Community Relations Coalition - MSU and EL

CRC Interns Out on the Town: City Council Candidate Forum and Safe Halloween

2011-10-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

This past week was a busy one for the CRC interns! Tuesday night they attended the ASMSU City Council Candidate Forum, which featured a question-and-answer session with the five candidates for the East Lansing City Council. Incumbents Diane Goddeeris, Roger Peters, and Nathan Triplett expressed their stances on a wide variety of issues alongside challengers Donald Power and Hans Larsen. Check out the article in the State News!

Councilmember Roger Peters answers a question at the forum while fellow Councilmember Diane Goddeeris and challenger Hans Larson look on (photo credit goes to State News' Josh Radtke)

Next on the agenda was the MSU Greek community's Safe Halloween. The CRC hosted a bean bag toss game and passed out candy to local children. Check it out:

The interns are currently hard at work planning our upcoming International Thanksgiving Feast event, scheduled for Sunday, November 20 from 1:00-3:00 PM in the multipurpose room of Red Cedar Elementary School. The CRC will be providing turkey and mashed potatoes, and we're asking students, residents, and groups on campus to bring a traditional ethnic dish to pass to give this Thanksgiving an international flair! If you're interested in bringing a dish please contact Ryan Waldron, intern for the Red Cedar neighborhood, at waldronr@msu.edu. Check out the event on Facebook for more information!

Farewell to Ted Staton

2011-10-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the City of East Lansing bid farewell to Ted Staton, who has been City Manager of EL for the past 16 years. Below is a letter from the CRC's Board of Directors expressing their appreciation for all of Ted's hard work toward better university-community relations over the years. We will be sorry to see Ted go, but look forward to working with Interim City Manager George Lahanas, and the new City Manager once he or she is selected!
________________________________________

Dear Ted,

As you leave East Lansing for your home state of Ohio, we wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how much the Community Relations Coalition has appreciated your support over these many years. We truly believe that having champions like you and the City Council has allowed this fledgling organization to grow and to really make a difference in the lives of the residents of East Lansing.

Born out of riots and deteriorating relationships, the CRC has faced the tough task of breaking through stereotypes and barriers to build trusting relationships in our community. Without support from the top, demonstrated in so many ways, it is hard to imagine how we could have gained the trust of the community so quickly. We will always appreciate your presence at events, your family’s participation in the CRC’s “Adopt a Floor” program, and your enthusiastic championing of the work of the CRC interns.

The interns are the heart and soul of the CRC, and it is significant that throughout the years they all knew you by name, and felt comfortable asking you questions and for advice. We are sure that their view of city government will be forever changed by knowing that good cities are led by good people.

We want to join in with your many friends and colleagues in thanking you for all that you have done to make East Lansing a wonderful place to live, to work, and to go to school.

With best wishes always,

The board of directors of the Community Relations Coalition
________________________________________

Here is a photo of the cake from Ted's Farewell Celebration yesterday - Sparty eating a buckeye!

Keeping EL Green After the Big Victory

2011-10-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of our great volunteers who came out to help clean up the community this morning after the big win over Michigan! The CRC provided cider and donuts to a sizable crowd that included Mayor Vic Loomis, Interim City Manager George Lahanas, Mayor Pro-Tem Diane Goddeeris, and City Councilmember Roger Peters. Check out the story covered by the State News!

A CRC intern helps clean up the streets with George Lahanas
Photo credit goes to Matt Radick, The State News

The CRC interns are hard at work planning events for the second half of the semester- stay tuned for updates!

CRC Set to Host Neighborhood Cleanup

2011-10-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

The CRC encourages everyone in the East Lansing Community to join us on Sunday, Oct 16 for a Neighborhood Clean-Up. We will be meeting at 10:30am in the East Lansing Police Station Parking Lot (corner of Linden and Park). All MSU students who participate will be registered with the Center for Service Learning. This is also a great opportunity to meet your Neighbors and to help beautify the city.
Hope to see you there!

CRC at the Housing Fair!

2011-10-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

The CRC participated in MSU's Housing Fair, this past Wednesday, on October 12th. We were able to successfully promote The Spartan Big List to students. We handed out pamphlets, pens, cups and even coasters to further promote our message. Lastly, we have been stenciling the side walks at MSU with the Spartan Big List logo.
Check it out:

The Spartan Big List Logo.

Our Setup!

Looking Busy!

Autumn Fest, A Huge Sucess!

2011-10-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

The CRC would like to thank all those that participated in Autumn Fest, this past Sunday at the East Lansing Farmer’s Market. The CRC interns had a blast helping children of all ages carve pumpkins, paint pumpkins and make delicious caramel apples. The event was a huge success. In total we went through about 200 pumpkins and had about 350 visitors.

Check out some cool pictures from the Event:

What a Crowd!

The Painting Carving Station was pretty busy!

Dad's helping the kids Carve Pumpkins!

Gooey, Crisp, Caramel Apples.

Afraid you missed out? Don’t worry. The CRC will be holding more events soon. We will keep you updated!!!

CRC and ELFM Partner for Autumn Fest

2011-10-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the Office for International Students and Scholars and the http://cvip.isp.msu.edu/ on the success of the second annual East Lansing Welcomes the World Event! Some of our interns helped out with the event and had the opportunity to welcome international students to the community and enjoy free ethnic foods from around the world.

Coming up next- the CRC is partnering with the East Lansing Farmer's Market for Autumn Fest this Sunday, October 9 from 10:00-2:00! Come on down to Valley Court Park (behind Biggby Coffee on Grand River Ave.) for children's activities, complimentary cider and donuts, FREE pumpkins carving and painting, and caramel apples. Sunday's supposed to be sunny with a high of 77, so there's no excuse not to get in on this great event!

East Lansing Welcomes the World Event

2011-09-28T11:47:00.001-07:00

On Sunday October 2^nd, the CRC will be participating in the East Lansing Welcomes the World Event. This event occurs annually and is hosted by the City of East Lansing, MSU's Office for International Students and Scholars, and the Community Volunteers for International Programs (CVIP). The CVIP will also be celebrating 50 years of service in the neighborhood. Please feel free to help us welcome international students and scholars to the greater Lansing area! The event will take place in the Hannah Community Center from 3 to 5.

