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Wesleyan Alumni Participate in WEServe Week of Service

Olivia DrakeJanuary 25, 201310min

Wesleyan alumni helped their communities by participating in the WEServe Week of Service, Jan. 20-26. Alumni all over the country worked side-by-side with fellow alumni, students, families and friends on special projects. WEServe follows the National Day of Service on Jan. 19, and honors Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan. 21.

“The concept was uniquely translatable to geographic areas of all sizes; unlike some of our events which require a critical mass to be successful, these community service projects could engage alumni, parents, and students in cities or towns with as few as one or two people from Wesleyan,” said Makaela Kingsley ’98, associate director of alumni and parent events, director of reunion programs.

University Relations put out a call for projects starting in November 2012, seeking “Project Captains,” who would organize a community service project, “register” it with Wesleyan, and lead the project on-site. University Relations publicized the projects, took registrations, and mailed Project Captains a “kit” with project materials and a Wesleyan gift for participants. By the first week in January, 38 groups had signed up for a WEServe project.

In the future, University Relations plans to make the WEServe Week of Service an annual event.

Weserve
Alumni volunteered at Bread for the City food pantry in Washington D.C. as part of the WEServe Week of Service. This project was organized by Gabriel Gonzalez-Kreisberg ’09, pictured in the back, center.

Lisanne Biolos '88, Sarah Williams '88 and Sharon Greenberger '88 paint walls at the Bowery Resident Council's Lex Safe Haven, a residence for 43 formerly homeless men and women in New York.
Lisanne Biolos ’88, Sarah Williams ’88 and Sharon Greenberger ’88 painted walls at the Bowery Resident Council’s Lex Safe Haven, a residence for 43 formerly homeless men and women in New York.
Todd Snyder '84 also helped paint at the Lex Safe Haven. The WEServe project was organized by Muzzy Rosenblatt '87.
Todd Snyder ’84 also helped paint at the Lex Safe Haven. The WEServe project was organized by Muzzy Rosenblatt ’87.
Volunteers in Philadelphia, including members of Wesleyan's a cappella group The New Group, served and ate lunch with 16 formerly homeless women who cope with chronic mental illness at The Bethesda Project on Spruce Street. This WEServe project was organized by Brad Moss '80.
Volunteers in Philadelphia, including members of Wesleyan’s a cappella group The New Group, served and ate lunch with 16 formerly homeless women who cope with chronic mental illness at The Bethesda Project on Spruce Street.
Volunteers from the WEServe project in Philadelphia gathered for a group photo. This project was organized by Brad Moss '80.
Volunteers from the WEServe project in Philadelphia gathered for a group photo. This project was organized by Brad Moss ’80.
Makaela (Steinberg) Kingsley '98 read to kindergarteners in Mrs. Carter's class at the Celantano Museum Academy in New Haven, CT as part of the WEServe Week of Service.
Makaela (Steinberg) Kingsley ’98, third from left, read to kindergarteners in Mrs. Carter’s class at the Celantano Museum Academy in New Haven, Conn. as part of the WEServe Week of Service.
Once known as a soup kitchen, The Bowery Mission is sometimes referred to as the busiest "restaurant" in New York City, serving more than 900 meals per day to poor and homeless men, women and children and more recently, the unemployed who are doing everything possible to make ends meet. Volunteers helped to prepare dinner, serve and clean-up as part of the WEServe Week of Service. This project was organized by Donna Temple '95.
Once known as a soup kitchen, The Bowery Mission is sometimes referred to as the busiest “restaurant” in New York City, serving more than 900 meals per day to poor and homeless men, women and children and more recently, the unemployed who are doing everything possible to make ends meet. Volunteers helped to prepare dinner, serve and clean-up as part of the WEServe Week of Service. This project was organized by Donna Temple ’95.

Other WEServe events included “Food Backpacks for Three Square” in Las Vegas, Nev., organized by Pam Greenspon ’89; “Spruce Up A Youth Center for Spring Semester” in Los Angeles, Calif., organized by Rebecca Friendly ’11; “Garden Cleanup at the Church of the Intercession,” in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., organized by Charles Gregory ’74; “Food Distribution with the Red Cross Food Pantry,” in Boston, Mass., organized by Linden McEntire ’04; “Read Aloud at Riverdale School” in Brooklyn, N.Y., organized by Jennifer Robinson ’07; and more. #THISISWHY

View all projects and project locations on this WEServe Project Map.

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