Inspirational Friday

#ChangeALife #BornToMakeADifference

Top 5 Reasons to be a Service Leader

1. Leadership Skills

As a service leader you have the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the community and it's many involvement programs. These programs help to influence change in the community and can have a strong impact on you for the rest of your life. You will have the opportunity to improve your skills and strengths as you take on tasks that will boost your resume and ensure you have an amazing college experience.

2. Giving Others the Opportunity to Serve

Being able to provide opportunities for others to serve will always bring a smile to your face.

3. Resources

Not only is the Community Engagement Center an awesome place to hang out, but you have resources like the HOPE pantry, extra computers to use, and contact information for community members. You can always get things accomplished here, and you have amazing faculty and staff to help.

4. There's Always Something to Do!

There are always things to do for others, and the center always has options and ideas. If you're bored you can just swing by and assist in one of the many programs the center sponsors. It can definitely keep you busy on a slow day.

5. Meeting New People

The absolute BEST part of being a service leader are the friends you make. The many programs offered through the Community Engagement Center allow for you to meet fellow students, network with administrators and alumni, and connect with community members. The friendships you make and cultivate through service are relationships that can last a lifetime. All the service leaders work hard together and they are always there to lend a helping hand.

APPLY HERE NOW!!

30 Day Happiness Challenge

If you ask anyone, "What do you want out of life?"- regardless of whether it's a successful job, a family, a good relationship or something else- it always boils down to one emotion: happiness. That's all anyone wants out of life, is to be happy.

Shawn Achor sat down with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year to discuss what he had found in his "happiness-research" he completed at Harvard. The following tips are based on his inspirational advice, and they REALLY WORK!

Regardless of whether it's the start of the month or not, it's never to late to start living a happier life! Try out these tips and let us know what you think!


#Happiness #Challenge #BuildingABetterLife

Train your Brain to Stay Positive

1. Express gratitude. 

Negative events have a large effect on life unless you consciously balance them out. When faced with challenges, it's important to think of all that's going right in your life before you tackle that which is going wrong. Thinking about the good in your life can help balance that negative bias, giving your brain the extra time it needs to register and remember a positive event.

To help your brain store positive events, reflect on what you're grateful for and why at least once a week. Write down your blessings, such as the opportunity to pursue a career you love or a family that supports you. If you prefer a daily habit, then keep a nightly log of good things that happened that day. Keep things short and sweet- if you start making these too complicated and drawn-out then these positive effects become negative effects.

2. Repeat positive affirmations. 

As any politician or advertiser knows, the more often you hear a message, the more likely you are to believe it. The same goes for messages about who you are and what you are capable of doing. By repeating positive affirmations with conviction several times each morning, you are training your brain to believe them.

Choose two to three affirmations that represent your values and goals, such as 'I can handle whatever comes my way,' 'There is plenty of time,' or 'I'm getting better every day.' The repetition will influence the way you interpret negative events, making you more resilient. This can be especially effective for those who have a predisposition for negative thinking.

3. Challenge negative thoughts. 

Each time a negative thought arises, we choose how to respond. If left to our own devices, we tend to dwell. Our brains home in on negative events so they seem much bigger and more significant than they are. To combat that, start by imagining the thought as separate from yourself, as something you can observe and deconstruct. Distance yourself from the issue instead of dwelling on it.

Next, challenge negative thoughts that are unfairly self-deprecating. For example, if your start up doesn't get the traction you hoped, you might think, "I'm a failure." That's untrue and unproductive. Instead, practice interpreting the same event differently. You might say, I worked really hard but I didn't account for a quirk of the market, so I'm disappointed, but now I'm going to try again with new information. That interpretation is gentler, truer, and more proactive. At first, this strategy will be hard and you'll think it doesn't work, but over time, it'll become automatic and negative thoughts will be less likely to come up. No one does this naturally; you have to learn and practice.

Inspirational Friday

Look at all the progress you've made and realize how awesome you are!

#InspirationalFriday #Progress #Remember

Inspirational Friday

Remember, T-Birds are extraordinary people!


#InspirationalFriday #ExtraordinaryTBird

Inspirational Friday

Make every moment count T-Birds!