Neighborhood Partners Throw a Barbecue

2011-09-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Sept 17 Emily, a CRC intern, and her neighborhood partner Nancy Schertzing, hosted a BBQ\ Potluck Dinner in the Bailey Neighborhood. It was quite a success and neighbors were able to meet and mingle. Not to mention, the food was delicious!

Neighborhood Partners enjoying the BBQ

Festive treats at the BBQ

Neighborhood Clean Up

2011-09-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Channel 10 news for covering our first Neighborhood Clean-Up! We picked up about 15 bags of trash from East Lansing's Bailey and Oakwood neighborhoods. The College of Osteopathic Medicine was also out that morning doing a clean-up in Bailey, so the City was looking great by the time both groups were finished!

Watch the Channel 10 news coverage of the Clean-Up here:

East Lansing Clean Up

Last Ice Cream Social, First Neighborhood Clean-Up

2011-09-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Bailey Ice Cream Social, we had a great turn-out! Check it out:

Residents had the chance to meet their neighbors and the CRC interns and chat with city officials such as Interim City Manager George Lahanas, Police Chief Juli Liebler, East Lansing City Councilmember Roger Peters, and Mayor Pro Tem Diane Goddeeris- all while enjoying MSU Dairy Store ice cream. Participants even got to sample seasonally appropriate Pumpkin Spice flavor- yum!

Next on the CRC calendar- this year's first Neigbhorhood Clean-up! We'll be meeting in the parking lot of the 54B District Court at 10:30 am this Sunday, September 25 and then hitting the streets in an effort to beautify our community. The CRC is registered with Service-Learning, so if you need Service Learning hours for a class or group you're involved them, this is a GREAT way to get them. Refreshments will be provided!

Free Ice Cream and Neighborly Bonding

2011-09-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

If you Missed out on the Red Cedar Neighborhood’s ice cream social due to rainy weather, here is another opportunity to enjoy free Dairy Store Ice Cream on behalf of the CRC. We will be hosting a third ice cream social in the Bailey Neighborhood on September 21st. It will be held at 361 Bailey from 6:00 to 7:00pm. This is a great way to meet neighbors and interns. There may even be a few city officials that attend!

The CRC would also like to invite all members of the East Lansing Community to join us on our first Neighborhood Cleanup of the Year! It will take place at 10:30 on Sunday September 25th. We will be meeting in the parking lot of 54b District Court. This is a great opportunity to make new friends and give back to the communities we all know and love.

We all scream for ice cream!

2011-09-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

The CRC’s first neighborhood ice cream social of the yeartook place this past Thursday in the Oakwood Neighborhood, and was a great success despite the drearyweather! Residents chatted it up withMayor Vic Loomis, Deputy City Manager George Lahanas, Officer Rodriguez from the ELPD, and CRCinterns over MSU Dairy Store Hoosier Strawberry and Buckeye Blitz ice cream. Check it out:

Residents of the Red Cedar Neighborhood won’t want to missout on their own ice cream social, which will take place tomorrow, Wednesday,September 14. The CRC will be providingmore FREE Dairy Store ice cream goodness from6:00-7:00pm at 1054 Marigold, the home of Red Cedar Community Associationchairperson Marcia Van Ness. It’ll be agreat chance for residents to come out and meet the neighbors, cityofficials, and the new CRC interns!

Training Week

2011-09-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

As one of the new interns for the CRC, I am excited to saythat we have successfully completed our training week and our first week ofoutreach! During our training week, we were able to get to know each other andbecome familiar with the task at hand as CRC interns. It was exciting to view the East Lansingcommunity in a very unique light. We were given the opportunity to meet CityCouncil members, and visit the Police Department, Fire Department, City hall,and of course the Department of Public Works. We were also able to get to knowour fellow interns on a whole different level during our day at the AdventureCenter at Pretty Lake. During our visit we did a lot of team building exercisesand finished the day with a high ropes course. We would like to thank all ofthe speakers and everyone that made our training possible, and we are all eagerfor the start of a great year!

We'll be back in the fall!

2011-05-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

The CRC internship runs during the academic year, so the blog will be back in the fall with a new team of interns! The interns for 2011-2012 have been hired and will begin training on August 22nd. They are a great group and it should be a wonderful year!

-Olivia (CRC Intern Coordinator)

End of the Year

2011-05-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

First off, we want to thank everyone for all the support that made the CRC so successful! We wouldn't have been able to all that we can if it weren't for our community.

Year in Review:

I remember it like yesterday. It was training week and the interns had just met each other, as well as our supervisor. Little did we know what would happen from that point in time. It started with training week where we were still learning about one another, and trying to discover what each person can contribute. It quickly progressed into the late summer where we held Ice Cream Socials in each of the neighborhoods. Before we knew it, it was the fall and we were out on the streets of East Lansing picking up litter, trying to make this a better place to live. One of our favorite events took place soon after, the Bring Your Own Pumpkin event, where we came together to carve pumpkins and bond as neighbors. Winter rolled around, and the CRC was at its annual post at the Winter Bowl and Chili Cook Off. Another favorite event was the Free Holiday Photo event, where we had a professional photographer come in and take free pictures for the holidays, and if you wanted, Sparty was there to help beautify your picture! Spring was upon us and a Free Ice Skating event was held, so we all could come out and enjoy some exercise with neighbors. Next came the International Coffee Hour, which the CRC helped sponsor. With the year quickly wrapping up, the CRC made its last appearance at a The Marble Elementary School Carnival.

Again, we cannot thank the community enough for all the support we have received. We are going to take a quick break over the summer, but will be back and ready to go in the fall!

Thanks!

The CRC has won the Crystal Award!

2011-04-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

The CRC is very grateful for the Crystal Award! It is a big honor and we all had a great time at the ceremony meeting people. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this organization a success! Below is a photo and the text from the announcement of the award at the Crystal Award Reception:

The Community Relations Coalition (CRC) was created during a time of unrest in the East Lansing community in an effort to strengthen town-gown relationships. Since 2000, Michigan State University students have been hired each academic school year to serve as CRC interns (or neighborhood resource coordinators) in East Lansing's off-campus neighborhoods. These interns have successfully helped foster positive communication and interaction among residents and students through participation in and facilitation of a number of community events and programs. Whether hosting a neighborhood block party, facilitating a community coat drive, participating in neighborhood cleanups, attending neighborhood association meetings or providing educational outreach to neighbors, the CRC interns are always busy at work with an ultimate goal of bridging the gap between residents and students. The CRC Board also hosts events that enhance communication and encourages conversations among East Lansing residents, the city, the university and students. While each event the CRC hosts may seem small when standing along, together these events create positive face-to-face interactions that otherwise probably wouldn't happen. These invaluable interacions help neighbors to meet, know and respect each other; while also helping them to broaden their perspectives and see the community from more than one viewpoint. The CRC is a non-profit organization made up of a core leadership team, a board of directors and the CRC student interns hired each year to carry ou the organization's mission. Through its hard work and successes, the CRC has become a model organization for other college communities looking to improve their town-gown relationships.

