Recently in Volunteer Category

In one sense April 17 was an awful day, full of cold, blustery winds and 40 degree temperatures, right after the monsoon that shortened the Blue White Football Game.

But it was a beautiful day for Special Olympics.

Sue Paterno reports that an amazing $83,500 was raised for Special Olympics, and she gives a host of kudos to Paterno Fellows who assisted behind the scenes.  Fellows recruited runners, prepared packets for runners (on the Thursday before the race), and provided invaluable race-day logistical support.  Over 1600 runners (and walkers) took part in an event that began in front of the Jordan Center and ended at the Beaver Stadium 50-yard line.

"The Paterno Fellows were magnificent, dependable and oh so helpful in so many ways," Sue Paterno told me.  "We couldn't have done it without them." (The photo shows smiling Sue Paterno and PF Lydia Scott, an hour before the race began.)

Congratulations to the Fellows who participated in one or several ways.  Plans are already under way for next year--can we help raise over $100,000?

Visit the Beaver Stadium Run website for more information.

Calling all volunteers!

Hello Fellows! Recently the Advisory Board met to discuss some of the upcoming events and future plans for the program. To begin, we discussed the recognition event that took place on January 10th and its pros and cons. Overall we were very pleased with the event and are hoping that you all enjoyed it as much as we did. Next, we discussed the upcoming Paterno Fellows Program event: play The Beaux Strategem on February 25th. I know this event is scheduled for a Friday, but you get a dinner and a show for just $5. Tickets are on sale now in 119 Sparks if you are interested (and you can bring a guest). Finally in old/rapidly approaching business, Dr. Selzer was approached about the permissibility of substituting two minors for the 24-credit minor or second major that is required for graduation with the Paterno Fellows Program. He has deemed it acceptable to do this, but only with his explicit permission based on the student's unique academic goals. This would require you to meet with him in order to discuss and explain your reasoning behind the request. If you have any questions about this, please contact Dr. Selzer via email.

In addition to those things in the immediate past or future, the Advisory Board also looked at some long-term goals for the program. A few of us have decided to take on some side projects that we feel would be interesting for Fellows and Aspirants to participate in. Caitlin is currently planning a Sustainability Fair for students which will feature different eco-friendly organizations. Danielle is looking into maybe having a THON team for the program. Olivia is trying to figure out what it would take to have a presence at Homecoming next fall. Finally, I am proposing a mentoring program where Fellows and Aspirants would be matched based on academic interests and majors. Fellows would be able to give advice about different professors and classes in addition to anything else that an Aspirant might have questions about, including fulfilling program requirements. As you may be able to tell, all of these events will begin or take place in the fall, but we are currently in the planning stages, so this is why we are asking for your help. In the coming weeks, you will be receiving messages asking you to work with each of the people named above in order to make these projects come together smoothly. We would greatly appreciate any assistance that you can provide with these projects. Like I said, most of these projects are in the early planning stages, so we are basically working from scratch. So remember, play on February 25th, watch your inboxes for solicitation about helping with these projects, and pass your first exams. Hopefully your semesters are going well and let's keep up the great work.

It's amazing what some new friends, a few home-cooked meals (mmm...pumpkin pie...) and a common cause can do.

Last month I went on my first canning trip (putting in a guiltless plug for Glee Club / Oriana THON here!). And may I reiterate: this is my first canning trip as a student and as a canning chair. I knew my fellow co-chair RJ and I have a lot of responsibilities on our plate, and frankly, the idea terrified me.

I had no idea what to expect, but knew I had to learn fast- I didn't want to let anyone down and I felt that, by being so inexperienced, I already wasn't pulling my weight. I didn't want to be the new girl, the outsider, or the idle officer.

So armed with a "Canning Manual" borrowed from Springfield, the tell-tale THON posters, and a lot of nervous energy, I packed up my sub-zero sleeping bag (can you say overkill?), crest toothpaste and a change of clothes and headed out to Johnstown.

First, my fellow Oriana and Glee Club THON(-ers? is there a word for this?) met up for at a local Italian restaurant to bond over pizza and planning. I learned (and promptly forgot) everyones' names. I worried over which people were already friends, if they would bother acknowledging me and whether or not anyone would notice me reaching for the last slice of white cheese pizza. 

This being his home, our Glee Club Chair John knew all the restaurant staff (and seemingly the entire population of the town). So, as we finish our meal, John surprised me saying that- no-we're not paying- we're singing for our food. Well, we are choir kids after all- so I guess it was the first and only logical option. And I can say now, with the utmost conviction, there is no better ice breaker than a few choral versions of Billy Joel tunes sung around a pizza parlor piano.

