Sunday, October 3, 2010
Events: Ice Cream Socials
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.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Training Week
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!
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!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Happy Spartan Spring!
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Apply for this Internship!
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!
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!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Valentine's Day
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!
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!
ASMSU Gathering
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
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
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