Recycled Goods Sought for Service Projects at Lebanon Valley College

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Students at work at the 2013 Orientation Service Project at Lebanon Valley College

ANNVILLE, PA (07/28/2014)(readMedia)-- The Arnold Sports Complex at Lebanon Valley College will be alive with service from 2:30–4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 24 as LVC's incoming class-more than 400 students-serves with returning student leaders at 15 workstations. The students will make items to be donated to local charities as well as national and international service organizations.

Local residents are asked to donate the following recycled goods for the project:

• Grocery bags from GIANT grocery store (white with red and black lettering) will be cut into loops and then tied end-to-end to make yarn that will be used to create mats.
• Used shoe boxes will be wrapped in Christmas paper in preparation to be filled with toys and sent to children in Africa, Asia, and Latin America with Operation Christmas Child.
• Students will fill narrow-neck glass vases with brightly colored paper flowers for delivery to individual residents in convalescent homes throughout the area.
• Clean, used bed sheets will be cut into strips for use as bandages at medical centers in Africa. The College is partnering with the American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA) for this project. AFCA's national headquarters are based in Lebanon, Pa.
• Pieces of heavy fabric will be used to make school bags for young students overseas who benefit from the ministries of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Fabric must be denim, corduroy, or heavy curtains material without the imprint of advertisements or religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols.
• Select educational supplies needed by UMCOR include blunt-tipped, child-size scissors; hand-held pencil sharpeners at least 1" long; 70-page, single subject, spiral-bound notebooks; top-bound 8½" x 11" tablets; 150-page pack of loose leaf notebook paper; rulers which use centimeters and inches; unsharpened pencils (no camouflage, patriotic, religious or military symbols); erasers which are 2" or larger; boxes of 24 crayons. (Donations which don't meet the specification will be disposed of.)

Community members are also encouraged to share contact information of active or retired military personnel or residents of local retirement community who might appreciate a note from a College student. Please contact Chaplain Paul Fullmer in the Office of Community Service and Volunteerism at 717-867-6135 or fullmer@lvc.edu to provide names.

The local community will benefit from the project as holiday cards created during the project are distributed to families staying at Hope Lodge in Hershey throughout the year. Friendship bracelets with rubber athletic charms will be donated for athletes involved in Lebanon County Special Olympics. Large, colorful playhouses will be donated to families who partner with Habitat for Humanity of Lebanon County. The local SPCA will receive 120 kitten blankets and as many braided cloth doggie toys made by students during this time. Lebanon School District will receive 120 handmade felt puppets.

At the national and international level, students will write letters of encouragement to current military personnel. Friendship bracelets mailed to the Cool Kids Campaign will be distributed to children with cancer. Mats for the homeless will be sent to West Virginia, and bandages will be sent to countries throughout Africa.

As they work, the incoming LVC students will enjoy music provided by a live D.J.

The service projects provide a unique opportunity for incoming LVC students to work together as a class toward a common goal. "Each of the 15 service projects is coordinated for the incoming students by returning students who are heavily involved in service organizations on campus," said LVC's Chaplain Paul Fullmer, who oversees the project. "They'll be connecting with the incoming students during the time, sharing about their service organization."

Throughout the academic year, students will also engage representatives of local service organizations at a service fair and participate in national service initiatives such as Make a Difference Day, MLK Day of Service, and Lebanon County Day of Caring, among other projects. To encourage long-term service, the College has designated funds for a service trip within the United States during spring break and will sponsor a service trip to Puerto Rico in May 2015.

Several incentive programs reward students for their service. Bronze, Silver, or Gold Community Service Awards based on the number of hours a student serves the local community are posted on LVC's Job Center Profile for the information of prospective employers. Students who serve the local community are also recognized at an annual banquet and in the Commencement program.

To make a donation, contact Chaplain Fullmer at fullmer@lvc.edu or 717-867-6135. Donations will be collected at Miller Chapel on the LVC campus through Wednesday, Aug. 20.