MiddAction Fair Draws Crowd

Middlebury College hosted the MiddAction Fair in the Wilson Social Space on Sept. 16. Community volunteer organizations from Middlebury and surrounding towns came to connect with students interested in offering their time to valuable causes. The organizations that came to the fair had a wide variety of goals that ranged from caring for the elderly to providing education for members of the local community.

Everybody Wins, a Vermont state children’s mentoring organization, has a branch in Middlebury’s Mary Hogan Elementary. Student and adult mentors are matched one-on-one for an hour of reading, mentorship and bonding each week.

“The children love feeling like an adult is really paying attention to them, and they really love having college students” said one adult mentor. “I almost feel bad because I see how excited they get with the college students, and my kid is stuck with me!”

The children sign up for the program, so they are always enthusiastic to meet with their mentors. There is a waiting list for mentors, so volunteers are always welcome.

Foxcroft Farm, based in Leicester, Vermont, is a harvest program that offers educational services for youth. The participants range from preschool students to seniors in high school. Different programs are targeted at specific age groups.  The mission of the organization is to “develop, support and sustain effective and affordable educational opportunities for youth that will help them to be independent, productive, responsible, caring and contributing members of their community.” Middlebury students can primarily help by being good role models while participating in programs with children. However, the organization could also use help with fundraising, grant writing and events.

HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects) is dedicated to providing services to those who live in poverty. In addition to operating a food bank in Addison County, the organization runs a thrift store, owns low income housing sites, offers financial counseling and deals with homeless case management. HOPE is a privately funded organization and therefore has the freedom to choose the kind of help they want to provide. Oftentimes, the organization works with people to accommodate needs that are not covered by government programming. Based in Middlebury, HOPE looks for dedicated Middlebury students to help out with all of its projects.

The Addison County Parent/Child Center aims to get “young families off to the right start.” As the name implies, the Center offers programs for both parents and children. Through its childcare program, the Center hopes to build each child’s self esteem, resiliency skills, self-control and initiative. With only two teachers available to run its nine programs, volunteers create more opportunities for children to have one-on-one attention. The Center also provides classes for parents, and could use Middlebury College students to help teach an English or Math class.

“Most of our families come from poverty,” said one representative, “so they don’t know what it’s like to walk into a place where thirty people are kind to them. We’re built like a house, and that’s for a reason; we look like a home.”

Middlebury’s Bridge School, an independent not-for-profit elementary school located on Exchange Street, is looking for Middlebury students who love kids and wish to work with them on a variety of activities.

“We do a wide range of things and we have a lot of flexibility,” said Cynthia Clarke, one of the school’s full-time staff members. Volunteers can help with academics or just be there to play.

“We look for someone who likes to have fun and be with kids. What they want to do, they can talk to me about and we can make it happen,” said Joe Schine, also a teacher at the school.

The Willowell Foundation, based on 230 acres of land in Monkton, is a non-profit that focuses on connecting people to the environment and the arts. It provides numerous land-based education programs, including Farm to School, a national effort to expose students to the sources of their food. Students help out in community gardens that grow food served in their cafeterias. The Foundation also operates the sail freight project, a freight barge that takes Vermont products to New York City via the Hudson River in order to promote carbon neutral transportation. A number of Middlebury students have helped out with the sail freight project in the past, and students are welcome to aid with the Foundation’s numerous educational programs as well.

Located in Vergennes, the John W. Graham Emergency Shelter provides housing, food, and support to families with children, the sick, the elderly, the mentally ill and those struggling with or recovering from drug addictions. The Shelter helps families and individuals eventually get back on their own feet. Clinicians also regularly come to the Shelter and provide services. Volunteers help the shelter by providing house maintenance, cooking services and childcare.

The Rotary International Club fundraises and donates money and time to various local, state and international projects. One of their global objectives is the promotion of clean water resources. The organization is involved in clean water initiatives all over the world. Through their “Hands to Honduras” program, the Club created water filtration systems, wells, a three-classroom school and a microloan program for people with disabilities in 2012. In 2013, the Rotary Club returned to Honduras and cleared land to make a playground for the school they created. The Rotary Club has worked with Middlebury students before in activities such as Green-Up day and community suppers. The organization meets at Rosie’s on Route 7 at 7 a.m. every Wednesday morning and would love Middlebury College volunteers.

The Charter House meets the needs of members of the community at an economic disadvantage. The House organizes community suppers every Friday night and lunches Monday through Thursday, which feed 200 people. The House farm garden is located in New Haven, Vermont, five miles from campus. The garden produced 5,000 pounds of food this summer. The Charter House uses the food they grow for their community meals and also donates it to the food pantry. The House has transitional housing with apartments and a winter shelter. Students comprise one-third of the volunteer base for the housing program and can help by preparing and serving meals as well as playing with kids at the shelter. The shelter is staffed 24/7. The Charter House offers internships for J-Term and the summer.

Experience Middlebury, a community organization, is responsible for the Chili Fest, the “Very Merry Middlebury” celebrations around Christmas, trick-or-treating on Main Street and Mid-Summer Fest. They offer Middlebury students one-day volunteer opportunities and committee involvement to help plan local events. Middlebury students can gain hands-on knowledge about economic and community development in Middlebury. Experience Middlebury advocates for local businesses and gives them a voice. The organization recently created a website, experiencemiddlebury.com.
Living Well Bristol is a residential care facility in Bristol offering holistic eldercare. They strive to care for the bodies, minds, and souls of senior citizens, whom they offer all organic food and various fun activities including tai chi and musical events. Living Well Bristol aims to bring the local community back to taking care of and cherishing elders. There are no fees for senior citizens to come to the center, and many of those who come have disabilities or are low-income. The organization believes that every Vermont elder deserves excellent healthcare and housing. Middlebury students can get involved with Living Well Bristol by volunteering their time to do activities with senior citizens, as well as simply keeping them company.