Free Ice Skating!

2011-03-14T13:53:00.001-07:00

Come out to the first FREE ICE SKATING EVENT hosted by the CRC. It on Sunday, March 20th. We will be at Munn Ice Arena from 12:30-1:30pm. Come out a little early to make sure you can get your skates and get on the ice as soon as possible! We hope to see you all there!

The CRC is hiring!

2011-03-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

The CRC is currently in the process of seeking interns for the 2011-2012 year! We are hiring for both the neighborhood internship and our Public Relations internship. Applicants to both positions must be MSU students; beyond that, eligibility requirements differ somewhat for each internship. For more information, check out the full position descriptions online:

PR Internship
MySpartanCareer Job ID 44799

Neighborhood Internship
MySpartanCareer Job ID 43181
Online Application www.tinyurl.com/11-12-crc-app

Applications are being accepted throughout the month of March for both positions.

BCA Valentines Day Party

2011-02-13T16:04:00.000-08:00

The CRC teamed up with the Bailey Community Association for the 26th Valentines Day Party. The event went off without a hitch. Many activities were going on at the event. We had card making, cookie decorating, and a magician! It was very nice seeing a large group of people out at the event. Below are some pictures!

She stole the show!

We're Back!

2011-02-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

Sorry for the long break, but the CRC is back and in full action. We hope that your holidays went well and glad East Lansing is as beautiful as ever! We've been pounded with snow, so keep in mind your safety. We want to make sure you keep your sidewalks safe and shoveled. When we all do our little part, it keeps our community safe.

We have a few events in the works at the moment-- I can't tell you the entirety of them, because, to be honest, we don't have all the details for them yet. We will keep you updated as we progress forward with the events. I think you will really enjoy them!

Until then, be safe and enjoy the winter wonder land!

Holiday Photos: Recap

2010-12-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

The photo event the CRC hosted went wonderfully. We had about 20 groups show up to get pictures with and without Sparty. We want to thank everyone who braved the weather and made it out. We are so glad you came and hope you enjoy your photos. Once again, we would like to thank our photographer Luke, at Luke Anthony Photograpy for his amazing photos. Before you go on break, remember to figure out how your sidewalks will be shoveled, your house we be locked up (we suggest you ask a neighbor to watch your home), and heat your house so the pipes don't freeze. Have a wonderful break!

Here are some photos from the event--

Winter Coat and Letter Drive Results

2010-12-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday the CRC had a table at the Winter Bowl collecting letters for soldiers who cannot come home over the holiday season and coats for the homeless. The Winter Bowl was a great event and really fun place to be and we saw a lot of success in both coats and letters. Oddly enough, the total for both at the moment is 78!

However, the coat drive is still going on until the 17th, so there will be even more coats raised than 78 -- something very impressive and indicative of the great community here in East Lansing. If you would still like to donate a coat, bins are located at the following locations: Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road; East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbott Road; Lansing Community College East, 2827 Eyde Parkway; and Suite 113 in the Student Services Building on the MSU campus (Career Services Network).

We would like to thank the East Lansing community for coming together and helping out with the coat and letter drive. It was a cold day and not very good conditions for taking off those gloves and writing a letter, but a ton of people still pitched in and wrote a letter or brought a coat. It was great to see that kind of compassion from our community.

UPDATE: Registration Closed for Free Family Holiday Portraits

2010-11-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

UPDATE:

At this time, all time slots for the event have been filled. We look forward to seeing those who have registered at the event!
Previous Post:

The CRC is hosting a FREE event on Sunday, December 12th from noon to 3pm in Parlor A on the second floor of the Union. A professional photographer will be taking family portraits - free digital prints will be provided, and you can purchase prints or holiday cards at the event.

At this time, all time slots for photos with Sparty have been filled. Space is still available for group photos without Sparty, so this is a great chance to have a professional photo taken of you and your spouse or significant other, or a group of friends or roommates! Since spaces will be limited, you must sign-up in advance to guarantee a time slot for your group. Walk-ins will be accommodated on a space-available basis. Please complete the form here to sign up for your time slot!

A big thanks to Luke Anthony Photography, who will be doing this photo shoot at a reduced rate to support the work of the Community Relations Coalition!

CRC Hosts Coat and Letter Drive!

2010-11-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

The Community Relations Coalition is hosting a Coat and Letter drive this holiday season to help spread goodwill in the community!

Letter Drive

The CRC will be collecting letters or cards for currently deployed service members to be distributed through Operation Gratitude. Letters will be collected on December 5th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Winter Bowl Soup and Chili Cook-Off. Our table will be located at the Ann Street Plaza. Letters should be addressed generically ("Dear Hero," "Dear Soldier," etc.) and should not be in an envelope or have postage, as they will be sent in bulk to Operation Gratitude to be screened and mailed to overseas troops. Here are some tips from Operation Gratitude on writing your letter or card:

letters should fit in a standard size envelope
include your name and address in the body of the letter
do not write about politics, religion, death or killing
please do not use glitter
keep it upbeat and positive!

Coat Drive

The CRC will also be collecting gently used or new coats to benefit area homeless shelters. Coats will be collected by Advent House and distributed to other agencies in the area through the Greater Lansing Homeless Resolution Network. If you cannot make it to the Winter Bowl on December 5th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, there will also be bins located at drop-off points leading up to the event (locations TBD - check back for more info soon). Some pointers for donating a coat:

there is a particular need for adult coats this year, especially nicer coats that can be worn to job interviews to help people get back on their feet
if you have the means, please have used coats cleaned prior to donating
if you don't have a coat to donate but would like to participate, you could also donate a small gift card to a department store or Burlington Coat Factory; shelters use these to supplement their coat supply

Last year, the CRC collected 300 coats - let's do our best to beat our record this year!

