8th Dimension

Come celebrate the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts! Girl Scouts of Eastern PA is looking for volunteers to help out at the Real Girls Leadership Conference, which is taking place from 1-4pm on Saturday, April 21st, as part of the Century of the Girl Expo. This is an ideal opportunity for anyone who wants to empower girls, promote worthy causes, and have a lot of fun. Participating girls will choose an issue that’s important to them—bullying, hunger, education, etc.—and explore their topic through various creative activities. 4th and 5th grade girls will use arts & crafts to express their views and facilitate discussion, while 6th-12th grade girls will create Public Service videos about their chosen causes. You don’t need to have any
Girl Scouts background—we’re just looking for enthusiastic college students to help supervise, encourage, and talk to the girls who are participating. Real Girls is taking place at the PA Convention Center on Saturday, April 21st, and volunteers are needed from 12:30-4pm. Contact Laura Zipin (lzipin@gsep.org or 610-933-7555, ext. 1429) with any questions, or if you’re interested in signing up.
Thank you!

This past weekend, a group of students went to help out at the Norris Square Neighborhood Project at some of their urban gardens! The garden was decorated with beautiful murals and buildings that make this space wonderful for the surrounding community. We spent the morning cleaning out the plots and preparing the garden for planting this spring. It was a great way to celebrate the beginning of spring!

Volunteer with Ardmore Food Pantry for Easter!
Thursday, March 29th
Ardmore Food Pantry will need help loading and distributing Easter food baskets this Thursday evening. The Food Pantry is located SUPER close, at St. Mary’s Ardmore (about 5 minutes from the apartments).
E-mail 8dstaff@haverford.edu if interested.

Bowling with 8D!
Friday, March 30th, 2:30-5:30pm
Get off campus and volunteer to join the students of Don Guanella for a fun afternoon of bowling. Don Guanella is a residential school for disabled young men, providing a supportive community for those with special needs. Transportation provided.
E-mail 8dstaff@haverford.edu or rhenn@haverford.edu to sign up.

Neighbors in Action
Saturday, March 31st 10am-2pm
Get involved in the Philadelphia community! Volunteer with Neighbors in Action and help clean up and beautify the city. Volunteers will work with other Philadelphians gardening and cleaning up green space in North Philly!
E-mail jneumann@haverford.edu.

Values Through Arts and Sports
Saturday, March 31st 10:30am-2pm
Volunteer with kids in Philadelphia to help them learn values through sports and arts at New Creation Community Center in North Philly. A fun and easy way to get involved! Enjoy the beautiful upcoming weather and play basketball or football or use your creative skills with crafts! Transportation provided!
E-mail esteiner@haverford.edu or 8dstaff@haverford.edu for more info.

Urban Farming with Mill Creek Community Farm!
Saturday, April 7th 9:30-1:30
We will be working in Mill Creek’s community garden preparing the soil, planting produce, and anything else they might need to get ready for spring. Mill Creek’s mission is to give the surrounding community access to a sustainable and healthy food system that is not typically available in this urban environment.
Contact 8dstaff@haverford.edu or cbrooks@haverford.edu

Swimming Instruction with Freedom Valley YMCA at Spring Valley
Saturday, April 14. 12:30-2:30 PM.
Please join Freedom Valley YMCA at Spring Valley interact with Students with Special Needs as you help them learn the basics of swimming. Volunteers must be comfortable getting in the water with volunteers.
Must have a car to get there, gas will be reimbursed by 8D.

Project HOME is in need of tutors for HYPE, their college preparatory program for high school students. Project HOME is a nonoprofit organization in Philadelphia that provides housing and services to chronically homeless men and women. The H.Y.P.E. (Helping Youth Pursue Excellence) Teen Program is a college prep program that seeks to prepare teens and families in previously underserved areas to achieve college success through the mediums of career and college readiness, college access, and successful college retention.

Within the tutoring program, availability times are Monday-Thursday between the hours of 4pm-6pm. A tutor can select one day or as many as they’d like to tutor. Tutors will volunteer once a week until the end of the semester. The location is the Honickman Learning Center in the heart of North Philly-1936 N Judson St, which is located near 23rd and Diamond Sts.

Contact 8dstaff@haverford.edu for more information or to sign up and get involved!!! Transportation will be reimbursed by 8D.

