UPDATE: Registration Closed for Free Family Holiday Portraits

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!

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

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

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

Upcoming Event -- BYOP

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!

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

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!