BYOP: Recap

2010-10-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

So the BYOP was extremely successful! Thanks to everyone who made it out. We are fairly certain we will be hosting this event next year. Some pictures are below:

State News covers CRC's BYOP Event

2010-10-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

Robbie Couch from the State News joined us for today's BYOP event. Check out the video online here!

Upcoming Event -- BYOP

2010-10-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin carving season is upon us! This Sunday the 24th, a week before Halloween, the CRC is hosting a pumpkin carving event for the community. Long term residents and children are welcome, and of course, students. The event is a pumpkin carving event, but with a limited amount of pumpkins! So bring your own pumpkin or come a little early. There will be materials on hand to carve pumpkins and clean up. On top of pumpkin carving, there will be free Uncle John's Cider and Doughnuts. The event is at the Bailey Pump House and starts at Noon and will go until 1:30 pm. It will be a great event to come to and get to know your neighbors a little bit better. So come and join us this Sunday and enjoy some free goodies and have fun carving pumpkins!

Yoga! Yoga! Yoga!

2010-10-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

Our first event that has been created by one of our interns- how exciting! Our intern Marilyn, an avid yoga-ist, has come up with a brilliant idea to be the leader of a free-community wide yoga class. It is designed for all ages, any ability level, or anyone who is merely interested in yoga. Some of the great benefits of this class are its free, you get a good exercise, and it does nothing less but make you feel better before you came. Every week, the class is growing in size, allowing for greater opportunity to meet your neighbors and socialize with people you may have never met. If you are at all interested, don't hesitate to ask us. The sessions take place every sunday, from 2:00-3:15ish, in the Hannah Community Center. There are 6 more classes left. Either show up for class, or if you have any other questions, please email us at crc@msu.edu.
Have a wonderful day!

Neighborhood Cleanups

2010-10-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today we completed the second of our Neighborhood Cleanups for this fall season. The first cleanup was after the Notre Dame game and today's cleanup followed the Wisconsin game -- two Spartan victories, an added bonus. The cleanups have drawn numerous student, some long term residents and the Mayor as well. Mayor Loomis has attended each cleanup to say a few words and show his commitment to the city through service. The cleanups are a great way to build community and show a dedication to the East Lansing community. If you are a student and come out you are saying that not all students neglect cleaning up after themselves while celebrating. If you are a resident who comes to help, you send the message that you care for the community as well and take your role as a citizen seriously. It is easy for some residents to simply say that they do not want to clean up after college students, shirking their responsibility. However, most of the pick up is done by college students who did not make the mess either, but care enough about the community to help clean it up. We want to thank all of the long term residents who recognize this fact and have come out to help with the clean up. Another thank you goes to the students who have done such a great job showing up and cleaning up. If you have missed the clean ups but want to help out and show your commitment to your community (and snack on some free doughnuts) be on the lookout. There will be more clean ups in the future and there is always room for those who want to help.

Volunteers preparing to divide up into groups

Evidence of a job well done!

Events: Ice Cream Socials

2010-10-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Throughout the late summer and early fall, the CRC hosted several ice cream socials. They took place in the Bailey neighborhood, Red Cedar neighborhood, as well as the Oakhill neighborhood. The goal of the social was to bring long-term residents and students into the same vicinity so they can congregate and meet, and learn about each other. We wanted the two groups to interact and gain a mutual respect for each other. We felt an ice cream social is one of the good ways to get people out of their homes and talking with one another. As one of the interns who was able to attend all three gatherings, I would say that they all went quite well. Some pictures are below.

Upcoming CRC Clean-Up featured in State News

2010-09-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

Group invites students, E. L. to help in post-game cleanup

Training Week

2010-09-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome back all! It's a new year, with new goals and new interns. After selecting new interns for the year, we quickly got started with a very informational training week.

Day 1: We all arrive to the same location to begin learning about each other, and begin our team building activities. We also learned the history of East Lansing. After lunch the "gringling" began. Gringling consists of greeting and mingling. We would later find out that gringling is a very integral part of being an intern at the CRC.

Day 2: To start the day, we met at City Hall to meet with East Lansing Fire Marshal Bob Pratt. We were educated on many common fire issues that no one really notices. We then met Police Chief Tom Wibert to learn about the community and the relation between the community and the university. After lunch, we traveled up to The Department of Public Works to learn about its role in keeping the community functioning- getting the details about recycling within the community.

Day 3: This day consisted of meeting many important figures within the community. There are many to talk about but it consisted of meeting and talking with the city board to understand what goes on behind the scenes of the city, and truly find out how the community feels about itself.

Day 4: My favorite day by far. It consisted of all team building at an off-site location. It was in the middle of the woods, where we had to work together under many different scenarios in order to accomplish a goal. Some of the tasks included wall climbs, being "imprisoned" with ropes, and high ropes course. All proved to be demanding of our wit and cooperation. A very long day to say the least.

Day 5: Our last day. To sum it up, we talked about financial policies within the CRC to help us get a better understanding of where it comes from. It was a bunch of small business info that is important to us, but not many others. After that we were done and graduated!

Happy Spartan Spring!

2010-04-05T05:35:00.000-07:00

The crazy end of the year is finally upon us again. We are all scrambling to tie up loose ends with final projects and papers. I will be closing out my CRC internship along with my MSU career, which is a lot to swallow. Six of the other interns will also be graduating. This definitely does not mean that us CRC interns have abandoned our mission. We have been working in different group projects this semester.

My project involves a book drive to one of the East Lansing Public Schools, Donley Elementary. They have been participating in a book drive for a couple of years in order to keep the students reading throughout the summer even if they do not have the means to. We will help this year with the drive and end with a final Book Bingo event on Thursday, May 6th from 6- 7:30 p.m. We will be using all of the books that we raised to pass out to the kids as they win games of bingo. There will be pizza and other fun activities for the parents as well as the kids. It should be a fun and effective event. If any of you have books to donate, please do! More information on where to drop off books will be given later.

Another project that is occurring is an Earth Day clean up on Monday, April 4th from 4-7 pm. We will be meeting at the Bailey Community Center. It will be a mixture of student life, involving the Greek Life, and other permanent residents. It will be a wonderful way to interact and make the city of East Lansing a better place to live!

The third group will be participating in a green initiative. On Friday April 23rd, CRC members, and other members from organizations around MSU, will be passing out energy efficient light bulbs to residents in East Lansing. It is a great way to keep pushing efficiency in the city we live in.