Hi there! I’m Catherine, another one of 8D’s interns. Along with a few other staff members, I hail from Baltimore, MD, where the only thing better than the Ravens are our crab cakes. I am a psychology major and economics minor in the class of 2014, but I spend much of my time in the dance studio doing ballet and modern.

I became an 8D intern to encourage other students to break out of the “Haver-Bubble” and experience the broader community. More importantly, I wanted to be able to become more involved in these volunteer opportunities myself! Currently, I am working on integrating fair trade products into Haverford’s every day routine and making us a registered fair trade college. For other service days, I am interested in environmental projects–I have been a vegetarian for the past four years–and working with the homeless population. I will be leading trips to urban farms and gardens in Philadelphia in late March and early April. For more information on these service days, keep a lookout for our posts on the Go! Boards and our Facebook page!

Tuesday, February 28th at 5pm: Give every child what they deserve – help sort and organize donated toys and clothes that will be available to homeless and low -income children around the Philadelphia area. Transportation provided. Contact 8dstaff@haverford.edu for more info.

Looking for a summer job? Do you like working with children? Serendipity Day Camp wants you!!

Serendipity Day Camp has flourished for many years at Haverford because of the amazing staff that we employ. Counselors must have the basic energy to keep up with children between the ages of 5 and 13. Must be willing to work June 18th through August 10th. Salaries are competitive; free housing is provided in HCA.

If you would like to apply for a job, e-mail a resume and a letter of interest to Marilou Allen (mlallen@haverford.edu) by March 2nd.

I’m Julia, one of 8D’s four fabulous interns! I thought I’d introduce myself to everyone and talk a little bit about what I’m doing as an intern at 8D.

I’m a sophomore political science major, and my favorite thing to do is play ultimate frisbee with the Sneetches. I’m from Louisville, Kentucky, which I also like to refer to as “the best place in the world,” because it would be perfect if not for the humidity and the terrible public transportation. I decided to become an 8D intern because I love the way community service can make me feel connected to a community, especially my own, and I want to encourage as many Haverford students as possible to involve themselves in their community. Food is one of my favorite things, and though my sister is the chef in the family, I can bake with the best of them. This passion for food in my home has led me to a serious interest in food-related community service, and I spend my Fridays at SHARE Food Distribution Center, working with their Farm-to-Families program. I’m hoping to lead a few food-based service days this semester, so be on the lookout in the 8D email!

Every Spring Break Eighth Dimension sends groups of Haverford students on housing outreach trips as an alternative Spring Break option.  This year two groups are venturing off campus to participate in HOAP (Housing Outreach Action Project).  One group will travel to Pipestem, West Virginia to work with the Appalachian South Folklife Center, and another will go down to Birmingham, Alabama to build in collaboration with the Joe Rush Urban Mission.  HOAP provides students with the opportunity to fill their spring breaks with a fun and meaningful experience, while meeting new people and interacting with the world outside of Haverford.  To get more information about the HOAP trips or to sign up contact 8dstaff@haverford.edu.

The Haverford College Athletic Department has a long history of volunteerism when it comes to Special Olympics, and this year was no exception.  On Saturday, November 5^th, over 200 Haverford athletes volunteered to go to Villanova to cheer on athletes in soccer, volleyball, running, and weightlifting.  Some privileged softball players even worked security!  Four varsity teams boasted playoff berths, but other college athletes stepped up to the challenge and Haverford volunteers were there in numbers. 

            The Special Olympics Fall Festival at Villanova is always a popular event.  More than 1,000 athletes come to compete and over 4,000 volunteers are there to make sure everything runs smoothly.  The event is, in a word, huge.  Some events even had to take place off campus at a local high school because Villanova ran out of field space.  Athletes and volunteers from all over the Greater Philadelphia area converge to enjoy healthy athletic competition, and the fact that it was a beautiful sunny day made it even better.

            Eighth Dimension staff members put in a good deal of work to get all of our volunteers organized, but it’s Haverford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the varsity athletes that deserve the credit.  Volunteers were sent to Villanova in shifts starting at 7AM Saturday morning (pretty early when you’re a college student) but everyone had a great time.  “Special Olympics is a great event that allows student-athletes at Haverford to cultivate strong connections with the community,” said organizing SAAC executive committee member Josie Ferri. “We look forward to showing support for these hardworking and inspiring athletes each year.”