Inspiring Opportunities
Inspiring Opportunities Delaware, Volume 1, Issue 2
Welcome to the e-newsletter of Coming of Age: Delaware. It is June already and many are beginning to think about Summer vacations and outings. Check out our "What's New" section for lots of ideas on how to keep busy this season.
Inside:
What's NewHave We Got an Opportunity for You!Past Issues What's New That expensive, overseas vacation may be out of the question but you can still have fun closer to home. Here are some great day trip ideas from VisitSouthernDelaware.com.
Continue ReadingComing of Age: Delaware contributor Sheri Ackerman offers this profile of Karen Oswald, a Sussex County woman who travels around the country in her RV volunteering in State Parks. Continue ReadingThere have been numerous studies over the years that have discovered a link between good health and volunteering. According to Gerontology News (March, 2009) there is new research by Johns Hopkins making the link. The study focused on African American women, aged 60 and older, who volunteered in schools through the Experience Corps. Researchers found that these women were more physically active than a non-volunteering conterpart group, and that they sustained this level of physical activity over time. Those who volunteered also burned twice the calories of those who did not. Another study conducted with the volunteers found that they showed greater improvements in memory and executive function than non-volunteers. According to Johns Hopkins' researcher, Dr. Erwin Tan, "Volunteering with children may be as good for their health as gym membership." Its a lot cheaper, too!
Through VocationVacations you can test-drive the job of your dreams without having to leave your day job. "Vocationers" experience one to three-day mini-internships in the career area of their choice working side-by-side with a VocationVactions approved mentor. The organization provides opportunities to try out over 125 unique careers including baker, pro wrestling ring announcer, cattle rancher and non-profit executive director. The idea of VocationVacations was born one day when founder Brian Kurth found himself daydreaming about wine making while stuck in traffic in route to his ho-hum job with the phone company. When should you start pursuing your dream job? Kurth advises, "When the current situation (job or lifestyle) is less fulfilling and scarier than the fear of an unknown future".
June Lecture Series is coming! Mornings, Monday, June 15 through Friday, June 19 at the University of Delaware's Wilmington Campus, 2700 Pennsylvania Avenue. Speakers include the Hon. Jane Roth, Professor Paul Head and Mayor James Baker. Topics include Wine along the Brandywine, Music as the Window to the Soul, Picturing Delaware, and History of African-American Jazz. Find a complete description of the program at www.academy.udel.edu under June Lecture Series. To register, contact Ellen Saienni, Academy Office at (302) 573-4415. Cost is $50. The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health's Summer Institute will be held at the Embassy Suites in Newark in July. With nationally-known speakers and cutting-edge information the Institute is an unparalleled learning opportunity for nonprofit staff and volunteers in Delaware concerned with issues of substance abuse and mental health. But the Institute also offers free, evening workshops that may be of interest to other readers of this e-newsletter. On July 27th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. you can attend "Overcoming the Trauma of Job Loss". And then on July 30th, also from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., don't miss "Brain Gain", presented by Coming of Age: Delaware member and Academy of Lifelong Learning Program Coordinator, Ruth Flexman, Ph.D. For more information about the event, check out the Institute's catalog available online.
Have We Got an Opportunity for You! A grant writer is needed on a contractual basis to prepare a grant in response to the Department of Homeland Security's Fire Station Grant Opportunity. The grant is due on July 10, 2009. Fax a resume and cover letter as well as writing sample to 866-350-3894. This opportunity was posted to Craigslist on June 1, 2009.
OK, admit it. Wouldn't you like to check out your neighbor's gardens instead of just getting a quick peek over the fence? As a volunteer with the Wilmington City Gardens Contest you can. The event scheduled for July 11, 2009 is in need of:
- Hosts- Sign up for a morning or afternoon shift and receive two free tickets for the garden tour.
- Judges- You will receive training on the judging criteria, be matched with a team and be provided with a map and lunch.
- Photographers- Take pictures of the gardens entered in the contest.
For more information, contact Susan Fox, New Castle County RSVP, at 255-9690 or e-mail Susan.Fox@state.de.us.
If you are looking for a rewarding service opportunity in the Dover area and would like to do so in a world-class art facility then the Biggs Museum of American Art is for you. "The Biggs offers changing exhibitions throughout the year relating to historical art and contemporary art topics. Intimate galleries offer guests an unexpected and personal experience with the collection." Volunteers are needed to provide a friendly welcome to visitors and to be lead tours of this amazing collection to both children and adults. Volunteer anytime Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or on weekends. Training is provided. For more information, contact Carol Lettieri, Project Director, Kent County RSVP, by e-mailing rsvp.director@modern-maturity.org or by calling 302-734-1200 (x129).
Delaware Hospice is looking for compassionate and energetic volunteers with daytime availability to volunteer in all areas of our organization. Our volunteers care for and support those at the end of life in many ways and may visit with hospice patients and families, deliver supplies to patients, support our adult and youth bereavement programs, or attend health fairs and community events, just to name a few! Extensive training and on-going support provided. We'd love to have you on our team!
For more information, contact Judith Whitehead, the New Castle County Volunteer Coordinator at 302-479-2577, x1105 or e-mail jwhitehead@delawarehospice.org.
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Brought to you by
Coming of Age: Delaware
a coalition of Delaware Nonprofits, originally convened by:
WHYY Wider Horizons
and funded by:
Delaware Community Foundation.
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Coming of Age: Delaware
c/o RSVP of New Castle County
Charles Debnam Building
1901 N. Dupont Highway
New Castle, DE 19720
302-255-9882
Coming of Age
Intergenerational Center at Temple University
1700 N. Broad Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19122
phone (215) 204-8585 • fax (215) 204-3195
inspiring@comingofage.org
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