Overall, CRC interns are working on some great projects. We will keep you updated on all of the progress made!

Go Green!

Apply for this Internship!

2010-03-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I hope you’ve all been enjoying the wonderful weather and took pride in the Spectacular Spartan victory last Sunday. In the midst of March Madness, the Community Relations Coalition is diving into the search for next year’s interns. As a graduating senior intern, I have only great things to say about the work I’ve done with the CRC. I’m always going to cherish the memories I have of hanging out with my fellow interns, volunteering to make the city a better place, and building connections with city officials and long-term residents. This internship has been a fantastic experience that has helped me develop numerous skills that I will take on to graduate school and my professional arena. My internship with the CRC also greatly bolstered my network at MSU, giving me connections to people across the university and the city of East Lansing.

As someone who will surely miss this internship, I highly suggest that you consider applying to the internship for next year. In order to do so, you only have to meet a few requirements: you have to be a junior or senior in the Fall of 2010, be living off campus for the 2010-2011 academic year, and be in good academic standing. If you meet those requirements, you are eligible to apply for this internship, which (aside from the wonderful experience you will gain) includes a financial remuneration. Go to www.wealllivehere.org in order to find the application materials.

Take care,
Go Green!

ASMSU Gathering

2010-02-15T07:09:00.002-08:00

ASMSU has been a vital ally to our organization, to the MSU campus, and to the greater community in general. They graciously invited us to attend a community reception held at Dublin Square Pub. Many of the CRC interns, including myself, jumped at this opportunity.
At the event, there were representatives from the City of East Lansing, the East Lansing Police Department, Community Relations Coalition, ASMSU, and MSU administration. President Lou Anna K. Simon was even there! To kick off the night, there were DELICIOUS appetizers with light mingling among the attendees. I, personally, was able to catch up with some members from the CRC Board that I had not seen in many weeks.
We were all quickly seated at our assigned tables. At the tables, there was an assortment of different ages, perspectives, and positions. This was a great idea that ASMSU had. Many times, the CRC interns tend to stay together (because we get along so well!). But, with the assigned seating, it gave us the opportunity to branch out and get to know other members of our community. We were given some conversation points to help us delve into the larger topics of possible events, goals, and initiatives that could help create a strong community in East Lansing.
It was a great way to organize the event. At my table, we discussed mostly environmental initiatives. We talked about the importance to involve all sectors of the populations in order to truly gain a sense of unity, meaning the Michigan State students, the university professors and staff, the permanent residents, and the children. There was the idea of a community garden to involve everyone in a beneficial way in social capital, environmental sustainability, and educational reasons. We also discussed how all of our connections could really create something great that has an impact for years to come. I was excited to see the passion other people have for this city; it was inspiring!
Throughout the discussion, we were able to eat a fantastic gourmet dinner. After dinner was cleared up, ASMSU had two mediators to break into a large group discussion of goals and their feasibility. It was interesting to hear what all the other tables talked about. There was a lot of emphasis placed on the economic regression in East Lansing and how people should want to stay in the city. I am interested to see how far these talks will go and hopefully many of these goals will become a reality. This was one of my favorite events that we were able to attend as a group. It for sure was an amazing way to get away from college cooking! The excellent conversation was a bonus.

Go White,
Kanika

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T07:09:00.001-08:00

Happy Snow Day!
The season of love, happiness, flowers, and celebration is upon us. CRC got the opportunity to volunteer at the Bailey Community Center Valentine’s Day Party. I had no idea what to expect, but I made sure to wear my pink heart headband!
A few of the CRC members baked heart-shaped cookies for the decorating station. The sugar cookies turned out great and were a hit at the party. There was also a card making station. It was a lot of fun to interact with the families of the Bailey neighborhood. Throughout out year with CRC, we have gotten the opportunity to congregate with many permanent residents, but they all seem to be the adults. This was one of the first times that we were able to play and laugh with the younger children. Personally, I adore children so I loved every minute of it!
The children were happily content with anything and everything that happened at the party. Our main event was a “bubbleologist”. His performance was great! I cannot believe the things he was doing with bubbles. My favorite was the ‘volcano bubble’ that released smoke. I was just as entertained as the children. Next week we have the Spaghetti dinner at Marble Elementary School. It is another chance for us to hang out with the children. I cannot wait!

Go green!

Spartans Agains Drunk Driving Forum

2009-12-09T06:19:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone,

This was a really exciting weekend for the CRC. Not only did we participate in the Holiday Coat Drive and the Winter Bowl, our partners over at Spartans Against Drunk Driving held their annual forum in the Wonders Kiva on Sunday evening. The scene was quite serious as various speakers from the East Lansing community talked about how drunk driving has influenced them. Two MSU graduates recounted their tales. One of them was hit by a drunk driver, had to have pieces of windshield surgically removed from his face, spent months in physical therapy relearning how to walk, and is now a speaker for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Multiple East Lansing and MSU police officers recounted tales of arresting drunk drivers or reporting to the scene of a drunken driving crash. Mayor Vic Loomis was the keynote speaker. He recounted an anti-drunk driving commercial where a home video shows a high school cross-country runner winning a race and then the screen goes blank and says that a drunk-driver killed the runner and her family in a crash shortly after the video wash taken. He cited MSU social norm statistics to show that SADD is making an impact, such as “81% of MSU students choose to use a designated driver” and “74% of MSU students choose not to drink and drive after having just one drink.”
The Forum could not have come at a better time. Mothers Against Drunk Driving just announced a few weeks ago that Governor Paterson of New York signed drunk driving legislation for his state. This legislation requires ignition interlock systems for those who have been convicted of drinking and driving. An ignition interlock is essentially a breathalyzer that is integrated into the ignition system of a car. When a person attempts to turn on their car, they have to give a breath sample, which is measured for blood alcohol content (BAC). If that BAC is over the legal limit, the car will not start. New York is the twelfth state in the US to pass legislation of this sort. The legislation also makes drunk driving with a child in the car a felony. This is based on the line of reasoning that a person who makes the decision to drink and drive with a child in the car puts that child in danger, and unlike an adult, that child might not have the option to stop the driver or leave. I am proud of New York for passing legislation of this sort. Through my work with Spartans Against Drunk Driving, I have lobbied countless Representatives and Senators to pass similar legislation in Michigan, but the bill was stalled in a past session of the legislature.
I expect that one day our legislature will pass a bill of this sort, and help protect us from people who drink and drive, and ultimately make terribly regrettable decisions.
I hope you have all enjoyed my blogs throughout the semester, as this will likely be my final one for 2009.