The rest of the weekend whipped by in a fast-forward montage of canning, eating, (not) sleeping, and more canning. And you can really get to know people when you spend several hours in the cold with them, begging for change on a sidewalk corner. And the rest of time was spent singing along to "Glee"  tunes while driving around Johnstown arguably/utterly lost. The frigid October weather warmed up, and by the end of the trip, I had stripped off my shyness like a puffy winter coat.

Sunday afternoon, the remaining cann(-ers?) counted the dollars, nickels, quarters and dimes.

It's amazing how quickly the money adds up.

 

Each one dollar bill a tired mom pulls from her purse, each handful of change from a pick-up trucks' dash board. Every last gummy penny from in between someone's sofa cushions- it made a difference.

One of my biggest challenges in talking with the people I met was simply convincing them their contribution mattered. And at the end of our trip, our numbers didn't lie.

 

 In two days we had raised $4,618,25.

 

Yup- over four thousand tiny little donations, tiny little moments a person took from their day to stop and give. To not question or to doubt, but to trust that their actions mattered in a way that extended far beyond the tired-looking college kids in sweatshirts and signs standing before them. It's hard to see the grand total in a hand full of pennies- but it's there. I stood there, watching these everyday people who understood that hope comes in all sizes and looks a lot like a five dollar bill.  That maybe their Starbucks' Macchiato could wait. Because they saw that in our cans was something greater than the sum of its parts (or..coins rather) - well, that helped me see. More so than I could have imagined.  

Calling all Paterno Fellows and Paterno Fellows Aspirants - Volunteers Needed! The Paterno Fellows program is partnering with Sue Paterno and the Special Olympics of Centre County to help organize the annual Beaver Stadium Run.

The 5k run/walk, traditionally held on Blue and White weekend, will take place on Sunday, April 17, 2011. To help get the word out and raise awareness for the race, we are looking for volunteers to help us on Saturday, October 30 before the Penn State vs. Michigan game. A tent will be set up between the stadium and the Bryce Jordan Center from roughly 11am - 5pm. Volunteers are needed to staff the tent as well as walk through the tailgating fields. Both groups would be handing out flyers and pre-registration forms, and gathering contact information from potential participants. Anyone who gives his or her contact information will automatically be entered into a raffle to win a Joe Paterno autographed football and a PSU Women's Volleyball team signed volleyball. Donations for the Special Olympics of Center County will be accepted and Special Olympics apparel will also be for sale. Volunteers will work in shifts, and we only need an hour or two of your time to make the race a success!

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lydia Scott at LHS5027@psu.edu by Monday, October 25.

Please expect to attend an informational meeting on Wednesday, October 27.

  It's five am. I've slept maybe four hours tops. And I've just downed three cups of Dunkin Donuts coffee and a cream cheese bagel. I do not want to get on a three hour bus to Baltimore.

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By the website definition, Kayam Farm embodies and inspires social and ecological responsibility by transforming our community through hands-on Jewish agricultural education. So think Jewish CSA? Well, right, but wrong. It's much more.

Picture 160 acres of rolling hills, spotted with fruit orchards, cross hatched with grape vines (named for the 3 Patriarchs) and patched with gardens of carrots, okra, cabbage and beets. That's what I saw as I spun around in groggy circles from my view on the hill by the parking lot. Lots and lots of farmland. Kayam farms vegetables organically according to Jewish Laws. Lots and lots of vegetables.

And for the next nine hours that's exactly what our little tour group did. We joined the caretakers of Kayam, many who live on or near the grounds, in planting, picking, seed saving and harvesting. We carried our veggies (literally) from the field to the table. And in the process I learned about how the laws and traditions of Hebrew culture from centuries past influence the dinner table today at Kayam. Every veggie must be carefully cleaned over (bugs are not Kosher, if you were wondering). But more than scrutiny goes into the meal, a lot of attention and care does too.

When you take your food literally from the ground to the dinner plate you take a whole lot more responsibility for what you're about to eat. You become more than a passive presence in your own food chain- a lot more involved than just standing in the dining hall lunch line.

So even if you're not harvesting your own dinner (which is fantastic, I might add) you can take a more involved roll in your food. Buy local - and by local I mean literally down the street, locust street for that matter. Donate to the Centre County Food bank, to make sure you're not the only one eating up. And if you're interested in the savory flavors of Jewish Culture with a side of organic greens, look into Kayam. Just wear work clothes if you visit, okay?