#InspirationalFriday #Memories

Finals Survival Kit

It's that time of the semester again- final exams are right around the corner. Stress is at an all time high, healthy diets go out the window, the idea of sleep becomes a distant memory and professor's office hours become priceless. This is the last chance to raise those grades and keep them up. Creating a Finals Week Survival Kit for someone is a really nice gesture to show support.

There are many things that can go in a the Survival Kit, and here are some ideas!

1. Food – There are a lot of late nights and early mornings leading up to and running into finals week.  Being able to reach for a snack right from their desk saves them time and keeps them from having to run out to buy their own.
2. Fun desk items – Even though there’s lots of studying that needs to be done, they’ll need a break, too.  A stress ball, one of those magnetic sculpture things, or a travel-size game.
3. New supplies – Highlighters, post it notes, pens, erasers, note cards, a note book, etc... these are all great.
4. Energy drinks – Red Bulls, rockstars and other energy drinks.  If you prefer a more natural approach, you might check out V8 V-Fusion +Energy.
5. Relaxation items – Fuzzy socks, a small scented candle, a blanket, face mask, etc...  Anything to make them comfortable during this high-stress time.
6. Vitamin C – Sleep is going to be last on the list, and colds are often more prevalent in the winter. Help them take care of their health with Vitamin C tabs, chews, or powder mix.
7. Personal care items – Colgate wisps, deodorant, hair ties, chap stick and anything else to keep them feeling fresh will be much appreciated.
8. Antacids – Between a lack of sleep, fast food, and a likely lack of physical activity, there’s bound to be a little churning.  They might not think of an antacid on their own, but they’d be greatly appreciated!
9. A personal note – A few words of encouragement from home make more difference than most people know.  A simple “I know you’re working hard” is a great way to make someone feel good about their efforts.

#FinalsWeek #Survive #SurvivalKit

Inspirational Friday

#Strength #InspirationalFriday

Clean Up Scavenger Hunt

Let's be honest, cleaning up trash around the community is almost never fun. BUT, if you can put a competitive spin on the project it becomes more than just community service. We found a sample scavenger hunt list we at the My Kids' Adventures website- feel free to adapt it to the way you want the activity to run. Offering a prize to the person or team who picks up the most trash at the end is always a great way to add incentive to the activity too.

Inspirational Friday

#tryagain #camera #lifeislike #InspirationalFriday

How to Host a Food Drive

The quick and easy way

Food drives are a great service project to organize, and are great for a group any size! The food collected during food drives assist in an effort to lessen the hunger in America. Food banks and pantries who receive these donations help to ensure that all the food is given to those who need it. It's important to realize that just like any activity, preparation is key to the completion of the goal.

There are four simple steps to carrying out a successful food drive:

1. Organize

Choose the location and duration of your food drive. Neighborhoods, schools, offices, civic groups, and houses of worship are just some of the many organizations that are happy to help sponsor a food drive. Consider registering the food drive with your local food bank. Most food banks will provide you with flyers, containers, and additional tips for running a successful food drive.

2. Advertise

Either use a flyer provided by your local food bank, or make your own. All flyers should include information about where to drop off the food, how long the food drive is running, and the most needed food items.

Most needed food:

• Peanut Butter
• Canned Meat
• Canned Fruit
• Canned Vegetables
• Cereal
• Pasta

3. Collect

Either use containers provided by your local food bank, or use cardboard boxes and plastic tubs to collect all the donated food. Label the containers and put them in a highly visible area.

4. Deliver

Collect all the donated food and take it to your local food bank or pantry. If your food drive has generated a lot of donated food (over 500 food items), then most food banks will pick the food up.

Remember to send a big thank you to all those who volunteered when all is said and done. GOOD LUCK!

Inspirational Friday

AMERICORPS!

Are You Ready to Get Things Done?

At the CEC, you will find exciting opportunities with Americorps. To sign up, please contact Gabrielle Strand or just stop on by!

Canyon Creek Woman's Crisis Center Volunteers Training

The Canyon Creek Woman's Crisis Center has an upcoming 5-hour Volunteer Advocate Training on 17 May 2014. Lunch Provided. Volunteers are needed to assist in the office, assist with kids group, sorting donations, assist with public outreach, assist with the mobile crisis team, court advocacy and many other opportunities available. We encourage SUU students to attend!