Take care.

Go White!
Mike Berkowitz
CRC Intern

Sam Singh Event

2009-12-01T10:48:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone!
The semester is edging towards the end, which brings projects, exams, papers, and among all: stress. However, the CRC interns were able to set one night aside and get together at Grand Traverse Pie Company (YUM!) and have a conversation with former mayor, Sam Singh. Each intern was granted the ability to invite one guest from the East Lansing community to join in our discussion. It was an enlightening talk about the challenges of maintaining multiculturalism within the city of East Lansing. Sam Singh has a lot of insight, because he recently returned from a world tour where he traveled to over 25 countries in sixteen months.

We discussed issues such as economic downfalls in East Lansing and Michigan overall, the education system, volunteerism, and Michigan State study abroad programs. Through our conversation, we all were able to discuss specific issues we face in East Lansing and ideas of potential solutions. It seems that this type of open discourse is necessary when dealing with problems of discrimination or inclusion. There also needs to be more of an emphasis on learning about other cultures that surround us either through going abroad, being involved in another type of educational international course, or even participating in some sort of pen pal program. It was really fun to discuss such serious issues that us, as CRC interns, need to strengthen ties within our multicultural community.
The night ended with our stomachs full of pie and our minds stirring with good conversation. It was an honor for Sam Singh to take time out of his life in order to talk with us. It was truly enlightening and one of my favorite CRC events yet!

Have a happy Thanksgiving and if you have any used or new coats, don’t forget to bring them back with you for the Coat Drive this Friday!

Go Green,
Kanika

UPCOMING INTERN EVENT

2009-11-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody,
I hope you have been well and are getting ready for some well-deserved time off for Thanksgiving. I’m writing to you in excitement about one of the CRC’s final events for the year. On Saturday, December 5th from 6-8pm, the CRC will be hosting a Holiday Coat Drive at the Lincoln Room of the Kellogg Center. We want you all to come for some FREE refreshments and live musical performances by various groups, possibly including MSU’s very own RCAHppella vocal ensemble, an MSU jazz ensemble, and a vocalist from Lansing’s Refugee Development Center! All we ask is that you bring a coat to donate to St. Vincent Catholic Charities, a local charity that works to enhance the quality of life for local individuals and families in need. All are welcome, from students, to East Lansing residents, to MSU faculty and administrators, to friends and family. Come help local people in need stay warm this holiday season while having some fun with your friends from the community, and enjoying a free concert.

Hope to see you there!

Go White!
Mike Berkowitz
CRC Intern

Recycling in East Lansing

2009-11-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

It has been a while since I last wrote. I’ve been busy researching city recycling models for an independent study I’m performing in conjunction with the internship. I hope you don’t mind me getting a bit technical but I’m excited to tell you all about the conclusions I’ve drawn from the project and what it means for the city of East Lansing.

Basically, there are three different ways that a municipality can run a curbside recycling program. First, there is mixed waste recycling, where recycled materials and garbage are collected as one entity. This is beneficial because it requires no change in behavior of city residents, requires very little public education by municipalities, and lets the municipality choose which materials they wish to utilize from the collected waste. However, when garbage and recyclables are collected together, the recyclables often get contaminated, meaning they are unable to be reused. This happens when bottles break and intermix with paper products, or when recyclable materials have residues in them that diminish their quality. Contamination occurs at such a large level with mixed waste recycling that most municipalities will not use it.

The second model is called source separation. In this model, residents are required to clean, prepare, and sort their recyclables before the city picks them up, separate from their garbage. This is the model that East Lansing uses. This model is beneficial because material recovery facilities don’t have to spend a great deal of money sorting and cleaning recyclables before they sell them. The problem with this model is that it requires a great deal of public education, requires a great deal of effort from city residents, and can incur many collection costs.

The third model is called single-stream recycling. In this model, garbage and recyclables are separated, but all recyclables are collected together (called commingled recycling). This is beneficial because it is much easier for residents than source separating. It requires less public education and saves costs during the collection process. However, products are often contaminated, which makes the products less valuable and results in higher costs for sorting and cleaning.

After surveying a large portion of literature, most academics agree that source separating is the most cost effective recycling model for the time being. However, most of them also believe that as sorting and cleaning technologies become more advanced and their prices fall, single-stream models will be become the most cost effective recycling method.

So why does this all matter? Because this means that East Lansing is running the model that I, and the literature, believe it should be operating. However, in the future, East Lansing should look into the potential for a single-stream recycling model when technology becomes available. This would make recycling in the city much easier for students (requiring less time and effort to recycling), and it would not require the city to educate upwards of 7000 new student residents on recycling policies each year. In the future, this would be the ideal model for the city of East Lansing.

Thanks for sticking with me through my research. I’m happy to have studied the topic and to have gained such a strong understanding of recycling in East Lansing. I hope that if any of you are interested in recycling issues, or have questions, you will feel free to contact me. I’d love to talk about the issues even further.

Go Green!
Mike Berkowitz
CRC Intern

Raking Leaves

2009-11-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Hello!

There is a saying that claims fall is just a second spring and every leaf is like a flower. Well, at the past CRC intern event, the flowers were in bountiful numbers in the form of leaves. A few of us decided it would be a wonderful idea to rake leaves for some elderly in the East Lansing area. We got some addresses and took our rakes on the road.

I have never seen so many leaves before in my life. At one house, all of us were knee deep in leaves. It was ridiculous! The weather luckily held up, so we did not have to deal with muddy and wet leaves. It was a great way to bond with fellow interns while doing something that was helpful. We even had a chance to play in the huge pile of leaves for a bit, which was great! The individuals we met at the houses were very thankful and that made our hard work and sore bones worthwhile. We are throwing around the idea of doing this type of activity with snow removal.

Other than this event, us CRC interns have been working hard on keeping up with our work and school. We will be holding a coat drive on December 5th at the Kellogg Center from 6-8 pm. The clothing will be given to the Refugee Development Center. It should be a great time, more details to come soon. Thanks for reading ☺
Peace be the journey,
Kanika

Happy November!

