities, but also the ability to search virtual volunteer programs as well. Take a look at the site and type “earth day” in the search bar to find several in-person and virtual opportunities to volunteer to promote environmental action and green living.

How are you celebrating Earth Day? DO you know of any other volunteer opportunities you would like to share? Let us know in the comments!

Community Service Spotlight: NOVACares

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volunteers_neededThis month we want to highlight some wonderful opportunities through our own NOVA campus community that are coming up in April to give back with community service.

NOVACares is one of our offices at the college that provide resources and services to students at NOVA around different wellness topics such as mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, sexual assault and many others.

On behalf of Sexual Assault Awareness month in April , NOVA Sexual Assault Services will be sponsoring events on several of the campuses to educate students and raise awareness about these important issues. Some of these include The Red Flag Campaign, Denim Day, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes and Take Back the Night.  Please contact Angela Acosta at aacosta@nvcc.edu for more information.

Please help support their outreach efforts and volunteer your time!

Community Service Spotlight: Better World Books

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7658051014_64f5e2cf11_hFor February, we want to highlight the Better World Books organization. Even though they may look like just another website that buy and sell used books, they are much more than that! Better World Books has an environmental as well as social mission.

–They make a commitment to sustainability!  By finding and creating new ways for books to be recycled, Better World Books prevents the cycle of adding more unneeded waste to our landfills.

–They have a strong focus on literacy!  Every book that is bought and sold through Better World Books helps fund literacy non-profits around the world. They have donated over 4 million books to under served communities.

How can you help?

You can support literacy programs by donating your own used books you might have! All you need is a box or envelope and Better World Books provide a free shipping label. This helps make it easier for participants to donate AND supports their sustainability mission by offsetting your carbon footprint!

Visit the site to learn more at : http://www.betterworldbooks.com/

Community Service Spotlight of the Month

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kanga 3In our efforts to encourage and create a more civilly engaged community, each month we will be highlighting community service opportunities available and accessible for any student, no matter your geographic location!

Here is a unique service opportunity that benefits our global community!

Recently, parts of south Australia experienced some pretty harsh brush fires that injured several species of wildlife including koalas and various marsupials. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)  is looking for volunteers to help these animals recover.

After releasing photos of Koalas with burn injuries to their paws, the organization has already received several pairs of cotton mittens made to help in the healing of these koalas. Now, The IFAW is asking for assistance in making pouches for orphaned marsupials such as baby joeys and opossums. This is where you come in! If you are handy with a needle and thread, you can make your very own pouch to send to these animals in need! Find the directions on how to make these pouches and where to mail them to in the below link. Not the most arts and crafty person? No worries, you can still donate to help the cause (details in below link as well.)

Koalas Whose Paws Were Injured In Fires Have Plenty Of Mittens Now — But Kangaroos Need Help