Happy Winter Break!

The CRC interns are taking a break after a successful- and busy!- Fall Semester.  We'll be back at it with more events and outreach come January, so stay tuned!  In the meantime, check out the City of East Lansing's winter break safety reminders if you're planning to go away on break.  Staying close to home?  Check out the city's winter/holiday safety tips.

Photo credit: MSU Photography Services

Happy holidays from the CRC!

CRC Interns present to City Council

On Tuesday, December 6th, the CRC Interns presented at the City Council meeting to provide an update on our activities this past semester. Interns James Robinson and Ryan Waldron gave the presentation on behalf of the intern team, and they did a fabulous job! The presentation was taped and is available online. If you'd like to see the presentation, skip to 31:00 in the video below. The CRC would like to thank the East Lansing City Council for their support and for allowing us the opportunity to present!

Watch Dec. 6, '11 | East Lansing City Council on PBS. See more from EAST LANSING CITY COUNCIL.

Winter Carnival at EL Winter Glow

Last weekend the CRC interns took part in the First Annual East Lansing Winter Glow festival downtown, where we held a kid-friendly Winter Carnival.  The event was a blast, for interns and participants alike!

Haley helping with the bean bag toss!

Kids and their families stopped by on their way to visit Santa or pet a reindeer for fun and prizes.  CRC interns manned a bean bag toss, "pin the piece of clothing on the arctic animal," and a ball and cup game.

Pin the hat on the arctic puffin!

Participants won prizes while their parents learned about the Community Relations Coalition and chatted with their neighbors!

James mans the ball and cup station, where kids could then pick up their prize

This semester may be over, but the interns have already started plotting and planning for the next one- at our last staff meeting the ideas were flying!  Join us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with our activity.  Happy Holidays from the CRC!

Come Visit the CRC at East Lansing's Winter Glow

The CRC would like to invite all community members to visit the CRC's Winter Carival at East Lansing's Winter Glow. The event will take place on Dec. 3 from 3pm to 6pm. The CRC will be providing fun and festive winter games. There will also be prizes! We will be stationed outside the Marriot's East side which is also close to Santa's Station. Hope to see you there!

International Thanksgiving

The CRC started Thanksgiving off a tad early this year with our International Thanksgiving Feast!  The event took place in the Red Cedar Neighbhorhood, in Red Cedar Elementary School.  The CRC provided traditional Thanksgiving fare such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.  We also partnered with residents as well as language and culture groups including La Casa and the Saudi Student Association to provide traditional ethnic dishes, which lent the event an international flair.

The feast!

The event attracted a rich mix of students and residents, both international and domestic, and was a great success thanks to all those who contributed to the feast!  East Lansing's newly sworn-in mayor Diane Goddeeris was in attendance, as was Mayor Pro-Tem Nathan Triplett.  Check out the article in the State News and coverage by Channel 10 for a taste of the action!

Bailey intern Haley manning the CRC's table

A huge thank you to all those who helped make our International Thanksgiving a success, especially to the Office of International Students and Scholars, Red Cedar School, the Red Cedar Community Association, and the Red Cedar School Association for their tremendous help in getting the word out.  Coming up next: the CRC will be participating in next month's Winter Glow in downtown East Lansing!  Don't forget to stop by our booth for fun activities and a chance to chat with the interns!

Interns Take a Coffee Break!

Stop by the CRC's table at today's International Coffee Hour between 4:00 and 6:00pm in Spartan Rooms B and C of the International Center!  Interns will be promoting the CRC as well as our upcoming International Thanksgiving Feast, to take place November 20th from 1:00-3:00pm in the multipurpose room of Red Cedar Elementary.  Check out the event on Facebook for more details and instructions on signing up to bring a dish to pass!

Nov. 8th, An Important Election Day

The CRC would like to encourage all East Lansing community members to participate in the City Council and School Board Elections tomorrow, Nov 8th. This is a great opportunity for community members to voice their opinions through voting and to choose candidates they feel best suit their interests. If you are afraid you do not know the candidates very well, there is still time to catch up! Take a look at the link down below to learn  more about the Candidates running:

Candidate Information

See you at the Polls!!!

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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:

The Painting Carving Station was pretty busy!

Dad's helping the kids Carve Pumpkins!

Gooey, Crisp, Caramel Apple

CRC and ELFM Partner for Autumn Fest

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

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

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

Neighborhood Clean Up

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

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

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 in attendance!

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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!

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!