2009-11-03T08:15:00.001-08:00

Happy November everyone!
We are already half way done with the semester! I cannot believe how fast this semester has gone by (even though it goes by this fast every year). This past weekend was Halloween. Therefore, the city of East Lansing was graced by many interesting costumes such as H1N1 Swine Flu, a band of Care Bears, Lady Gaga, and a ‘Party in the USA’. Because it only happens once a year, we like to extend it as long as possible. On Wednesday, the CRC got the chance to participate in Safe Halloween with the rest of Greek life.
Safe Halloween is an event that allows children from the community Trick or Treat in a ‘safe’ environment. It was held during the hours of five to seven, so it was still light out. There were hundreds of children walking up and down MAC (which was shut down for the duration of the event). There were tables lining the street with different fraternities and sororities holding simple games to entertain the children while giving out candy. It was a wonderful event. There was music, laughter, pumpkins, and hay all over! The children were absolutely precious. My favorite costume would have to be a little boy dressed up as Michael Jackson. On the back of his leather coat, he had written: “You’ve been struck by a smooth criminal”. It was GREAT! The CRC table consisted of heaps of candy and three jars. We made the children guess how much candy was in each individual jar and if they guessed right, they got to take home the whole thing. It was pretty successful. Two jars had 100 pieces of candy and the other had 300. We got a few guesses from the younger kids of “five” or “ten” which always made me giggle. Overall, it was really fun and the weather was perfect! It was a great way to feel connected with the community while participating in an event that was mainly through Greek life.
After the event, a couple of the interns headed to Noodles and Company for some dinner. Not only is the food delicious, but we were supporting our very own Mike Berkowitz and Spartans Against Drunk Driving (SADD) in a fundraiser. It was wonderful to see the restaurant packed with people, especially because a lot of them were in costume. 20% of the purchase was donated to SADD. It was a completely successful day. We all were happy from all the cute children, full from a delightful dinner, and helping out SADD, a great organization.
We have a lot going on in the next couple of weeks. I cannot wait to keep you posted! Hope you have a great night!

Go White,
Kanika Suri

Intern Dinner Date

2009-10-30T05:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I’m really excited to tell you about an awesome dinner date I had this week. The Mayor Pro Tem, Diane Goddeeris, and I had a chance to go to Dublin Square and get to know each other. Diane works part time as the Mayor Pro Tem, and full-time as a nurse at Sparrow Hospital. I find it extremely beneficial that serving on the East Lansing City Council is a part time commitment, even for the Mayor. That way, people with widely diverse backgrounds and expertise are able to be a part of the council, such as Diane who is a nurse or Victor Loomis who is a business owner.

I have been particularly interested in East Lansing recycling since I started on as a CRC intern, and my meeting with Diane provided a great opportunity to learn more about it. Diane said that although she is really proud of East Lansing’s recycling, there are still problems with the current system that need to be addressed. One of those markets has to do with corporate offices and businesses recycling programs in East Lansing. Diane said that many businesses create large amounts of waste that could be recycled but often have only one common trash due to the inconvenience of recycling. Also, many businesses in East Lansing don’t recycle because they yield too much material to contain and manage in recycle bins. Diane suggested that it might be worth looking at special recycling programs for businesses that face this problem.

Another problem is that the market for recycled materials has decreased in response to the economic recession. When there is less demand for those materials, municipalities often lessen their initiatives to increase recycling, as well as programs to recycle different types of materials, because there is no economic incentive driving it. Diane suggested that maybe we shouldn’t view recycling as a business. We should do it because it is morally the right thing to do, and thus, continue expanding recycling during times when the market does not dictate so. I absolutely agree with her, and have always felt that we view the environment as too much of a business/economic resource. Jean Heglend, author of Into the Forest, argues that we often take our natural resources for granted, and that we might not be able to survive if they were gone. For reasons like these, I think we need to have a better relationship with our environment, which includes recycling outside of market demands.

I hope that throughout my time as a CRC intern, I get an opportunity to make a difference in some arena of environmental relations with the city of East Lansing.

Go Green!
Mike Berkowitz
CRC Intern

CRC Intern Tailgate

2009-10-13T04:58:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

I hope you’ve been surviving the cold and wet weather that seemed to sneak up on us this so quickly. It sure has been a worthy adversary this week for many of us interns at the CRC working on our away game tailgate. During the week, Kelsey (another intern) and I walked up and down the 500 and 600 blocks of Cornell, Stoddard, and Spartan Ave in order to advertise for the event. We talked to many residents in the area, letting them know what the CRC is and inviting them to our tailgate. Aside from getting soaked in the rain, we had a blast meeting all of the neighbors.

The tailgate itself turned out great. We had the East Lansing City Council pass a resolution to allow us to block off the 500 block of Cornell Ave. With the block shut down, we had some music going, we grilled up burgers and hot dogs, played football in the street, and talked with local residents. The tailgate was a great opportunity for people in the community to meet each other, especially neighbors in the area. City Council member Kevin Beard came to support us and had many good things to say about the CRC. I got an opportunity to talk with him about the recent budget issues in the state congress and discussed how that would influence East Lansing and MSU. I was surprised to find out that only a small portion of East Lansing’s budget comes from taxes.

All in all, we had a blast while taking away some worthwhile conversation, and hopefully developed some new and meaningful relationships. On top of that, MSU stomped all over the Fighting Illini, making it the perfect Saturday of tailgating and football.

If you happen to be around, come visit us at the housing fair this Wednesday from noon to 4pm. The CRC will be there hanging out so make sure to stop by and say hi.

Go White!
Mike Berkowitz
CRC Intern

Clean up and Tailgate!

2009-10-09T05:27:00.001-07:00

Hey!

The CRC ice cream socials are officially done! Who would’ve thought I would miss those tubs of ice cream so much. It is also that time of the year that could make students shiver campus wide: MIDTERM WEEK. So every nook has been taken over by students who realize, “wow, I have been in school for HOW long?!”. I always say that I can only comprehend that there are 40,000 students at MSU until exam periods. I walk into a library and just sigh.
Besides the great studying that will be done this coming weekend makes me think of last weekend. These past couple of days has reminded me how great it is to be a Spartan. With the defeat of our biggest rivals, University of Michigan, joy and pride filled our hearts. For some reason, this joy and pride translated to trash and litter on the streets of East Lansing. We had our second football clean up on the Sunday after the game. It was a bigger success than the first, which was very exciting! We got people from different organizations, such as C.A.R.E. on campus, and also residents that read about it in the newspaper. It took a little over an hour and it was all done! Spirits were still high from the heart-gripping game the day before, which helped our success. However, I believe the rain and cold may have deterred some would-be participants. We did get a much better turn-up though!
This Saturday, Michigan State is playing away at Illinois. CRC will be holding an “Away Game Tailgate” that will take place on the 500 block of Cornell Street. If anyone is interesting in watching the game, eating some food, and getting to know other East Lansing residents, please come over around 10 a.m.! It should be a good time to represent our college with some CRC fun! Have a wonderful weekend!

