Hunger Banquet spotlights problems in U.S. and around the world

The University of Illinois Springfield Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center hosted the 5th annual Oxfam America Hunger Banquet in the Student Life Building Gym on Monday, November 16, 2009.


The featured speaker at the event was Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and author of the book “All You Can Eat”. Berg spoke on campus during National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week.

“The reason we’re hosting it is on campus we’re trying to highlight that 1 in 6 individuals in the world today suffers from hunger, so we want to really raise awareness on our campus about hunger and homelessness,” said Kelly Thompson, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center.

UIS student volunteers helped to organize the Hunger Banquet where participants were broken up into different groups. Students that were selected to be low-income ate on the floor only receiving rice, while those selected to be higher income ate at the table.

“I am one of those children that came from a poverty stricken neighborhood, so I think giving back to the community is a very good thing,” said Monique Johnson, UIS sophomore social work major.

Berg says raising awareness about hunger is key to stopping the problem, but that’s not all that needs to be done.

“We really strongly believe that in New York City or here in downstate Illinois you cannot end this problem with just a little more charity alone. You need government leadership and a change in our economic policies,” said Berg.

5th Annual Oxfam America Hunger Banquet

WHAT: Join UIS during National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week for a powerful two-part exploration of poverty, featuring Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and author of the book All You Can Eat. Stay for the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, and experience a taste of the incredible human suffering still being caused by hunger in the United States and abroad.

WHEN: Monday, November 16, 2009 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Registration begins at 4:30p.m.

WHERE: Student Life Building (SLB) Gym on the UIS campus

DETAILS: With the biting wit of Supersize Me and the passion of a lifelong activist, Joel Berg has his eye on the growing number of people who are forced to wait in lines at food pantries across the nation-the modern breadline. All You Can Eat reveals that hunger is a problem as American as apple pie, and shows what it is like when your income is not enough to cover rising housing and living costs and put food on the table. Berg takes to task politicians who remain inactive; the media, which ignores hunger except during holidays and hurricanes; and the food industry, which makes fattening, artery-clogging fast food more accessible to the nation’s poor than healthy fare.

The Hunger Banquet and presentation are free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate towards the UIS Holiday Stars Project benefiting Central Illinois Foodbank.

The Hunger Banquet will be emceed by former television anchor Julie Staley from the Staley Foundation.

For more information on the Oxfam Hunger Banquet contact Kelly Thompson, Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center Director at 217/206-8448 or kthom03s@uis.edu.

Fall into Volunteering Fair

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center presents “Fall into Volunteering Fair”.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Main Concourse

ADDITIONAL INFO: This is a chance for students to meet local non-profit groups and become a volunteer in the Springfield community.

Representatives from Lincoln Memorial Gardens, Illinois State Museum, Boys and Girls Club, Planned Parenthood and Memorial Medical Center will be attending along with over 15 other local organizations.

This program is also sponsored by UIS Housing and the Experiential and Service-Learning Programs.

For more information please contact Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center Director Kelly Thompson at 217/206-8448 or kthom03s@uis.edu.

Good as Gold ceremony calls for nominations to honor volunteer work

The University of Illinois at Springfield and the Junior League of Springfield have formed a partnership to host the Springfield Good as Gold Ceremony, a recognition event to acknowledge community members and organizations for their volunteer efforts.

The Good as Gold Ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus. Six award categories will be announced during the ceremony.

Nonprofit organizations are invited to consider up to two individuals who exemplify the true meaning of volunteerism with enthusiasm, dedication, a caring attitude and leadership. These individuals will be automatically selected and recognized during the ceremony as Heart of Gold volunteers.

Other categories for which an individual can be nominated include an award for Distinguished Volunteer, Youth Volunteer and Organization Agent of Service Award. UIS will also honor with Golden Star Awards one staff or faculty member and one student who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to service and volunteerism.

In addition, the Junior League of Springfield will feature the winner of its Outstanding Graduate Award, recognizing a local junior high school girl for her leadership and volunteerism.

All nominees will be recognized in a keepsake program for the event and will also receive a certificate of appreciation at the event. Five nominees for the Distinguished Volunteer Award will also be acknowledged during the event with a short presentation. The Distinguished Volunteer award winner will have the opportunity to give a brief presentation to showcase his or her accomplishments within the Springfield community and will receive a donation stipend to give to the charity of his or her choice.