"Thank You Reception" to Students For Service

We'd like to invite you to join us, Pres. Wyatt, community leaders and local media for a "Thank You Reception" in YOUR honor. All student service leaders at the Community Engagement Center and SUU students who provide service to the community this semester are especially welcomed!

The Paiute Tutoring Center Experience

The Paiute Tutoring Center is a place for Native American children in grades K-12 to receive homework help in different school subjects. The Community Engagement Center  usually assigns two Service Leaders to be involved at the Center each semester. This Spring, our Services Leaders are Hailee Holt and Karly Peterson. They go to the Paiute Tutoring Center on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m, and on Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This is what Hailee Holt had to say about her experience at the Paiute Tutoring Center.

"I've been doing this since September 2013. I'm a sophomore majoring in Chemistry and plan on attending med school to become a dermatologist. Although I'm tutoring at the Paiute Center because I simply love it, I do believe this experience will be helpful to me down the road. It's a lot of fun for me to work with the kids at the Paiute Center, especially those who love learning and interacting with others. The children I work with mostly need tutoring help with Math and Reading, and I'm glad to see what I do makes a difference."

Hailee Holt

Bread and Soup Nite and other upcoming events

***Bread and Soup Nite is tonight, March 3 from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm!***

Bread and Soup Nite is an awesome event held every first Monday of the month in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Ballroom. Each month students can pay either $2 and a non-perishable food item or $3 without and enjoy an all-you-can eat bread, soup, and desserts meal along with some live entertainment. All of the food collected at Bread and Soup Nite goes to the Hope Pantry, which is a food pantry on campus for students to use. It is a great event and is a chance for people to get together, enjoy some good food, and to help support our student pantry.

Bread and Soup Nite is coordinated by our Student Service Leaders Harsh Kansagra and Brikel Weeks. They had the following to say about their experience as service leaders at the CEC.


Harsh Kansagra

"For the past 2 & 1/2 years, Bread and Soup Nite has gotten me more involved with other students on campus. I have learned how leadership works and seen how it helps. The best way to put it is that Bread and Soup Nite is helping people by helping people. The experience I am getting here is invaluable because it helps me with personal development. Also, my goal is to apply to medical school this year and work as an EMT the next. Med school requires a certain amount of service hours and here at the Community Engagement Center, I am earning more than double of those hours. As a doctor, I will be a leader in that I’ll be required and able to understand the rest of the staff that I’ll be working with. Being a service leader is giving me the expertise of a crew member working his way up to being an accomplished leader."

Brikel Weeks

"Being a service leader over Bread and Soup Nite has given me the opportunity to meet and connect with so many great people. I get to host a super fun event all while collecting food for our pantry which helps so many students each month. Bread and Soup Nite is the greatest...everyone should come and check it out!"

More Upcoming Events:

1. Community Family Night

• Monday, March 3, 5:30-8:00 p.m.
• Volunteers are needed to help with survey administration, bounce houses, etc.
• Perks for volunteers include dinner and door prizes, opportunity to network.
• Contact Heidi at hbaxley@sbhcutah.org

2. Mini-Break in St. George

• Saturday, March 8
• Volunteers needed to help with landscaping at the Erin Kimball Foundation (Women's Shelter)
• Only $5 for lunch and transportation
• Limited spots available, so sign up ASAP!
• Contact Jamie at jamiejarvis@comcast.net

Welcome Spring Semester 2014

The Community Engagement Center welcomes you to the new semester and the new 2014 year! 

At CEC, we're home to the following programs:

-Service Club
-We Be Groovin'
-Alternative Breaks
-After School Sports
-Bread & Soup Nite
-Sub for Santa
-Service Club
-Wee Swim
-Special Olympics
-Mini Breaks
-SUU Discover
-Senior Outreach
-Animal Outreach
-Tutoring the the Paiute Center


We encourage our students to continue to serve our community and contribute to SUU's legacy of receiving the prestigious U.S President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. As always, feel free to contact us for any questions.

Volunteer Training

Canyon Creek Women’s Crisis Center

Volunteer Training

Saturday, January 25^th 9am-6pm

At the Cedar City Public Library, lunch will be provided

  

register at ccwcc.org

Training Topics:

Domestic Violence  -  Sexual Assault  -  Dynamics of an abuser  -  Effects of Domestic Violence on Children  -  Vicarious Trauma  -  Victim Advocacy  -  Diversity  -  Shelter Policy and Procedure