Go Green,

Kanika

Red Cedar Ice Cream Social

2009-09-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Another week has gone by and life is getting busy for many of us. You know the school year has officially started when you can’t call your friends from 9-10pm on Thursday because they are either watching Grey’s Anatomy or the Office. But you also know its fall semester when the CRC hosts ice cream socials! This Wednesday, the CRC welcomed students, city leaders, and long-term residents to Red Cedar elementary school for some MSU dairy store ice cream to mix and mingle. All of us interns hit the streets to recruit residents from the nearby neighborhoods to come out and meet each other. I think a lot of us were proud of the strong turnout from the long-term residents in the community, setting a great example for the rest of East Lansing to follow. I think it’s safe to say that once again, Buckeye Blitz was the favorite flavor among the crowd.

Personally, I had an opportunity to speak with City Council members Roger Peters and Nathan Triplett at the ice cream social. In particular, we spoke about the City Council’s recent accomplishment of passing a resolution to support Representative Meadow’s medical amnesty bill. The bill aims to allow minors who have consumed alcohol to call paramedics if medical attention is needed without facing legal ramifications. The issue seems really important to pass, especially from the perspective of a college student. Aside from talking politics, I was pleasantly surprised by how down to Earth both city council members were. I think a lot of people see politicians as being high and mighty members of a separate and elite echelon of citizens. Council members Peters and Triplett are great examples of how incorrect that line of thought truly is.

Now that our ice cream socials have come to an end, we get a quick break from the action. But we are right back at it a week from this Sunday when we host a football clean up. Come meet us at the East Lansing Police Department, Sunday October 4th at 10:30am for some doughnuts, juice, and an opportunity to make East Lansing a cleaner, more vibrant community.

Until then, remember that We All Live Here.

Go White!
Mike Berkowitz
CRC Intern

Fall Clean Up and Ice Cream

2009-09-21T04:31:00.001-07:00

Hello again!

I cannot believe that we are at the brink of October! Our first football game against the school down the street, Central Michigan University, was quite a failure. But, luckily the CRC football clean up the following Sunday was a great success. There was a pretty decent turnout for an early morning. It seemed that most participants were students; hopefully at the next cleanup (after the Michigan game) we can push for more permanent residents too! It really awesome to see how little time it took to make our community look better. We enjoyed donuts and orange juice as well!

We had our second ice cream social in the Bailey neighborhood. We were all presently surprised with the diversity of attendants! It was a great chance to meet people outside of my neighborhood (Oakhill). The ice cream always helps too! I am now well aware that Buckeye Blitz is amazing. Our last ice cream social will take place in the Red Cedar neighborhood. The past two have been successful, so hopefully we can get everyone to show up again for some DMCs, ice cream, laughs, and smiles!

Other than that, all of us interns have begun to think about events we will plan for our respective neighborhoods. If anyone has any specific ideas let us know! Hope you all have a great week.

Go Green,
Kanika Suri

Move In and the First Two Weeks!

2009-09-12T02:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I hope Labor Day weekend treated everyone well. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. With the U-Haul trucks blocking every road, broke students rushing to the bookstores, footballs being tossed in the middle of intersections, and the chants of ‘Go GREEN, GO WHITE’, it seems that the fall semester is full in swing. This means our internship with the CRC has also come into play.

We got the privilege to help create ‘Welcome Bags’ that were filled with informational sheets about the recycling, safety, taxi services, among others. We made over 2,000 bags and then distributed them to individual houses and apartment complexes. It was a great way to interact with the current residents of East Lansing. It was definitely a positive way to start off our year! ☺

All of the interns took extra bags to deliver to our assigned blocks. It made it easier to approach the new residents and explain our purpose. For the most part, I received a very optimistic response. I even got invited to a few tailgates in my neighborhood!
Yesterday, we had the first ice cream social in my neighborhood. I went a couple days ago to hand out flyers. People were generally excited to meet others that lived around them. We lucked out by having ‘ice cream eating’ weather. I got to have some deep, meaningful conversations, known as DMCs in the CRC world, with many of the residents. I was generally surprised by the turnout. There was a perfect mix of permanent residents along with students that were mingling. I think all the other interns enjoyed it as well! Who doesn’t love eating ice cream while chatting it up with new people on a sunny day? No complaints, minus the swarms of mosquitoes! Next week is the Bailey neighborhood ice cream social; I cannot wait to see how it turns out! ☺

That is it for now. Have a great week!

Go Green,
Kanika Suri
CRC Intern

First CRC Blog Entry!

2009-08-24T07:21:00.001-07:00

Hi Team!

So I feel pretty honored to be responsible for this Blog’s first entry; it’s not every day you start history! I’m very busy at the moment finalizing everything for CRC Intern Training Week (next week….yikes!) but I wanted to take a little break and craft this blog to get things going. I’ll keep it short and sweet. : )

Recently, members of the CRC Core Leadership team explored different ways in which we might archive events and happenings associated with the organization. As the world goes more digital and looks to the Internet as a haven for up-to-date information, blogs are becoming an effective and engaging tool with which people from communities can stay connected. It is my understanding that this blog, among other things, is to be a means of record-keeping. In other words, what better way to find out about what’s going on in the CRC than from the Interns!

The exact purpose of this Blog has been left undefined, albeit unintentionally. As our CRC Interns work with their peers and establish relationships within the neighborhoods, they’ll be given the opportunity to reflect about events they coordinate, programs in which they participate, and goals and ambitions they cultivate during the course of the year. Essentially, this blog will be a platform for the student perspective. It is my hope that this blog becomes another component of our over-arching mission – to help residents become enamored with the unlimited potential that comes with community.

I am very excited about the upcoming year, and I invite all of you join me as I welcome another school year and another crop of CRC Interns for 2009 – 2010!

In the Spirit of Community,

Chris Sell

CRC Intern Coordinator