The nomination deadline for all of the award categories is Monday, March 30 at 5 p.m. To nominate an individual for an award, visit www.uis.edu/volunteer or email volunteer@uis.edu.

Campus blood drive

• 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 19
• Bloodmobile will be parked near Lincoln Residence Hall
• If you have questions about donating, call 753-1530.
• Walk-ins are welcome, but to schedule an appointment, call Jessica at 753-1530 x 6814 or sign up online.
  

Central Illinois Community Blood Center is the only blood provider to 19 central Illinois hospitals, including Memorial Medical Center and St. John's Hospital in Springfield.

University to hold Sustainability Week

The University of Illinois at Springfield is raising awareness about sustainability and the environment by hosting Sustainability Week from November 10 through November 15. Activities held throughout the week focused on sustainability include:

Monday, November 10
A bike ride will begin at 1:30 p.m. in front of Lincoln Residence Hall on the UIS campus and will be led by UIS Bike Enthusiasts.
Battery recycling begins – dead batteries will be collected in designated containers in the Public Affairs Center (PAC) Food Emporium and the lobby of University Hall until 12 p.m. on Friday, November 15.

Tuesday, November 11
Students Allied for a Greener Earth (SAGE) will be holding a recycled art contest, and judging will take place in the PAC Food Emporium from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Wednesday, November 12
Judging for the SAGE recycled art contest will take place in the PAC Food Emporium from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thursday, November 13
Judging for the SAGE recycled art contest will take place in the PAC Food Emporium from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A Sustainability Forum will be held at 6 p.m. as part of the ECCE Speakers Series at 6 p.m. in PAC Room F. Members of the UIS faculty from various disciplines will discuss ideas generated from current literature on sustainability and shared societal responsibility.

Friday, November 14
A Coffee House with Chad Perrone, a singer/songwriter, will be held at 8:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Residence Hall Great Room. Students are encouraged to bring their own coffee mugs, and attendees will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 gift card to Target.

Saturday, November 15
The UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center will hold a service project in coordination with America Recycles Day. America Recycles Day is a national event promoting the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling. For more information about or to participate in America Recycles Day, contact the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center at 206-7716 or volunteer@uis.edu.

“We hope the events planned for the week will help students learn more about ethical and sustainable decision-making and will encourage students to evaluate their impact on the environment,” said Mae Marie Noll, undergraduate academic advisor and co-presenter of Sustainability Week.

For more information about UIS Sustainability Week, email Noll at mnoll1@uis.edu.

UIS to host annual Hunger Banquet

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host its third annual Oxfam Hunger Banquet on Tuesday, November 18, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Great Room of Lincoln Residence Hall on the UIS campus. The dinner is free and open to the public, however reservations are required.

The event is held in observance of National Hunger and Homelessness Week and will focus on the theme "Spreading the Peanut Butter Thin," based on the book Spread the Peanut Butter Thin! by central Illinois author Leah Riley. Riley will be present at the dinner to discuss her personal experiences with poverty. The program will also include a video and discussions about hunger.

The Hunger Banquet is presented by UIS student organizations Women's Issues Caucus, Las Olas, Alternative Spring Break, Christian Student Fellowship and by the UIS Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center. Donations of non-perishable food and canned goods will be accepted for the 2008 Holiday Stars Project, a campus-wide holiday service initiative benefiting the Central Illinois Foodbank.

During a Hunger Banquet, guests are randomly assigned high-, middle-, or low-income rankings and are served meals that range from gourmet fare to small portions of rice and water, depending on the guest’s designation. The purpose is to heighten participants’ awareness of hunger in the U.S. and internationally. Guests are invited to share their thoughts after the meal.

"Oxfam" was the original postal abbreviation for the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, which was started in England during World War II to provide relief to war victims in Europe. Oxfam America, an affiliate of Oxfam International, is a relief and development organization that works to create lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice.

To make a reservation for the UIS Hunger Banquet or for more information, contact Lenore Cole in the Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center at 217/206-7716 or e-mail volunteer@uis.edu.

UIS kicks off holiday project with trick or treating for charity

The Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center at the University of Illinois at Springfield will sponsor the campus' first Trick or Treat for Canned Goods competition on Halloween, Friday, October 31.