To aspiring and current Fellows and readers: Want to be involved with an exciting and inventive opportunity for involvement in the arts and international service? Interested in discovering what it's like to collaborate with a non-governmental organization (NGO)? Read on!

First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ruth and I am pursuing a double major in international politics and sociology with a minor in linguistics. As a junior Fellow, I enjoy learning about a broad range of topics but I'm especially taken with classes/research/activities that address the intersection of conflict, culture, and development. Belonging to a family of refugees from war-torn Sri Lanka, it could have been predictable that I would aim to work in the international conflict and reconstruction scene. This wasn't the case. It took considerable time and reflection, especially because I was very young when we fled.

These interests have led me to help out with an NGO called SJC 87, a scholarship initiative that uses art as a rehabilitative tool for war-affected students in Sri Lanka. I had offered to sell calendars for their Art of Hope project which used art-work made by the youth, organized them into a calendar, and sold them to the Sri Lankan diaspora around the globe. I took a different trajectory by suggesting the expansion of the project to college students. Penn State was the trial run, which unfortunately did not work out as well as I had envisioned. And while it wasn't mind-boggling letdown--Sri Lanka, after all, is a small, remote country that is thousands of miles away and Penn State has hundreds of organizations that are advocating for their own significant issues every day--it motivated me to find more engaging and creative approaches of raising awareness in a legitimate and representative manner.

I am now spearheading a project called Paalam (a Tamil word meaning "bridge") in collaboration with SJC87, Oxfam at Penn State, and the PSU Theatre Department. At its core, the project uses playwriting and theatre as a tool for self-reflection, rehabilitation, and community-building among Sri Lankan youth. The website goes more into it but basically, we allow youth to write plays and monologues through which they share their experiences and their hopes for the future. These plays are then performed here at Penn State and the money we raise goes to the youth's education. This project is truly a bridge; it'll bridge internal emotions to external expressions, unspoken hopes for the future to cultural conversations on rebuilding. It is capable of bridging the chasm between two completely different countries and cultures, if only by a strained thread.

What excites me more than anything is that this project is no longer just an idea that is bouncing in my brain and between extremely supportive friends and family. It's finally an active collaboration.

During the summer, Paalam was enthusiastically approved by principals in northern Sri Lanka and things have been rolling ever since. On Sept. 18th and 25th, workshops for playwriting were held for all interested youth (photos here!).

If you've stuck around this far and if anything here sounds like something you'd want to learn more about and get involved with (we'll be meeting this upcoming Thursday), contact me at RLC272@psu.edu. This project is looking for ambitious self-starters, compassionate cosmopolitans, and idea-generators.

No, I wasn't eating the cheese fries (I'm a sucker for sweets and cakes, but draw the line at fried "food"). I was serving them.

I never bought Freshman Football Tickets- so expensive! So, after hearing everyone rave about the football game experience, and a considerable amount of non-buyer's remorse, I decided to work my way into this Saturday's PSU v Temple game.

Literally.

I signed up to work in the ACF concession stand on the ground floor next to Gate E. (go there next time *hint hint*)

I spent the day draped in a light blue worker's uniform, rushing back and forth with large collector's cups of mountain dew, and orders of fried chicken. I bunned and bagged hotdogs. I passed out stacks of hamburger cartons, and tubs of popcorn. And I met maybe more than 400 (hungry) Penn State fans. Some older than my grandparents. Others snoozing in baby strollers.

Before today I'd never realized how big PSU is, not as a school but as a culture. I saw first hand a multi-generational network of students, alumni, friends and families. Hell, I served them all personal cheese pizzas. I'm not a foot ball fan per say, but it's heard to not feel infected by the excitement, and more than that, by the sense of community.

WE ARE??! How many times did I hear (and answer) that famous cheer today. It's not just "We Are Penn State," for me now, it's more of an "I Am Penn State Too."  I'm slowly beginning to feel like something greater than myself. Part ACF, part of this school, part of a greater group of people that spans majors, generations, and centuries. Something powerful. Something united. & something that smells like concession stand popcorn.

So by the end of the day, having only actually seen the game for a mere five minutes, my knees ached, by hands were burned in places from the hot metal trays and melted cheez wiz, and my eyelids beginning to sag tiredly. I was exhausted. But, I was happy. And maybe, just maybe, one step closer to finding a place in this universe.