8th Dimension

This year, we had over 100 kids at our Easter Egg Hunt! We also had a lot of happy parents, arts and crafts, over 8,000 jelly beans, and so much fun. It was awesome to see so many adorable kids running around campus. Thanks to all the children and parents/guardians who joined us, and all the volunteers who came to help out!

8D’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt is only 2 weeks away! This year’s hunt will take place on Saturday, March 30th, with crafts from 11:30am-12pm in Founders Hall, and the Hunt beginning at 12pm.

Our Student-Run Projects are a great way to get involved in an ongoing project, meet new people, and have fun! We have so many options from tutoring programs, to volunteering in hospitals, to feeding the homeless. Check out all the options and the student coordinators here: docs.google.com/document/d/1xbelSO6Z6Gp6Q5-0nGBiQWU6wW0iI5m8Z0nfiyDGh6s/edit?usp=sharing

Have an idea for a student-run project? Need help with funding, transportation, advertising, or just general support and guidance? We can help! Contact 8dstaff@haverford.edu if you’re interested in taking a leadership role either with an existing project or a new one. We look forward to working with you!

8^th Dimension, Haverford’s Office of Community Service, would like to congratulate and welcome you to our community! We’re sure you are very excited about all the awesome things you can get involved in at Haverford, and we feel that community service is one of the most unique and important aspects of the Haverford experience. Community service is an incredible way to discover the Philadelphia area, do concrete work that improves human lives, learn things that cannot be taught in a classroom, and meet all kinds of new people.

One of 8^th Dimension’s oldest traditions is hosting first-year service days, which all first-year students participate in. You will have the opportunity to spend a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday in September working alongside your peers to help a local organization in need. We take care of everything from transportation to lunch! You just have to show up ready to help. This year we have an amazing variety of service days planned and are excited to let you know where you will be working soon! This experience will no doubt be an incredible part of your transition to Haverford.

After you participate in your first-year service day, there are numerous ways you can continue to stay involved in service. We facilitate ongoing student-run projects, which are great opportunities to stay involved with one organization. We also organize frequent service days to provide one-time volunteer opportunities for Haverford students. Service Days cover a wide variety of activities and interests. In the past, they have included environmental clean-ups, housing and school improvement projects, Philadelphia AIDS walk, urban farming, playing with kids at a local community center, and many more! We’ll also work with you on finding an individual placement if you have a specific interest. And no matter what kind of service you’re getting involved in, we will reimburse your travel costs!

To see more examples of our service projects and find out how you can get involved…

Like our Facebook page: Haverford 8^th Dimension www.facebook.com/pages/Haverford-8th-Dimension/100132273393183

E-mail us: 8dstaff@haverford.edu and sign up to be on our mailing list!

We look forward to getting to know you!

Take a look at a few of service days we participated in this past year!

Norris Square Neighborhood Project: Volunteers help with their urban gardens, cleaning out the plots and preparing the garden for planting this spring.

Ardmore Food Pantry: Volunteers help the pantry loading and distributing food packages.

Bowling with Don Guanella: 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.

Neighbors in Action: Volunteers help clean up and beautify the city. Volunteers work with other Philadelphians gardening and cleaning up green space in North Philly!

Values Through Arts and Sports: Volunteer with kids in Philadelphia to help them learn values through sports and arts at New Creation Community Center in North Philly.

Mill Creek Community Farm: Volunteers work 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.

Swimming Instruction with Freedom Valley YMCA at Spring Valley: 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.

Cradles to Crayons: 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.

Philadelphia Zoo: Help with crafts and activities for kids visiting the Philadelphia Zoo! Volunteers get free admission to the zoo so feel free to come early or stay late and spend a fun day at the zoo.

CosaCosa Photo Exhibit: Help set up a photo exhibit with CosaCosa, an organization that brings together thousands of citizens of diverse backgrounds to learn about art, each other, and working together.

The Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission: Volunteer with an organization that provides services such as food and shelter to the homeless in Philadelphia. Come for fun and to make a difference in someone’s day–help serve Saturday’s lunch!

Royal Gardens: Volunteer with this amazing organization that helps restore the green space in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia and promote positive, constructive outdoor activities for all to enjoy.

Pegasus Riding Academy: Help provide disabled individuals with therapeutic riding lessons. Volunteers help lead the horse, spot the rider, groom and feed the animals, and clean the stables.

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!