The event is part of the first-ever UIS Holiday Stars Project, a campus-wide service initiative giving focus to UIS' efforts to make a difference in the local community during the upcoming holiday season. The overall goal is to collect 2008 pounds of food for the Central Illinois Foodbank.

Teams of UIS students who register for the trick or treat event will be assigned neighborhoods where they will collect non-perishable food items. The teams will canvas their neighborhoods in advance, on Saturday-Sunday, October 25-26, distributing collection bags, along with doorhangers that explain the project.

On Halloween, the teams will revisit their neighborhoods between 4:30 and 8 p.m. to pick up donations. Collected items will be weighed, and prizes will be awarded to teams that bring in the most food in pounds.

The Holiday Stars Project continues through November, when specially marked collections bins will be placed around campus and UIS will participate in a federal Hunger study in conjunction with the Foodbank. Everything collected during the project will be presented to the Foodbank on December 4.

Central Illinois Foodbank serves 160 agencies throughout 21 central Illinois counties and also hosts the Kids Café, part of a nation-wide program through America's Second Harvest that feeds children a hot, nutritious meal in a safe environment.

For more information about the UIS Holiday Stars Project, contact Kelly Thompson, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, at 217/836-3706.

UIS students to take part in AmeriCorps Opening Day events

Sixteen students from the University of Illinois at Springfield will be among AmeriCorps members from around the state who take part in the 2008 AmeriCorps Opening Day ceremonies, Thursday, October 16, in downtown Springfield.

The Midwest Campus Compact Citizen-Scholar (M3C) Fellows AmeriCorps Program is a 10-state initiative that creates opportunities for students to work together as agents of civic change in their local communities and on their campuses.

Morning activities at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center will involve the students in a service project assembling CPR and first aid information packets for the American Red Cross. In the afternoon, students will collect non-perishable food items for the Central Illinois Food Bank as they march to the State Capitol, escorted by members of the Springfield Fire Department.

The students also will hear remarks from a number of speakers, including Scott Kimmel, executive director, and Rosemary Keefe, commissioner, of the Serve Illinois Commission; Springfield Mayor Timothy Davlin; State Representatives Lisa Dugan and Richard Brauer; State Senator William Haine; former AmeriCorps member Patti Kurtz; and Parkland College Director of Student Life Tom Caulfield. Jerry Lambert, from WICS TV20, will serve as master of ceremonies.

See more information about the Midwest Campus Compact Citizen-Scholar Fellows Program.

For information about UIS' Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center contact Center Director Kelly Thompson at 206-8448 or volunteer@uis.edu.

Award-winning film "Election Day" to be shown at UIS

The award-winning PBS documentary "Election Day" will be shown at the University of Illinois at Springfield beginning at 7 p.m., Monday, October 20, in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus.

Sponsored by the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, the event is free and open to the public. A short panel discussion will follow the film.

A political film that is not about candidates or politics, but instead explores the "street-level experience of voters," "Election Day" challenges viewers to think about the nature of American democracy and whether actual practices adequately achieve national ideals.

On November 2, 2004, director Katy Chevigny sent 14 film crews to shoot simultaneously from dawn until long past midnight. Together they captured 11 stories over a range of locations, from major cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and New York; to middle-sized cities like Dearborn in Michigan, Cincinnati and Shaker Heights in Ohio, and Orlando and Quincy in Florida; to the little town of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and the even tinier Stockholm, Wisconsin; to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

The results have been called "as fast-paced and suspenseful as a thriller" with heroes who are "ordinary Americans determined to vote, to turn out others to vote, and to see that the voting is legally and fairly done."

This event is presented in collaboration with the award-winning documentary series P.O.V., produced for PBS by American Documentary, a nonprofit media organization dedicated to presenting contemporary nonfiction stories that express opinions and perspectives not usually covered by mainstream media.

For more information, contact the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center at 206-7716 or send an e-mail to volunteer@uis.edu.

Involvement & Volunteer Expo

Registration is now open for campus groups that would like to take part in the Involvement and Volunteer Expo, to be held August 27 during Welcome Week.

Participants will have an opportunity to promote their organizations to new and returning students.

Register your group and get more information